MONTREAL, QUEBEC, October 3, 2013—Quebecers from a diverse array of business, research and higher education groups were engaged today in discussion about how to shape Canada's science, technology and innovation (STI) system. The event, hosted by the Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, garnered important feedback on how the private sector, governments and academia can better collaborate to position Canada and Quebec for global leadership in science, technology and innovation.
Among the topics discussed at the event were the findings of STIC’s State of the Nation 2012 report, Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation System: Aspiring to Global Leadership, which charts Canada’s STI performance over the last two years. Released last May, it studies activities related to business innovation, knowledge generation and transfer, and talent development and deployment, in comparing Canada’s accomplishments to those of other countries.
“What we found in our assessment is that Canada has much to celebrate with respect to the high quality of talent and strength in generating new knowledge,” said Howard Alper, Chair of the Council. “However, there are key areas where the country’s performance is lagging and where it must improve, in some cases significantly.”
“Given the challenges we face with respect to productivity and the demographic crunch, innovation is crucial to improving the competitiveness of local businesses and, ultimately, the prosperity of the city and Canada,” said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. “To accomplish this, we need to encourage companies to invest more in information and communications technologies and better collaborate with research institutions to draw full benefit from the city’s talent.”
STIC identified five areas where Canada needs to focus its efforts to achieve global leadership.
- Enhance our ability to produce top STI talent ─ as reflected in the number of science and engineering doctoral degrees per 100,000 population.
- Better deploy our STI talent ─ as reflected in the share of human resources in S&T.
- Maintain our competitive knowledge advantage ─ reflected in higher education expenditures on R&D (HERD) intensity.
- Enhance business innovation ─ reflected in business expenditure on R&D (BERD) intensity and business ICT investment intensity.
STIC is holding events across the country until October 11 to generate ideas on how to achieve Canadian leadership in science, technology and innovation.
For more information or for a copy of the report, visit the Science, Technology and Innovation Council website (www.stic-csti.ca).
About the Science, Technology and Innovation Council
The Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) was created in 2007. It is an advisory body composed of 18 senior, highly accomplished individuals from the business, research, higher education and government communities that provides the Government of Canada with external advice on science, technology and innovation policy issues, and produces the biennial State of the Nation reports that measure Canada's STI performance against international standards of excellence. www.stic-csti.ca
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
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For more information:
Martin Achard
Science, Technology and Innovation Council Secretariat
Email: martin.achard@ic.gc.ca
Tel: 613 941-3413
Cell: 613 612-7013