Project Itaca is a new initiative which aims to develop and consolidate socioeconomic relations between Italo-Canadian communities and Italy. One of its principle mandates is to provide a complete education to young italo-canadians—economics, history, linguistics—to improve their knowledge of their native country and to discover multiple business opportunities. Project Itaca thus wants to promote all the opportunities offered through commercial exchanges between Italy, Quebec and Canada to the next generation of economic players.

The different activities organized between the many private and public sector participants from Canada and Italy will help to build business ties, networks, and create gateways that will stimulate trade exchanges. The initiative will promote the dynamism and entrepreneurship of italo-canadian regional communities in order to give them the means to play a key role in economic development matters.

Project Itaca comprises a portal that will provide a stimulating environment for the exchange of information on forthcoming projects, and where the sharing of knowledge, collaboration and business strategies will help to foster the success of economic initiatives. Itaca will play a catalytic role with participating organizations, institutions and businesses from Canada, Italy and elsewhere.

The first phase of Project Itaca will focus on Campania and Veneto—their respective niches of excellence—and on Italian communities in Montreal and Vancouver. Other regions will join as soon as the project begins to evolve.

Project Itaca is supported by numerous institutional partnerships: