Canada’s innovation strategy would benefit from an emphasis on the building businesses
Innovation tends to be viewed as something that is associated with labs, microscopes, and other technical spaces, and although it might start here, this is not where it ends. Products of invention that are viable in the marketplace do not get to customers on their own; rather, there is a need to develop this important […]
‘Talent is the jet fuel to get companies to grow and scale’: attracting foreign talent and IP protection critical for Canada’s innovation economy, says CCI
Turning Canada into an “innovation nation” capable of rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic will depend on measures including finding ways to improve access to foreign talent, says the executive director of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI). “What we have seen since COVID has been a real challenge for domestic firms to compete globally in […]
How to build an innovation nation? Lead us by example
It has become clear that technology and innovation are now the defining forces of influence and change in the world. The headlines are everywhere: Reuters’ interview with the Pentagon’s ex-software chief states, “China has won the AI battle with the U.S.”; while Facebook’s latest controversy led The New York Times to declare: “Tobacco Battle Lends […]
Innovation Policy Briefing
National semiconductor strategy key for Canada’s economic growth and recovery
Canada is at a crossroads. We’re navigating a pandemic, climate change, and economic uncertainty like we haven’t seen in years; all while being asked to weigh in on the country’s future in a federal election. Crises are competing for our attention, but there’s one overlooked issue that deserves a seat at Canada’s policy table: the […]
Federal party positions: should new nuclear reactors be part of a climate action plan?
The nuclear industry lobby in Canada is conducting an intensive campaign for federal funding to build new nuclear reactors–so-called “small modular nuclear reactors” or SMNRs–claiming they are required for climate action. The federal government is boosting the industry campaign, with Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan famously revealing his unfamiliarity with the considerable research demonstrating that net zero carbon emissions can […]
Investment goes beyond supporting the institutions themselves
On Sept. 8, nearly all of Lethbridge College’s 5,000-plus students returned to campus to start the school year. While we’d been able to safely offer some in-person classes and labs throughout the 2020-21 academic year—with as many as 400 students per day on-campus—this was as close to a full campus as we had seen since […]
Investing in people and ideas for Canada’s recovery
For those in the education sector, September is always a time of hope and promise. This year, those hopes are tempered by threats of a fourth wave of the pandemic. But to see students arrive on campus, to see residences and classrooms open safely, and to see researchers back in labs at higher levels gives […]
University innovation: a transformative force for Canada’s post-pandemic economy
Every technological revolution that society has witnessed was preceded by a major global crisis, and each was driven by major public investments. In each case, the distribution of economic power changed. As we consider what technological shifts will transform our society following massive post-pandemic investments, we must look at further developing and nurturing a culture […]
Universities and Colleges Research
