Research & development

Agfa obtains $29.6 million grant from Ontario gov’t

TORONTO and WATERLOO, Ont. – Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT-enabled workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, has been awarded a grant of $29.6 million by the government of Ontario. The money will be used to bolster the company’s research, development and regional operation centres in Toronto and Waterloo.

The grant is part of an investment of nearly $200 million by Agfa HealthCare in its Ontario operations, creating 100 new positions and re-investing in 276 existing jobs.

The total investment is designed to centralize and streamline the company’s research, development and regional operations, which will serve the North American and global requirements of the company.

“This is an exciting moment in our long history in Canada and signals a continued dedication to our customers in terms of research and development,” said Michael Green (pictured), Vice President North America Region, Agfa HealthCare. “The systems developed in Waterloo will be an integral part of our next generation of enterprise-wide solutions, designed to help our customers transform from analog to digital to full fledged IT solutions.”

“This will in turn support improved workflow, accuracy and patient care for hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide,” said Green. “The support from the McGuinty government allows us to accelerate our growth plans and bring our new technology to market, as well as anchoring our investment here in Ontario.”

Partnering with businesses to generate investment and create jobs is a component of the Ontario government’s five-point plan to grow the economy and will be provided from the Next Generation of Jobs Fund.

“We’re proud to support Agfa HealthCare’s investment in their Ontario operations and workforce. We have a skilled and educated workforce, a culture of innovation, and a competitive business environment. The Next Generation of Jobs Fund leverages those advantages to create quality jobs for Ontario families,” said Ontario’s Premier, Dalton McGuinty.

The 100 new jobs created at Agfa HealthCare will include software development roles, general support services and back office functions designed to meet the company’s regional, national and global needs.

In total Agfa HealthCare will employ nearly 400 people in Ontario, focusing on the development, implementation and support of the company’s eHealth, Regional Health and Digital Imaging Solutions.

The company’s Waterloo office will strengthen its position as one of the company’s primary Research and Development facilities. It supplies the company’s leading-edge Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), called IMPAX, and other advanced software solutions for hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide.

Michael Bryant, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, said, “We’re proud to work with innovative companies that come to the table with their own growth plans and resources. Agfa HealthCare’s new technology represents a step forward in the development of e-health, providing an Ontario solution to a global need and a shot in the arm to the local economy.”

Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic image management solutions, and state-of-the-art systems for capturing and processing images in hospitals and healthcare facilities.

Agfa HealthCare has over a century of healthcare experience related to diagnostic imaging and has been a pioneer on the healthcare IT market since the early 1990s. The company develops and delivers its solutions to hospitals and healthcare facilities in over 100 markets worldwide and is an active provider of IT-enabled diagnostic tools supporting Canada’s transition to fully fledged e-health solutions through its Picture Archiving and Communication Systems, advanced clinical applications and consolidated data centres.