ORION invites researchers, faculty, students, private sector partners and government stakeholders to network and experience the latest in digital media and collaborative technologies in the ORION Digital Zone at Discovery '09.

ORION member institutions and partners will showcase in the ORION Digital Zone at Discovery, Canada's largest innovation event hosted by the Ontario Centres of Excellence, May 11 and 12 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The ORION Digital Zone will encompass more than 70 exhibitor booths around a central networking and lounge area where two informal roundtable discussions will take place.

Attendees can visit the ORION booth and get a preview of "O3", a new collaboration service for researchers and educators at ORION connected institutions.

A few of the organizations exhibiting in the ORION Digital Zone include:

The Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC) - A public-private consortium engaging leaders in mobile research, design and innovation, the MEIC includes six academic institutions and over 30 organizations from across the mobile industry. Exhibitors are planning to showcase some of the prototypes from OCAD's Mobile Experience Lab which specializes in locative art and design research.

The Virtual World Design Centre at Loyalist College is a full-service metaverse design and development agency that creates immersive world environments and experiences for business, education, and government. The VWDC will be showcasing some of the design projects they have created for education and training purposes.

SHARCNET - The Shared Hierarchical Academic Research Computing Network will demonstrate its supercomputer-in-a-box initiative which introduces students to supercomputing and how it can be harnessed for accelerating research results.

This year's theme is "Future Ready: Innovation for a Global Marketplace," profiling successes and emerging trends through panel discussions and provocative keynote speakers.

Over 1,500 delegates are expected from industry and research, including entrepreneurs, financiers, students and mentors, all with the goal to speed innovative ideas to market.

Register today at www.ocediscovery.com.