Ottawa, ON — Monday, June 8, 2026 — The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) is renewing its Ottawa Regional Technology Development Site (RTDS), one of nine OVIN regional sites across Ontario.
The Government of Ontario, through OVIN, will invest up to $2 million, supported by nearly $2.8 million in private-sector contributions and $1.2 million in other contributions, for a total project value of nearly $6 million.
Led by Invest Ottawa, in partnership with Kanata North Business Association, the Ottawa RTDS is delivered through Area X.O, Invest Ottawa’s R&D complex for emerging and mission-critical technologies. This investment will help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the Ottawa region to develop, test, and commercialize next-generation automotive and mobility technologies.
Announced in February 2026 by the Honourable Victor Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, the OVIN RTDS network is supported by a $17.5 million investment from the Government of Ontario through OVIN. This investment is matched by $32.8 million from industry and over $19.3 million from the broader public sector, bringing the total investment to nearly $70 million.
The Ottawa RTDS brings together a strong network of private-sector and ecosystem partners, including Cisco Systems Canada, TUV SUD, Wesley Clover International, CMC Microsystems, Calian Group Ltd., Carleton University, University of Ottawa, Kanata North Business Association, Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre, Jabil Ottawa, and the City of Ottawa.
Leveraging Area X.O’s smart mobility testing facilities and Ottawa’s global technology ecosystem, the RTDS will support SMEs with technology validation, market readiness, compliance, commercialization, and real-world piloting opportunities for smart mobility, connected, and autonomous systems in the Ottawa region. The initiative will also help accelerate market adoption and strengthen Ontario’s competitiveness in semiconductors, creating a semiconductor-enabled, end-to-end chip-to-roadway innovation platform for companies.
Quotes:
“Ottawa is North America’s largest technology hub, with the talent, research capacity, and entrepreneurs that develop the next generation of semiconductors, smart mobility, and connected technologies. Thank you to the Government of Ontario, OVIN, Invest Ottawa, Area X.O, and all the partners. This investment will help local companies bring new innovations to market faster, attract new investment, create high-quality jobs, and strengthen Ottawa’s position as a global leader in advanced technology.”
Mark Sutcliffe, Mayor of Ottawa
“The Ottawa Region delivers a unique advantage to Ontario’s innovation economy, combining world-class semiconductor, AI, and smart mobility expertise with real-world testing, validation, and adoption. Through our third OVIN RTDS project, Invest Ottawa and Area X.O are proud to partner with the provincial government, OCI, KNBA, and 15 industry, academic, and innovation leaders to accelerate commercialization, and turn innovation into jobs, investment and long-term economic growth.”
Sonya Shorey, President and CEO, Invest Ottawa
“Programs like the Ottawa RTDS are critically important to help companies bridge the gap between innovation, commercialization and adoption. For emerging technologies, especially in intelligent infrastructure and autonomous systems, access to real-world validation environments, municipal stakeholders, and commercialization support significantly accelerates development and market readiness. As Four DRobotics evolves toward semiconductor-enabled sensing and edge intelligence technologies, the Ottawa RTDS is uniquely aligned with the direction our company is heading — connecting advanced hardware innovation with real operational deployment opportunities.”
Jeremy James, Founder and CEO, FourDRobotics (FourDRobotics develops software products that manage a multi-domain collaborative team of uncrewed autonomous vehicles)
“For a company like ours building safety infrastructure for autonomous systems, the hardest part isn’t the lab, it’s proving the system holds up in the real world. Having a place like Area X.O to test against, and a network of partners willing to put their infrastructure behind that, is rare. It’s a big part of why we can do this work in Ontario instead of somewhere else. We’re glad to be building here and proud to be part of what OVIN and Invest Ottawa are putting together.”
Mary Yazdani, Founder and CEO, reasonX Labs (reasonX Labs builds safety infrastructure for physical AI and autonomous systems)
“Ottawa is home to Canada’s Largest Technology Park, the country’s largest semiconductor and integrated photonics cluster, and one of North America’s most concentrated technology ecosystems. KNBA is proud to partner with Invest Ottawa and Area X.O in supporting Ontario’s coordinated strategy to advance semiconductor, automotive, and smart mobility innovation. Commercializing breakthrough technologies is essential to Ontario’s long-term economic competitiveness, and this initiative will help ensure that innovations developed here are scaled, manufactured, and adopted here.”
Kelly Daize, Executive Director, Kanata North Business Association
“As a global leader in the automotive and mobility sector, Ontario is driving the transformation towards a connected, electric future. The OVIN Regional Technology Development Sites provide Ontario-based SMEs access to an extensive network of support and expertise and reduce barriers for start-ups and companies to create homegrown solutions to meet not only Ontario’s needs, but those of customers all across the globe, to drive our economy forward.”
Raed Kadri, Head of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) at OCI
“Through OVIN, Ontario is creating a province-wide network that turns regional innovation into real economic impact. By establishing nine Regional Technology Development Sites, we’re giving SMEs access to world-class infrastructure and expertise that helps them commercialize faster, strengthen supply chains, and compete globally. This investment ensures that made-in-Ontario mobility solutions drive jobs, growth, and long-term competitiveness across the province.”
Claudia Krywiak, President and CEO of the Ontario Centre of Innovation
About the Ottawa Regional Technology Development Site
The Ottawa Regional Technology Development Site (RTDS) is one of nine regional technology development sites within the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), advancing next-generation electric, connected, autonomous, and smart mobility technologies. Led by Invest Ottawa and delivered through Area X.O, the Ottawa RTDS connects SMEs with advanced testing infrastructure, technical expertise, industry partners, and real-world demonstration opportunities to accelerate commercialization and strengthen Ontario’s mobility innovation ecosystem.
About Invest Ottawa
Invest Ottawa is the lead economic development agency for Canada’s Capital Region, helping entrepreneurs, startups, scale-ups, and global companies launch, grow, and succeed. Through its programs, services, and strategic initiatives, Invest Ottawa supports business growth, innovation, investment attraction, and economic development across the region.
About Area X.O.
Area X.O, operated by Invest Ottawa, is a research and development complex for emerging and mission-critical technologies. The site supports the development, testing, validation, demonstration, and commercialization of smart mobility, connected and autonomous systems, drones, advanced communications, defence, security, smart agriculture, and connected community solutions.
About OVIN
OVIN is an initiative of the Government of Ontario, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI), designed to reinforce Ontario’s position as a North American leader in advanced automotive technology and smart mobility solutions such as connected vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and electric and low-carbon vehicle technologies. Through resources such as research and development (R&D) support, talent and skills development, technology acceleration, business and technical supports, and demonstration grounds, OVIN provides a competitive advantage to Ontario-made automotive and mobility technology companies. For more information: https://www.ovinhub.ca.
OVIN Media Inquiries: Alicia Pereira, apereira@oc-innovation.ca
RTDS Media Contact: Randy Gaudreau, RGaudreau@investottawa.ca