The Liberal government has whittled down the list of contenders eligible for a piece of its $950-million "supercluster" program, an initiative to foster innovation and create jobs in five specialized hubs across the country. The nine finalists on the government's short list include partnerships in ocean and digital technologies, artificial intelligence, transportation, manufacturing, mining, agri-food and infrastructure. Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains likened the model to California's Silicon Valley, a region defined by its software and computer industry. Bains announced plans for the supercluster program earlier this year, following up on the government's innovation commitment in its 2017 budget. The short list includes:

Source: CBC News October 10, 2017 15:35 UTC