[1][2] NORCAT was created by Cambrian College dean Darryl Lake as part of a job-retention strategy to help employ local graduates and keep them in the Greater Sudbury area.
Lake was inspired by the innovation centers in Finland, including Technopolis Oyj, and with former Cambrian College president Glenn Crombie, adapted a model to apply to Northern Ontario.
With donations from local mining companies and funding from the federal and provincial government, the new Innovation and Commercialization Centre opened in 2009 on the grounds of Cambrian College.
[6][10] In 2015 NORCAT made major investments in the Underground Centre, partnering with local and international mining supply companies to showcase their products, as well as upgrading their facilities to include new dries and meeting rooms for rent.
The Innovation Mill also hosts the Sudbury wing of the Entrepreneurship 101 business fundamentals course (developed by the MaRS Discovery District) as well as several business-pitch events for start-up companies to gain exposure to angel investors.