From owner-isoc-fr-membres@imag.imag.fr Wed Jul 7 09:28 MET 1999 Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 08:56:03 +0200 To: isoc-fr-membres@imag.fr From: Bruno OUDET Subject: le Canada annonce Technology Partnership Canada avec IBM Je fais le suivi de ce qui se passe au Canada sur le sujet Internet+administration. Cette nouvelle vient de tomber. ================ TORONTO, July 6, 1999 --The Government of Canada today announced a $33 million investment in software development that will help position Canada as a location of choice for electronic commerce research and development. The Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC) investment in IBM Net.Commerce, being developed at IBM Canada's Software Solutions Laboratory in Toronto, will significantly advance Canada's position in the competitive e-commerce sector. "Winning this research and development project is a milestone for Canada," said John Manley, Minister of Industry. "Globally, e-commerce is expected to grow from over $81 billion to more than $3.2 trillion a year by 2003. Securing this research and development work for Canada puts us in on the ground floor. It will help to leverage more benefits for Canada from the growth in e-commerce, both in terms of jobs and new business opportunities for Canadians." Minister Manley noted that the TPC investment was an important factor in IBM's decision to accelerate research and development on its leading e-commerce software product in Canada, and to establish a new, state-of the-art research facility in Canada. The IBM lab is Canada's 4th largest research and development centre, employing 1500 people, the majority of who are highly skilled software developers and engineers. In April of this year, IBM announced plans for the new facility in Markham, Ontario which will consolidate all three of its Toronto area labs in one location. The Markham facility, slated to open by the Fall of 2001, will provide IBM employees with a state-of-the-art working environment. "Our recent announcement to invest $125 million in building a new software lab demonstrates IBM's commitment to keep these high-skilled software development jobs in Canada," said John Wetmore, President and CEO, IBM Canada Ltd. "We're pleased that the Federal Government has decided to invest in IBM as a technology provider for future, leading-edge e-commerce solutions." In addition to the TPC investment, the Government of Canada and IBM Canada have also signed an Investment Framework Agreement. The Agreement sets out ways that IBM and the Government of Canada can continue to work together to strengthen Canada's position in the information and communications technology sector. These include further collaboration in the ongoing development of Canada's Electronic Commerce Strategy, as well as the promotion of e-commerce to small business, using existing programs to strengthen Canada's university-based research infrastructure, and providing job and work experience opportunities for Canadian youth. The signing of the Framework Agreement, follows eighteen months of discussions involving IBM and a wide range of players across government, including: Investment Partnerships Canada, a strategic unit of the Government of Canada that leads multinational investment campaigns in Canada, TPC, Industry Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The IBM Canada software development project is a major achievement for Canada's Electronic Commerce Strategy, announced by the Prime Minister in September 1998. The goal of the strategy, developed in consultation with industry and other stakeholders, is to make Canada a global leader in e-commerce by 2000. Net.Commerce, enables the creation of web sites that allow business-to-consumer and business-to-business electronic transactions that integrate designers, suppliers, manufacturers and distributors. Canadian businesses will get early to new versions of this technology, giving them opportunities to enter the e-commerce field and become proponents of using the information highway as a new, more efficient vehicle for commercial transactions. TPC represents an investment approach to technological development with real risk and reward sharing with the private sector. All TPC investments are conditionally repayable plus a share of upside revenues based on the commercial success of the products and technologies resulting from the funded R&D activities. In the case of the IBM investment, repayment will be based on total sales of the Net.Commerce product line. For more information, please contact: Jennifer Sloan Press Secretary Office of the Minister of Industry (613) 995-9001 Bruce Stuart Technology Partnerships Canada (613) 941-4671 Stuart.Bruce@ic.gc.ca