| Type | Economic Development |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2005 |
| Location | MaRS Building, Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Origins | Toronto City Summit Alliance |
| Key people | Patrick Draper, President and CEO |
| Area served | Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Peel, Toronto, Waterloo, Wellington, York |
| Focus | Investment Attraction, Research Capacity Building, Public Awareness |
| Motto | Engaging Innovation |
| Website | http://www.trra.ca |
The Toronto Region Research Alliance (TRRA) is a regional economic development organization promoting increased investment in research and innovation to further economic prosperity. TRRA is a public-private partnership supported by the governments of Ontario and Canada, and a wide range of regional stakeholders from the private sector, universities, colleges, and research hospitals.
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TRRA was conceived in June 2003 as a result of the civic consensus achieved through the Toronto City Summit Alliance (TCSA).[1] TCSA represents over 40 civic leaders from the private, labour, voluntary and public sectors in the Toronto region.[2] This unique group came together in 2002 to assess our urban region's strengths and challenges and shape a framework for action that could move the region forward over the next five to 10 years. TCSA released its report, Enough Talk: An Action Plan for the Toronto Region, in April 2003.[3] This report included a recommendation to form TRRA.
TRRA focuses on retaining and growing foreign investment into regional organizations; attracting innovative, research-intensive foreign companies to locate here; promoting enhanced research intensity among regional businesses; and advancing initiatives to strengthen research and innovation capacity. The organization focuses on the following four broad research-intensive sectors:
TRRA provides a range of products and services to meet the different needs of international research-intensive organizations making critical business decisions about research-related investment.[5]
The Toronto Region Innovation Zone consists of key innovation clusters in a broad geographic area anchored by the City of Toronto, and includes the surrounding regions of Durham, Guelph, Halton, Hamilton, Peel, York, Waterloo and Wellington.[4]
The Toronto Region has a population of about 7.4 million[6] (including over 200 ethnic groups and 180 languages)[7] and a GDP over $300 billion.[8] It has 9 universities, 8 colleges and 12 research hospitals. It also houses a skilled labor force, with 64% of workers aged 25–64 holds a post-secondary degree or equivalent.[9]