Research and Technology for Development

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• Research and Technology for Development
• Building Successful Knowledge-based Societies
• Howard Alper
• Chair, Science, Technology and Innovation Council
  of Canada
• Co-Chair, InterAcademy Panel

2

• Key Challenges for Science, Technology
• and Innovation Policy
• Publicly-funded RTD
• Accountability for results
• Establishing concrete objectives/outcomes for
  government policy initiatives
• Results from public research can be difficult to
  measure commercialization of university
  research measuring the generation of
  knowledge/ideas (issues with patents, citations)

3

• Key Challenges for Science, Technology
• and Innovation Policy
• (b) Tension between directed research funding and
  discovery research. Maintaining strong basic
  research, while making priorities in areas for
  accelerated development
• (c) Tension between university and
  government-based research. Roles and
  responsibilities

4

• Key Challenges for Science, Technology
• and Innovation Policy
• Business RTD
• Appropriate role for government in supporting
  private sector RTD
• Direct funding (research and development
  programs) vs indirect funding (scientific
  research tax credits)
• (b) Changing business models
• Some large firms adopting collaborative model
  RTD distributed across the world, strategic
  alliances, providing lab space for SMEs, etc.

5

• Key Challenges for Science, Technology
• and Innovation Policy
• 3. Creating a healthy eco-system
• Ensuring business has appropriate incentives to
  innovate
• Competitive taxes
• Streamlined regulatory system
• Reducing barriers to innovation
• Ensuring public research responds to policy
  priorities (governance issues), and helps build
  competitive advantage for industry
• Promoting sectoral partnerships such as between
  academia and business

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• Key Challenges for Science, Technology
• and Innovation Policy
• Internationalization of RTD brings opportunities
  and challenges
• researcher mobility across countries
• governance for funding/enhanced cooperation on
  major science initiatives
• ensuring broad access to research infrastructure
  and results
• reducing obstacles to cross-border investment
  flows (venture capital)
• tension between cooperation and competition

7

• Response to the Policy Challenges
• An illustrative approach to addressing the RTD
  challenges Canadas Science and Technology
  Strategy. A Framework for policy creation and
  implementation

8

• The Science and Technology Framework
• Vision We will build a sustainable national
  competitive advantage based on science and
  technology and the skilled workers whose
  aspirations and talents bring innovations to
  life.
• To achieve this vision, we will create three ST
  Advantages for Canada

Entrepreneurial Advantage Canada must translate
knowledge into practical application to improve
our wealth, wellness, and well-being
Knowledge Advantage Canada must build upon our
research and engineering strengths, generate new
ideas and innovations, and achieve excellence by
global standards
People Advantage Canada must grow its base of
knowledge workers by developing, attracting,
and retaining the highly skilled people we
need to thrive in the modern global economy
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• The Science and Technology Framework
• Government actions will be guided by four core
  principles
• Promoting world-class excellence
• Focusing on priorities
• Encouraging partnerships
• Enhancing accountability

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• 1. Knowledge Advantage
• Focus strategically in research on areas that are
  in the national interest from a social and
  economic perspective
• Environmental science and technologies
• Natural resources and energy
• Health related life sciences and technologies
• Information and communication technologies
• Basic and applied science across all disciplines
  will be mobilized to support these priorities

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• 1. Knowledge Advantage
• b) Maintain our G7 leadership in public RTD
  performance by making new investments in
  RTD
• Ensure that universities have the leading edge
  research equipment and facilities required to
  compete with the best in the world (Canada
  Foundation for Innovation total funding of
  13.5B for research infrastructure since 1997 40
  from CFI 40 Provincial 20 other)
• Support domestic and international research and
  networks in areas of strategic importance to
  Canada (Networks of Centres of Excellence
  programs Stem Cells Automobile for the 21st
  Century Water)

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• People Advantage
• Recruit top notch faculty to universities some
  universities have used these to establish
  clusters of excellence and leadership (e.g.
  population health, catalysis)
• i) Canada Research Chairs (2000)
• 2,000 Chairs across all sectors valued at
  200K/year for Tier 1 100K/year for Tier 2, plus
  up to 1M for infrastructure. Subsequently other
  countries including South Africa and Australia
  have launched their own Chairs program

