Ontario Provides IT Company with Grant To Support Further Growth

Agfa Healthcare (Mortsel, Belgium), a developer of information technology- (IT)-enabled workflow and diagnostic imaging systems, has signed an agreement with the Government of Ontario, Canada for about US$24 million governmental grant to support the growth of the company's research, development, and regional operation centers in Toronto and Waterloo (Canada).

The grant will support nearly $162.5 million investment by Agfa HealthCare in its Ontario operations, creating 100 new positions and reinvesting in 276 existing jobs. The total investment is designed to centralize and streamline the company's research, development, and regional operations, which will serve both the North American as well as global requirements for the company. 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.

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 also strengthen its position as one of the company's primary research and development facilities, developing the company's leading picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), called Impax and other software systems for hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide.

"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.

Supporting Premier McGuinty's statement, Michael Bryant, Ontario's minister of economic development stated, "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.”

"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. The systems which will be 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. 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,” concluded Michael Green, vice president North America region, Agfa HealthCare.

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

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