Government policy has failed to stimulate private spending in R&D for more than decade
Prime Minister Stephen Harper finally admitted in his Jan. 26th speech in Davos what every observer knew all too well: government policy has failed to stimulate private spending in research and development for more than a decade and has critically weakened our economy’s productivity. In the wake of a series of lacklustre reports on […]
Canada ‘missing the boat’ on agricultural innovation, experts tell Senate Agriculture Committee
Canada is “missing the boat” on agricultural innovation and needs to step up its focus on getting products to market, say experts. “In Canada we see [agriculture] innovation as providing university students with a hypothesis, or providing an opportunity for the next research grant,” Earl Geddes, executive director of Canadian International Grains Institute (CIGI) […]
Feds should reform tax incentives, invest more dollars to spur new R&D, say experts
If Canada wants to stop lagging behind other OECD countries on innovation, the federal government needs to reform its tax incentives and invest more dollars to spur new research and development in the country, say experts. Despite the federal government spending $3.5-billion in 2011 through the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax credit, […]
Canada faces innovation gap, time to address it
PARLIAMENT HILL—The recent global recession has shown the world what Canadians have known for some time: we live in a country with sound economic fundamentals and a balanced and successful approach to economic growth and job creation. The numbers speak for themselves. Unlike many of our international peers, Canada has recovered all of the […]
Pharma industry pushes for a more European IP regime, Rx&D says Canada is losing out on pharma
Innovation in Canada’s pharmaceutical sector has all but stalled, according to Rx&D, which represents the country’s pharmaceutical researchers. The industry association attributes the slowdown to weak intellectual property laws that discourage companies from investing in Canada, but some stakeholders warn that stricter IP protection will have a negative impact on innovation in other sectors […]
Canada faces commercialization gap, not innovation gap: CATA
A leading national industry association representing Canada’s technology sectors is urging the federal government to rethink the country’s so-called “innovation gap” ahead of the 2012 budget. The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance’s recent white paper, Canada as a Competitive Innovation Nation: What Needs To Be Done, formed the basis of the organization’s 2012 pre-budget submission […]
D-Wave Systems bucks trends for Canadian start-ups
When it comes to Canadian companies with global reach, many innovation experts are hard-pressed to come up with more than a handful of household names, but B.C.-based D-Wave Systems could be the next company to join a very short list. Asked to name some of the country’s most innovative globally competitive companies, industry insiders […]
Is innovation policy an oxymoron?
OTTAWA–The above quote from the 1994 auditor general report on an innovation society and the role of government flags what many of us already know—innovation matters and innovativeness resides fundamentally in people and their practices. By embracing innovation, the AG report also underscored that Canadian governments and their public service could easily become world […]
Innovation and productivity: why aren’t we doing better?
Despite all the self-congratulatory chest thumping about our economy being the envy of the world, two areas of our performance are persistently troubling. We are lagging in innovation and productivity. Economists warn of the dangers of ignoring the trend lines, but the prescription to solve the problems is not universally agreed upon. Economists and […]
We need to make better connections to attract global investment
OTTAWA—Today’s global innovation race involves a complex web of connections. Researchers collaborate across disciplines, institutions, and borders to exchange ideas and share resources. Funding partners support research that has merit. And private-sector leaders lend their entrepreneurial spirit to the entire research enterprise. To succeed in this race, nations need to foster these connections through […]
