Following the success of a five-year program helping commercialize new mining technology, the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) is making a $148-million bid to launch a second phase.

The Sudbury-based organization, run by the Centre for Excellence in Mining Innovation (CEMI), launched its call for support during a March 26 webinar attended by 273 participants.

It’s MICA’s belief that Canadian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are “the most prolific innovators” in the global mining sector, said Douglas Morrison, CEMI’s president and CEO.

But adoption of new solutions can be slow-going. MICA’s role is to help get them into working mines faster.

“Sixty-five per cent of all mining jobs in the industry are in the SMEs, and new mines, although they will be very important in the long term, they take years to develop,” Morrison said.

“So increasing export revenue in the SMEs is the fastest way to increase mining’s contribution to the Canadian economy.”