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• ii) Global Excellence Research Chairs (2008)
• 20 Chairs announced in 2008
• Each valued at 10M for 7 years
• With 250K/year for salary
• Recruiting the best in the world in the priority
  program areas Program is expected to grow in the
  coming years

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• People Advantage
• Graduate Scholarship Programs
• Canada Graduate Scholarships (2004-7)
• 3500 Graduate Scholarships for Canadians
• Each valued at 18,500/year for Masters
• 35,000/year for Ph.D. students
• Vanier Scholarships (2008)
• Elite program of 500 scholarships each valued at
  50,000/year. For the first time, foreigners as
  well as Canadians can apply.
• Program is expected to grow in the coming year.

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• People Advantage
• c) Sponsor hands-on graduate research
  internships in industry (2M total)
• d) Reduce personal income tax to insure Canada
  attracts and retains highly skilled people
  necessary to foster innovation and growth
• e) Increase immigration, and temporary foreign
  worker systems, to provide Canadian businesses
  with better access to people with the skills our
  economy needs to flourish

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• 3. Entrepreneurial Advantage
• Foster a competitive and dynamic business
  environment that encourages STI investments by
  companies
• Establish the lowest tax rate on new business
  investments in the G7. Provide attractive
  scientific research tax credits
• Work with businesses, and people, to respond to
  environmental challenges with entrepreneurial
  innovation. Major ecoGreen and ecoEnergy
  investments
• Have the industry sector identify and lead
  Networks of Centres of Excellence, supported by
  the Government of Canada (12M/year-2007)

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• Government of Canada Commitments to Create
• Entrepreneurial Advantage
• Support large-scale research and
  commercialization centres in areas where
  Canadians have the potential to achieve
  world-class excellence (2007 320M)
• Support development of first-class Technology
  Transfer and Business Enterprise offices at
  universities, and in government
  laboratories/institutes. Develop pragmatic and
  effective IP policies
• Support proof-of-principle and ideas to
  innovation programs resulting from university
  discoveries and inventions
• Support innovation and commercialization in two
  year colleges College and Community Innovation
  Program (50M/year)

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• Australian Commerce Ready Program
• Competitive grant program supporting innovation
  and SME development
• Supports wide range of activities, from RD proof
  of principle to early-stage commercialization

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• Fourth Pillar Agencies
• Brings together three traditional pillars of the
  economy private sector, public sector and
  academia. Leverage private and public investment
  to implement shared-cost RTD programs build
  shared RTD infrastructure supply technical
  products and services
• Examples (non EU)
• Canada
• CANARIE Enhancing Canadas advanced internet
  development through efficient networks. National
  Communications Infrastructure for Research and
  Education

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• Fourth Pillar Agencies
• 2. U.S.
• Small Business Innovation Research
• Early stage RD funding to SMEs, or to
  entrepreneurs who form a company
• Australian Cooperative Research Centres
• World class research to turn scientific
  innovations into new products, services and
  technologies

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• Science Technology and Innovation CouncilA
  Modern Approach to ST Management
• Given that national governments, in responding
  to challenges, put similar ST policy agendas in
  place, how can Canada achieve competitive
  advantage?
• Streamlined advisory system required to
  strengthen the voice of external experts and help
  Government address complex ST issues, and thus
  execute/ implement in a highly successful manner

22

• Science Technology and Innovation CouncilA
  Modern Approach to ST Management
• Council includes representatives from private
  sector, academia and government.
• Success depends on quality advice and superior
  execution.

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• Science Technology and Innovation
  CouncilMandate
• A Two-Fold Mandate
• The Council will provide timely advice on
  science and technology issues, identified by the
  Government, which are critical to Canadas
  economic development and social well-being.
• The Council will produce regular state of the
  nation reports that benchmark Canadas ST
  performance against international standards of
  excellence.

