What is a TAC? – Canada's Technology Access Centres

What is a Technology Access Centre?

A Technology Access Centre (TAC) is a state-of-the-art applied research and innovation centre, affiliated with a Canadian college or cégep, that provides companies with access to cutting-edge technology and equipment, as well as a multi-disciplinary team with the expertise to turn brilliant ideas into market-ready products.

TACs offer value-added R&D and innovation services to Canadian businesses—particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—to develop new prototypes, scale-up processes and solve unique business challenges. They also provide customized training for corporate teams to upgrade technical skills, and de-risk the financial investment of implementing new equipment and adopting emerging technologies. They aim to generate innovation and productivity results, while enhancing the competitiveness of their industry partners.

Technology Access Centre Capacity

60
TACs operating from BC to PEI

$320
Million worth of highly specialized
equipment and facilities

149
Areas of innovation and expertise

4,238
Companies served annually,
of which 81% were SMEs

1,700
Experts in applied R&D
and business innovation

Where are the TACs?

There are 60 NSERC-designated TACs across Canada—from Victoria, BC to Inuvik, NWT to Charlottetown, PEI—supporting entrepreneurs and innovators in areas such as food innovation, agriculture, advanced manufacturing, bio-innovation, green chemistry, energy, aquaculture, metallurgy, geomatics, innovative vehicles, smart clothing, wearables, mobile applications and more.

TAC Directory

Why work with a TAC?

Expertise

Multi-disciplinary teams have the R&D and business expertise to assist your company to successfully commercialize an innovation—from ideation to prototype development to process scale-up to product marketing.

Collaboration

TACs embrace high levels of interconnectedness and collaborate with all players within their regional innovation ecosystems—universities, incubators, accelerators, government and private labs, other TACs and more.

Intellectual property (IP)

All of the IP is retained by your company. TACs are “IP-friendly” and believe their private sector partners are best placed to commercially exploit the IP.

Privacy

TAC teams understand confidentiality and sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with industry partners, so your trade secrets are safe and will not be disclosed.

De-risk your investment

Investing in innovation is no guarantee of commercial success. Government funding programs exist to help you offset some of the financial risk. TACs can help you navigate these R&D support programs to access leveraged funding to amplify the impact of your investment.

Technical training

Custom training is available for your team to help navigate emerging technologies, implement new equipment and adapt technological solutions that are best suited for your operational needs.
TACs are the best kept secret in Canada’s innovation ecosystem.

Accelerating Innovation and Commercialization Results

Every year the TAC network helps thousands of companies accelerate their innovation results by efficiently building prototypes, scaling-up production, and de-risking the pathway to market success.

Facilitating Technology Transfer

TACs introduce regional businesses to emerging technologies, enabling them to adapt and thrive in fast-changing industries.

Driving Regional Economic Growth

TACs are important drivers of innovation, commercialization, and productivity. They are engines of business and regional economic growth.