‘The engine that supports Canada’s innovation’: CENGN CEO wants to help small-businesses advance in high-tech sphere

OTTAWA–Small- and medium-sized businesses wanting to get a foothold in the high-tech sector frequently need some assistance — and, for many of them, that helping hand comes from the Centre for Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN). Since 2014, the research group based in the nation’s capital has contributed $1.1 billion to the national gross domestic product and created 11,000 jobs at more than 230 companies. Its collection of living labs is charged with bringing 5G solutions to the marketplace. “We’re helping the startups, not just startups, but the innovation ecosystem in Canada, grow scale and commercialize homegrown in Canada,” Sandra Cutrona, the organization’s president, explains to The Wire Report in an interview. “Our vision is really to continue to … help commercialize scale small- and medium-sized enterprises in Canada, take them to the next level, possibly even globally.” The work of the group also assists both federal and provincial governments, Cutrona says “It’s evolved rapidly and it’s continuing to evolve,” she asserts. “We’ve contributed enormously to the government, to the government’s objectives, just to the economy overall.” CENGN president and CEO Sandra Cutrona sits for an interview with The Wire Report in Kanata, Ont. on Feb. 10, 2026. Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade The president, who has been in her role since November, foresees expansion into areas like defence, artificial intelligence, and public safety as CENGN expands its mandate. It has been working with firms like Rogers Communications Inc., Ericsson AB, and Nokia Canada Inc. — and Cutrona wants to see other companies sign on. “It’s not just partners with one telecom or one partner in the space,” she states. “Our goal is to partner with almost everybody we can to make sure that we have that availability, that sustainability to achieve what the government is looking for.” The organization has been working with Rogers on a smart agriculture lab in Vancouver and a connected robotics lab in Waterloo, Ont. Ericsson is the partner on a 5G advanced performance lab in Ottawa and a soon-to-be-opened advanced manufacturing lab in Drummondville, Que. Elsewhere, CENGN is working with Nokia on smart building labs in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal, while another Ottawa-based lab on agriculture is still looking for a tech partner. The living labs help businesses across many disciplines. Currently, agriculture is a prime focus as farming becomes more technologically advanced. Health care is another area where CENGN can help out, according to Cutrona, and it is also offering its expertise to retail firms. The organization can help smaller businesses when they are ready to get to market, she says, and it allows them to do research that would otherwise be unaffordable. “We have a lot of startups that have amazing ideas but they don’t have the funding and they don’t have the support nor do they have access to a living lab, which is also a data centre, for them to validate what their idea looks like,” the president notes. At the moment, the group’s program is oversubscribed. There are many firms that want to use CENGN’s research, but not everyone can be accepted. “We had so many applications. It was so nice to see,” Cutrona remarks. “We wish that we could help everybody, that’s where we feel so bad. Unfortunately, we do have a criterion we need to follow and we are limited.” The president, who has worked in the telecom sector for decades, says talks continue with potential partners across Canada, and every region in the country is represented in the parlay. Still, there are challenges for all involved in the process. For the companies, it is securing proper funding. For CENGN, it is keeping up with the rapidly-evolving technology. But Cutrona chooses to frame that as an opportunity rather than a challenge. She envisions expansion of the group’s mission because it connects with what the government is looking for. “The future is bright and I know that we’re up for the challenge to do even more,” she predicts. “We’re the engine that supports Canada’s innovation.” ppark@thewirereport.ca

‘The engine that supports Canada’s innovation’: CENGN CEO wants to help small-businesses advance in high-tech sphere

Telecom |
By Paul Park
|March 4, 2026

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

‘The engine that supports Canada’s innovation’: CENGN CEO wants to help small-businesses advance in high-tech sphere

Telecom | By Paul Park |March 4, 2026

Unlock all the Canadian telecom, broadcasting and digital media news you need.

FREE TRIAL

SUBSCRIBE

Telus to offer satellite cellular connectivity in late 2026

Global telecom coalition issues new 6G security principles focusing on quantum safety, AI integration

SpaceX receives support from Indigenous groups, Rogers to utilize E-band frequencies in Quebec and Alberta

Related Stories

Tories announce changes to critics positions

ISED contributes $80M to fund cyber security project

ISED rejects request to delay 3500 MHz auction following MVNO decision

Bains identifies priorities for Innovation Agenda

Reuse & Permissions

Inside The Wire Report

Information

Hill Times Publishing

Get in Touch With Us

Telecom |
By Paul Park
|March 4, 2026