Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation System: State of the Nation 2008 – the STIC’s first public report – charts Canada’s progress and compares Canadian performance to the world’s science, technology and innovation leaders. The Report benchmarks Canada’s innovative performance against more than 50 international and domestic standards of excellence such as research intensity, commercialization rates, quality of research and workforce skills. It provides a baseline from which to maintain a watch on key indicators and monitor progress.

“Our Report concludes that although Canada is improving, other countries are improving faster. Canada remains a solid mid-level performer, but given the importance of innovation to our future, this is not good enough. We need to set our ambitions higher in keeping with what Canadians are capable of achieving,” said Dr. Howard Alper, Chair of the STIC. “We have a strong foundation and a robust research capacity but we need to conduct research and encourage entrepreneurship in ways that will create opportunities to translate knowledge into marketable assets.”

“Other countries are focussed on improving their innovation systems and the global baseline keeps rising,” said STIC Council member David O’Brien, Chair, EnCana Corporation and Chair, Royal Bank of Canada. “Changes in technology, increased global competition, and the need to build employment opportunities for highly skilled Canadians who can thrive in today’s global economy demand that we take action to improve our science, technology and innovation performance and assure our future.”

The Report urges Canada to strengthen and better link all sectors of its science, technology and innovation system if it wishes to maintain its economic independence, competitiveness, productivity and quality of life, and position Canada in the leading group of innovating countries. “Ambitious outcomes require a collective effort by Canadian business, universities, colleges, non-profit institutions, communities and all levels of government,” said Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal of McGill University and a member of the STIC. “No one sector is responsible for performance or can achieve results alone, so we need to work together to nurture the capacity to create, apply new ideas and finance their translation into commercial successes in the global marketplace.”

State of the Nation 2008 substantiates that Canada has a sound base on which to build its innovation leadership: Canadian research is of high quality and Canada’s funding for R&D and higher education ranks near the top; young Canadians excel in science, math and reading; we have implemented measures to attract the best international talent, and Canadian innovative excellence can be found in virtually every region and economic sector.

There are also areas where Canada is vulnerable. For example, Canadian companies do not invest as much as their key competitors around the world in research and development. In a world where talent is everything, other countries are improving their education results and their support for innovative activity more rapidly than Canada. Low literacy and numeracy skills limit the ability of a significant group of Canadians to innovate and benefit from innovation. Low levels of collaboration among companies and between companies and researchers in universities, colleges and government laboratories limits business potential.

While Canadian universities and researchers are conducting cutting-edge research, for the most part they lack international visibility and recognition. In addition, when Canadian companies work to commercialize such research, they often have difficulty accessing sufficient investment capital to develop and sustain innovative new products and services.

Seizing opportunities to strengthen Canada’s innovation performance will help develop a stronger economy and enhance Canada’s potential as a leader in science, technology and innovation. Specifically, the Report points to the following areas for collective action:
• Focus science, technology and innovation in areas where Canada can leverage its strengths to achieve global leadership
• Markedly enhance business research and development
• Renew efforts to attract, better educate and cultivate highly skilled people
• Encourage, recognize, and reward the science and business innovators of tomorrow
• Aggressively pursue strategic international science, technology and innovation partnerships to advance Canadian interests

Canada's Science and Technology Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, announced the creation of the Science, Technology and Innovation Council. The Council was appointed in October 2007 to provide the government with policy advice on science and technology issues and to produce reports that measure Canada's science and technology performance against international standards of excellence. The Council expects to issue a report on the state of Canada’s science, technology and innovation system every two years.

The Council, which includes U of S President Peter MacKinnon, is chaired by Dr. Howard Alper, and is comprised of 18 senior, highly accomplished individuals, from the research, education, business and government communities.

A copy of State of the Nation 2008, Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation System as well as biographical notes on the Council members can be downloaded at http://www.stic-csti.ca.

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