Canada Releases Innovation Agenda Areas of Action, Website for Public Input

When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released his administration’s proposed 2016 budget in late March, SSTI covered the significant funds it would allocate for science, research, and technology-based economic development, as well as the country’s plan for a national innovation agenda. To guide this forthcoming agenda, the Canadian government recently announced six priority areas of action, as well as its intent to conduct a series of engagement efforts that collect additional insight from the public. Central to their plan is the launch of a fully interactive website that will provide Canadians with the ability to offer their own views on how Canada can best support innovation and to vote on ideas that others presented. 

As a way to help inform their public outreach, the Canadian government released a backgrounder that includes six priority areas of action for the Innovation Agenda, along with guiding questions for which they are asking further input. These areas of action are: 

• Promoting an entrepreneurial and creative society;
• What does it take for Canada to be known globally as the best country in attracting and developing diverse, high-end talent?
• How do we work together to better equip our young people with the right skill sets for the economy of the future?
• Supporting global science excellence;
• How can colleges play a larger role in the innovation ecosystem?
• As innovation is about people and businesses, how can we increase the demand for science, technology, engineering and math graduates?
• Building world-leading clusters and partnerships;
• What is the right model for made-in-Canada innovation clusters led by businesses?
• What are the barriers to greater participation by Canadian companies in North American and global supply chains?
• Growing companies and accelerating clean growth;
• How can Canada better support the scale-up of innovative companies into the next generation of billion-dollar global players?
• Are there market-based approaches to encourage wider adoption of clean technologies by the private sector?
• Competing in a digital world; and,
• What is the future of digital infrastructure? Do we need to transition Canada there faster? Who are the partners?
• What are innovative ways to develop stronger digital skills among Canadians?
• Improving ease of doing business.                                                    
• How can regulations be designed and used to drive innovation across key sectors?
• What new approaches could be explored to improve government services to businesses? Who are the partners?

According to a press release from Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, the feedback that is received through the government’s newly unveiled interactive website will help to shape the country’s innovation action plan. When the plan is ultimately released, the government indicated it will include a call to action for all sectors of society and clear outcomes and targets to measure progress. SSTI will continue to monitor these plans as they progress.