The Liberal government has whittled down the list of contenders eligible for a piece of its $950-million "supercluster" program, an initiative to foster innovation and create jobs in five specialized hubs across the country.

The nine finalists on the government's short list include partnerships in ocean and digital technologies, artificial intelligence, transportation, manufacturing, mining, agri-food and infrastructure.

The government defines superclusters as collaborations between companies and universities, colleges or not-for-profit organizations "to turn ideas into solutions that can be brought to market."

Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains likened the model to California's Silicon Valley, a region defined by its software and computer industry.

"Superclusters are job-creating regions with strong economies, like Silicon Valley, and our government intends to create five of them in Canada," Bains said in a release.

Minister of Innovation Navdeep Bains discusses the nine finalists competing for a piece of the $950 million in allocated funding 7:48

After receiving 50 proposals, involving more than 1,000 firms and 350 participants, the government said it has created a shortlist of nine pitches from across the country. Up to five consortiums will be eligible for a piece of the $950-million fund, which will be spent over five years.

Bains has said he hopes to name successful applicants by the end of the government's fiscal year in March.

Bains announced plans for the supercluster program earlier this year, following up on the government's innovation commitment in its 2017 budget.

The innovation minister will be making stops in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, with help from cabinet colleague Ralph Goodale in Saskatchewan, to unveil the finalists, but a list of the top contenders was obtained by Radio-Canada.

The short list includes: