Government-struck business panel recommends major changes to feds’ innovation policy
A government-assembled panel composed of six advisory groups filled with dozens of industry representatives is urging the Trudeau Liberals to enact sweeping changes to the federal government’s innovation policies in order to help capital-thirsty firms in an increasingly competitive global market. The six “economic strategy tables” released their respective final reports on Sept. 25, along […]
SSHRC, RIC bridging the gap between interdisciplinary research and real-world impact
There is a lot of anticipation and excitement about Canadian innovation. New technological advances and renewed investment in research abound. Advancements in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and games design are just a few examples of technological growth across academic and business sector domains where Canada has attained international acclaim with respective hubs of expertise now in […]
Strengthening Canada’s intellectual property regime should be first and foremost
The innovation file has bedevilled successive Canadian governments for more than three decades. Federal policy during this time has been marked by expert panels, independent studies, and billions of dollars in tax incentives, direct subsidies, and other government schemes. The nearly $1-billion Superclusters Initiative is the most recent example. It’s bound to produce the same, […]
New IP strategy will make Canadian firms even more competitive
Intellectual property (IP) is integral to growing firms and fueling innovation in today’s technology-driven economy. From my first conversation with Minister Navdeep Bains, it was clear to me that he was a strong proponent of ensuring IP be included in our Innovation and Skills Plan. In looking at examples of successful innovation nations, it was […]
Canada’s superclusters: a step in the right direction—but will we seize the opportunity?
The Innovation Canada’s $950-million Superclusters Initiative gives Canada an opportunity to improve its longstanding poor innovation performance. By taking a more direct funding approach and putting the central focus on firm-led innovation, the superclusters initiative seeks to deliver economic growth and increase employment. Yet significant challenges and hurdles remain if the initiative is to truly […]
Let’s hard-wire inclusion into Canada’s innovation economy
Ministers are on the road this fall, talking to Canadians about what the next federal budget should include. One of the key questions being asked is how to put Canada on a path to “inclusive growth.” By many economic indicators, Canada is excelling. Unemployment is low and Canada led the G7 in real GDP growth […]
To get the benefits of innovation, Canada needs a national effort
Canadian efforts to extract social and economic benefit from innovation have not only been late but tepid. For too long, pundits and policy-makers considered innovation manna that falls from heaven without any strategy or government involvement. We have focused on attracting jobs and getting access to foreign technology rather than on building a Canadian innovation […]
Strategic research investments vital to building workforce of the future
Later this fall, the world will applaud the latest Nobel Prize recipients, marvelling at the foresight of researchers who dreamed big and changed the world. What goes on quietly in university labs and libraries today may only be celebrated in 30 years—as we see with the Nobel—once the impacts are known. Consider John Polyani’s Nobel […]
Clean-tech innovation: why are there still barriers?
The government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been positioning itself as promoting clean growth and innovation. The “superclusters” may prove to be very effective enablers of innovative technologies. At this stage, they remain experimental. But the easy things to promote innovation and clean-tech are still untouched. It is hard to know why. It is […]
Canada should become a global leader in data-driven economy
Innovation in digital technologies has led to a rapidly changing digital landscape for Canadians. From consumer concerns about personal data collection, unawareness about the scope of disruptive technologies, to the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), the new digital economy is quickly changing the way that we learn, work, shop and live. Coupled with technology evolving […]
