Occupational Cancer Research Centre

What Occupational Cancer Research Centre does

The Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC) is a Toronto-based non-profit research centre established in 2009 as Canada's first facility dedicated to occupational cancer research. It is hosted by Ontario Health and funded primarily by the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and the Ontario Ministry of Health, supplemented by research grants from organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. In 2016, the World Health Organization designated OCRC as a Collaborating Centre for Occupational Cancer, and it operates as a partnership uniting research, healthcare, workplace safety, labour, and industry groups.

OCRC's core product is the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS), a surveillance platform that monitors disease risks among Ontario workers using data linkage to cancer registries and workers' compensation records, covering approximately 2 million workers. Its other primary offerings include the Burden Study (estimating the human and economic impact of occupational cancer in Canada), Research Projects (firefighter cancer risk, nail salon exposures, diesel exhaust, asbestos, sun safety, pesticides), and the Occupational and Environmental Health Seminar Series. Underlying technology is grounded in epidemiological methods, job-exposure matrices, and surveillance data rather than AI/ML systems.

OCRC does not sell products or services commercially. Its revenue model is exclusively grant-funded: it receives multi-year research grants from government ministries and non-profit funders, with the most recent major commitment being an over-$6 million Ontario investment in 2024. Pricing is non-commercial — seminars are free, and research participation is voluntary. Primary stakeholder segments are Ontario workers, government and policy makers, the research and healthcare community, and labour organizations and industry groups.

Name

Occupational Cancer Research Centre

Legal name

Occupational Cancer Research Centre

Website

https://occupationalcancer.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

OCRC is a Toronto-based non-profit research centre, established in 2009 and hosted by Ontario Health, that conducts epidemiological research and disease surveillance on occupational cancer among Ontario workers. It operates the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) and is funded primarily by Ontario provincial ministries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: OCRC is primarily funded by government sources including the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and the Ontario Ministry of Health. It is also based at Ontario Health.
2. Research Grants: The centre receives research grants from organizations such as the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, and other research funding bodies for specific research projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OCRC is a research centre that conducts epidemiological research on occupational cancer and disease, operating the Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) to monitor disease risks among Ontario workers. It produces burden-of-cancer studies estimating health and economic impacts, runs targeted research projects on high-risk occupations and exposures, and disseminates findings through publications, seminars, and policy recommendations. Its work is delivered as public-good research rather than commercial products or services.

Product overview

OCRC is a research centre focused on occupational cancer and disease research, not a commercial software product company. It operates as a partnership uniting research, healthcare, workplace safety, labour and industry groups. The organization offers surveillance systems (ODSS), burden estimation studies, and various research projects on occupational exposures and cancer risks. Supporting offerings include resources (fact sheets, reports, publications), data tools, and an educational seminar series (OEH). The portfolio consists of core surveillance and research initiatives plus supplementary educational and resource products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) A surveillance system that monitors disease risks among Ontario workers, tracking occupational disease patterns and trends, including cancer risk among specific worker populations such as firefighters and respiratory diseases among workers with occupational exposures.
• Burden of Occupational Cancer Study A research initiative that estimates the human and economic burden of occupational cancer and disease in Canada, helping to identify priority areas for prevention and quantify the impact of workplace carcinogens on cancer incidence and mortality.
• Ontario Nail Salon Exposure Study A study assessing chemical, psychosocial, and physical hazards in Ontario nail salons, examining worker exposure to formaldehyde, phthalates, acrylates, and other hazardous substances.
• Sun Safety at Work Canada A national workplace-based sun safety program for outdoor workers addressing both skin cancer prevention and heat stress.
• North American Pooled Project (NAPP) A pooled case-control study assessing effects of pesticide exposure and agricultural factors in association with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and soft tissue sarcoma.
• Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH) Seminar Series A weekly seminar series providing continuing education on occupational and environmental health topics, supported by multiple academic and public health institutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Work-related asbestos exposure resulted in approximately $2.35 billion in costs for newly diagnosed lung cancer and mesothelioma cases in 2011
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• National Cancer Institute of ColombiaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2013International research partner collaborating on occupational carcinogen surveillance in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Ontario HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCRC is based at Ontario Health. Ontario Health is the host organization providing infrastructure and operational support for the research centre.
• Dalla Lana School of Public HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner co-supporting the Occupational and Environmental Health seminar series.
• Public Health OntariomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner supporting the Occupational and Environmental Health seminar series.
• Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease (CREOD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner co-supporting the OEH seminar series and collaborating on research projects including nail salon exposure studies.
• Institute for Work & HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner on opioid-related harms research among Ontario workers. Jointly released Opioids and Work workshop report.
• CAREX CanadamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating on occupational exposure surveillance. CAREX Canada provides estimates of worker exposure to carcinogens.
• Centre for Occupational Disease PreventionmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner co-supporting the Occupational and Environmental Health seminar series.
• Parkdale Queen West Community Health CentresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity health partner collaborating on nail salon worker research and outreach.
• Healthy Nail Salon NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity network partner in nail salon research project based in Toronto.
• Workplace Safety and Prevention ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealth and safety system partner supporting nail salon research recruitment and data collection.
• Pan American Health OrganizationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational health organization partner for Latin American and Caribbean CAREX project, supporting development of national CAREX projects and capacity building.
• Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner on Sun Safety at Work Canada project, led by Dr. Thomas Tenkate.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease (CREOD): Ontario research centre studying occupational disease with a clinical and exposure focus. Listed as a partner supporting OCRC's OEH seminar series and collaborating on nail salon exposure research, making it a direct, niche peer in occupational disease research.
• CAREX Canada: Canada's occupational and environmental carcinogen exposure surveillance initiative based at Simon Fraser University. Directly comparable to OCRC as it produces carcinogen exposure estimates (e.g., the ~1.5M outdoor workers figure) used by OCRC's burden and surveillance studies.
• Institute for Work & Health (IWH): Ontario-based research organization focused on work-related injury and illness prevention. OCRC and IWH jointly produced the 'Opioids and Work' workshop report, indicating directly comparable research mandates and overlapping stakeholder ecosystems in Ontario occupational health.

Others

• Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario): OCRC's host organization and broader Ontario health agency that previously housed the Ontario Cancer Registry feeding ODSS. Functioning as parent/infrastructure rather than a peer, but materially relevant as the platform on which OCRC operates.
• Canadian Cancer Society: Major funder of OCRC research (e.g., $1M Burden of Occupational Cancer grant). Functions primarily as a research sponsor rather than a research centre, but is a key comparator in the Canadian cancer research funding ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (TTL): National research institute in Finland covering occupational health, safety, and well-being. Comparable to OCRC in its research mandate on occupational disease and exposure surveillance, but operates at a national level in a different geography.
• HSE Science and Research Centre: UK Health and Safety Executive's research arm investigating workplace health risks, including occupational cancers. Comparable in occupational disease focus, though embedded within a regulator rather than an independent research centre.

Broad incumbents

• Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS): Federal Canadian occupational health body providing information, training, and resources across the full scope of workplace health and safety. Overlaps with OCRC's mission in occupational disease but operates at much broader scope and scale.
• International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC): WHO's specialized cancer research agency that classifies carcinogens and produces global monographs. OCRC's WHO Collaborating Centre designation aligns it with IARC, and they overlap in occupational carcinogen research, though IARC operates globally at much greater scale.
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): U.S. federal agency responsible for occupational safety and health research, including occupational cancer. Closest large-scale international peer to OCRC, but vastly larger in budget, mandate, and workforce.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OCRC_CA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/occupational-cancer-research-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Occupational Cancer Research Centre