Media Release
Winnipeg Recognized as One of the Top 21 "Smart Communities" in the World
October 26, 2010: Winnipeg, MB – Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. (EDW) is pleased to announce that Winnipeg is being honoured as a globally recognized Intelligent Community. The distinction is awarded by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) to a select group of 21 international communities, based on their achievements and competitive advantage in the broadband economy.
“Being recognized as a global smart community is a great honour for Winnipeg,” says Marina R. James, President and CEO, Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. “Greater recognition as an Intelligent Community helps to position our city to prosper in the global digital economy.”
Each year ICF defines a theme that guides the nominations. The theme for 2011 is "Health and the Intelligent Community”. Winnipeg’s organic approach to its intelligent community strategy has reinforced and grown life science and health sector significance, adding value to the community and beyond.
“Winnipeg is a recognized centre for Health and Life Science,” says Tracey Maconachie, President, Life Science Association of Manitoba. “There has been significant development and growth in research capacity, business development, technology commercialization and partnerships utilizing the Intelligent Community approach.”
Speaking to this topic, Winnipeg’s application, submitted by EDW, highlights a number of leading Winnipeg firms including Intelligent Hospital Systems, Monteris Medical Inc., and Innovative Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems Inc. (IMRIS) – all examples of Winnipeg based companies committed to improving the delivery of healthcare using information and communications technology.
The Smart21 announcement is the first stage in ICF's annual Intelligent Community Awards cycle. Based on nominations submitted by communities large and small from around the world, ICF selects 21 semi-finalists, based on criteria including broadband connectivity, knowledge workforce, digital inclusion, innovation, marketing and advocacy. The awards cycle concludes in New York City on June 3, 2011 where one of the Smart21 communities will succeed Suwon, South Korea as Intelligent Community of the Year 2011.
The Smart21 Communities of 2011 are:
- Birmingham, UK
- Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA
- Chongqing, China
- Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
- Dakota County, Minnesota, USA
- Danville, Virginia, USA
- Dublin, Ohio, USA
- Eindhoven, Netherlands
- Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
- Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
- Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
- Northeast Ohio, USA
- Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Riverside, California, USA
- Shanghai, China
- Sopron, Hungary
- Stratford, Ontario, Canada
- Taoyuan County, Taiwan
- Trikala, Greece
- Windsor-Essex, Ontario, Canada
- Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
For more information on Intelligent Communities and a brief profile of each Smart21 community visit: www.intelligentcommunity.org.
As a recipient of the Smart21 Community designation, Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. has received a Smart21 Certificate from the Intelligent Community Forum, and is authorized to use the Smart21 logo to indicate Winnipeg’s achievement.
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About Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. (EDW)
An arm’s-length, not-for-profit organization, Economic Development Winnipeg Inc. is led by a private sector board with core funding from the City of Winnipeg and Province of Manitoba. EDW leads, facilitates and promotes investment development, partnership, capacity building and competitive intelligence, and markets Winnipeg as an ideal place to live, work, invest and visit through its two main divisions – Economic Development and Tourism Winnipeg. www.economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com
For further information contact:
Julia Adams
Manager, Communications and Media Relations
P: 204.954.1977
C: 204.294.1752
julia@economicdevelopmentwinnipeg.com
