NGen is home to a national network of innovators that invests in cutting edge industrial technology projects and supports commercialization in global markets.
Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) is the industry-led, not-for-profit organization that leads Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for Advanced Manufacturing. Founded in 2018, NGen connects manufacturers, technology companies, and researchers to accelerate innovation, strengthen Canada’s industrial base, and drive economic growth. With thousands of members across the country, NGen helps manufacturers adopt advanced technologies and helps tech companies scale their solutions across industrial sectors.
Advanced manufacturing combines cutting-edge technologies — such as robotics, artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing (3D printing), automation, and data analytics — with traditional production systems. It’s about transforming how products are designed, built, and delivered, making manufacturing in Canada more efficient, sustainable, and globally competitive.
Examples include:
- Robotics and automation
- Additive manufacturing and advanced materials
- AI and machine learning in production
- Digital twins and predictive analytics
- Smart factories and integrated supply chains
Advanced manufacturing is a cornerstone of Canada’s economic strength and future competitiveness.
It enables the country to:
- Create high-value jobs and skilled employment opportunities
- Increase productivity and reduce production costs and errors
- Enhance sustainability by reducing waste and energy use
- Build resilient supply chains in critical sectors
- Compete globally through innovation and technology adoption
By advancing manufacturing capability, Canada can lead in key areas like automotive, aerospace, defence, health care, and housing innovation.
Manufacturing remains one of Canada’s largest economic engines:
- Contributes over 10% of national GDP (approximately $200 billion annually)
- Employs more than 1.7 million Canadians directly and indirectly
- Represents 68% of Canada’s merchandise exports, valued at $360 billion in annual exports.
- Fuels growth across aerospace, automotive, clean tech, agri-food, life sciences, housing, dual-use tech for security and defence.
Through NGen, this sector is evolving into a modern, technology-driven ecosystem that underpins national prosperity.
- NGen operates as an independent organization funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Global Innovation Clusters program.
- Co-investment by industry in collaborative innovation projects helps NGen deliver measurable industrial and economic impact.
- Every public dollar invested by NGen leverages $1.80 from industry and non-government partners.
- NGen supports projects that produce commercial outcomes, new intellectual property, and stronger supply chains.
- Since 2018, NGen has approved 246 projects adding $10.1 billion to Canada’s GDP, with 1069 partners including 590 SMEs and 417 research institutions.
- NGen acts as an expertise connector, working with manufacturers, innovators, academics and R&D agencies to turbo-charge automotive, aerospace, agri-food, life sciences, housing, and dual-use tech for security and defence.
- This collaborative model ensures that public investment in innovation drives real-world results for Canada’s economy.
Industrial AI is the use of artificial intelligence to optimize and enhance manufacturing and industrial operations.
Unlike digital AI focused on software or consumer applications, industrial AI connects data and physical systems — making production smarter, safer, and more efficient.
Examples include:
- Predictive maintenance for industrial equipment
- Machine vision and sensors for quality inspection
- AI-driven optimization of energy and materials use
- Intelligent robotics and automation
Industrial AI helps Canadian manufacturers improve performance, reduce costs, and boost sustainability while strengthening global competitiveness.
By advancing the commercialization of made-in-Canada industrial AI, NGen helps ensure Canadian research and innovation stay in Canada — creating jobs, intellectual property, and long-term value for Canadians
NGen supports innovation across Canada’s advanced manufacturing landscape, with emphasis on emerging areas such as Industrial AI, defence and dual-use applications, and next-generation housing solutions.
These priority sectors represent areas where Canada can combine technological innovation, industrial capacity, and national leadership to boost productivity, creating long-term economic and social impact.
Since its launch in 2018, NGen has achieved tangible, nation-wide impact:
- $10.1 billion in new industry revenue
- 5,209 new jobs created
- 57 new Canadian companies launched
- 2,049 intellectual property assets created
- 8,000+ students and employees trained
- 5.7x return on taxpayer investment
NGen’s collaborative approach has proven that public–private partnerships in innovation lead directly to new products, technologies, and growth for Canadian industry.