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Structure Science, Technology and Innovation
Council
MINISTER OF INDUSTRY Responsible for Science,
Technology, Innovation on behalf of Government
of Canada
CABINET
Science, Technology and Innovation Council (Chair
17 Members)
CHAMPIONS STATE OF THE NATION REPORT
WORKING GROUPS POLICY ADVICE
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• Science, Technology and Innovation Council
  Membership
• Howard Alper Terence Matthews
• Chair, Science, Technology and Innovation
  Council Chairman, Mitel Corporation
• Distinguished University Professor, University of
  Ottawa
• Heather Munroe-Blum
• Francesco Bellini Principal and Vice
  Chancellor, McGill University
• Chairman, Picchio Pharma Inc.
• David OBrien
• Eric Bergeron Chairman, EnCana and Royal Bank
  of Canada
• President and CEO, Optosecurity
• J. Robert S. Pritchard
• David B. Fissel President and CEO, Torstar
  Corporation
• President and CEO, ASL Environmental Sciences
  Inc.
• Guy Rouleau
• Peter MacKinnon Canada Research Chair in
  Genetics of the
• President and Vice Chancellor, University of
  Saskatchewan Nervous System
• Professor, Department of Medicine,
• Université de Montréal

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• Science, Technology and Innovation Council
  Membership
• W.A. (Sam) Shaw Government Membership
• President and CEO, Northern Alberta Institute
• of Technology Richard Dicerni
• Deputy Minister, Industry Canada
• Molly Shoichet
• Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering
  Marie-Lucie Morin
• Professor, University of Toronto Deputy
  Minister, Foreign Affairs and
• International Trade, Canada
• Mihaela Ulieru
• Canada Research Chair in Adaptive Information
  Morris Rosenberg
• Infrastructures for the eSociety Deputy
  Minister, Health Canada
• Professor, University of New Brunswick
• Harvey Weingarten
• President and Vice Chancellor, University of
  Calgary
• Rob Wildeboer

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• Science, Technology and Innovation CouncilModus
  Operandi
• The Council
• The Council meets four times per year. It will
  also meet by teleconference as needed.
• Working Groups
• When the Council receives a request for advice
  on a particular ST matter, the Chair informs
  Council and, in consultation with Council
  members, may establish a Working Group of 4-6
  Council members to address the matter and prepare
  a brief to Council, including recommendations,
  with the assistance of the Secretariat.

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• Science, Technology and Innovation CouncilModus
  Operandi
• Working Groups
• When required, Council may elect to appoint an Ad
  Hoc non-member to a particular WG. Ad Hoc
  non-members will be called upon when required to
  maximize expertise on the issue being addressed.
• The Minister of Industry, supported by the Deputy
  Minister, works with other Ministers to refer
  policy advice requests to the Council. When a
  request for advice is made to the Minister of
  Industry, it is reviewed to determine its
  appropriateness and fit with the Councils
  guiding principles.

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• Science, Technology and Innovation CouncilAdvice
  Role Guiding Principles
• Fit with Government of Canadas ST needs and
  priorities (e.g. the Science and Technology
  Strategy).
• Addressing issues that
• are cross-cutting in nature
• are relevant to science, technology and
  innovation and
• can be dealt with in a timely manner.

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• Science, Technology and Innovation CouncilAdvice
  Role Guiding Principles
• Timeliness
• the Council should remain nimble to respond
  quickly to policy enquiries
• STICs advice should try to achieve harmony
  within the parameters of the Governments
  priority-setting cycles and
• be sensitive to concern and interest by the
  public and government.
• Provide an outside and objective view on ST
  matters.
• Build upon the strengths of the Council

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• Science, Technology and Innovation CouncilPolicy
  Issues Under Consideration
• Defining research sub-priorities (themes) for
  federal ST investments
• Industrial sector research and development
• International ST
• Government procurement to stimulate business
  innovation.

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• Science, Technology and Innovation CouncilState
  of the Nation ST Reports
• Guiding Principles
• Benchmark Canadas ST performance against
  international standards of excellence
• Internationally comparable
• Comparable over time