Canada can be proud of its talent pool, its rising number of university graduates and science post-graduates. In comparison to other OECD countries, Canada fares rather well in the areas of education, university-funded R&D, competition and peer review. Where we are not delivering is in transferring the knowledge from our talent pool to the marketplace.

The State of the Nation 2010 report, issued by Canada’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council states “research and development performed by business in Canada is low by international standards.” This is reason for serious concern.

It was with great interest that we, at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), read Paul Davidson’s article “We need a culture of innovation: Build links between business and academe” (July 5, 2011). The article highlighted the findings of this report and rightly emphasized the need for Canada to foster a culture of innovation by building stronger links between the private sector and academic institutions.

In an age where innovation is essential to remaining globally competitive, Canada and its provinces cannot afford to lag behind.

For the last eight years, the Ontario Economic Summit (OES), an initiative of the OCC, has been bringing economic leaders from business, government, academia, labour and non-profit communities together, to address some of the most pressing concerns affecting Ontario’s economic prosperity.

In recent years, leaders participating at the OES have pointed to the need for a dialogue about how business-academia collaborations might be enhanced to help build a robust innovation climate. In response, the OES and the Council of Ontario Universities partnered to develop the “Connect to Innovate” (CTI) initiative in 2010.

These workshops, facilitated by local chambers of commerce and boards of trade, were held in Sudbury, London, Vaughan and Windsor. They featured senior administrators from each University with one of their research partners from the business community – exactly what Paul Davidson’s article said was needed for this country to remain globally competitive.

Clearly, one of the most significant challenges we face is an inadequate innovation culture, as noted in Paul Davidson’s article. OES “Connect to Innovate” set us moving in the right direction.

The discussions held were open and honest and demonstrated a sincere desire from all to foster closer relationships with a view to a more innovative economic climate. Most importantly, they provided insight which could lead to additional solutions as we move forward with Ontario – and Canada’s – innovation agenda. A full report of our findings can be found at www.occ-oes.com/connect-to-innovate <http://www.occ-oes.com/connect-to-innovate>.

We found that academic institutions and businesses across the province were shifting their mindsets and opening themselves up to new collaborations or building on existing ones in more innovative ways. They recognized the strategic importance of being innovative in the way we work together, to advance our standing on the international stage.

We thank Paul Davidson for showcasing the importance of innovation in our economy – and society. We are pleased to be part of the solution as we host additional workshops in other communities across Ontario throughout 2011 and 2012. This unique program will be extended to include Ontario’s Colleges and we will review our progress at the next Ontario Economic Summit, taking place November 21-23, 2011 in Toronto.

The 1st  OES Connect to Innovate workshop launched today in Sudbury, Ontario. Inspired debate sparked up in the session about how to bridge gaps between universities and business.

The OES team will compile a summary of findings of the Sudbury Connect to Innovate workshop in the coming days. Until then, check out: http://twitter.com/oes to view updates from Sudbury as they happen.

Want to know more about Connect to Innovate?

It seems fair to say that the predominant subject of conversation over the last two years has been the recession. The mood has understandably been fairly negative, not just in Canada but around the globe. Media are full of stories of businesses downsizing or shutting down, jobs being lost, financial markets fluctuating in unprecedented ways and now, most concerning of all, entire countries on the brink of bankruptcy. Without downplaying these negative effects, how about injecting some positivity into the mix? As history has proven so many times, recession doesn’t always have to be all doom and gloom.

Do you know what the following companies have in common: General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, CNN, MTV? They were all born during recessions. Even Apple’s i-Pod emerged from the dot.com recession. So what are these companies doing right? They know 3 things:

• Innovation is key to remaining competitive. During recessions, most companies cut back on R&D and marketing spending. To retain a competitive edge, don’t do what everybody else is doing. Stand out!
• Being proactive is the winning formula. They have put the “I” back into Innovation by asking themselves how they can make a difference and contribute to economic prosperity. Lead the market, don’t react to it. Throw the adage “Necessity is the Mother of Invention” out of the window.
• Collaboration is key. Business leaders and those they need to collaborate with, more often than not, have the same agenda and ambitions. Yet somehow they speak different languages. This “Tower of Babel” needs to disappear if we are to move forward.

Following the above logic, the OES has turned its attention to business-university partnerships. Perhaps you are thinking:

• What is the value of such partnerships? How can applied research be transferred successfully to the private sector?
• Our company has experience partnering with universities and I’d like to share some of my ideas to improve the situation.
• How can I establish a research partnership? I heard it can be a tremendously complicated process. Where do I go for information?
• How can we all make the current environment even better for both businesses and universities?

If you want answers and wish to share some of your experiences, join us in Sudbury, London or Vaughan for our “Connect to Innovate” workshops.

Send us your thoughts before the first workshop on May 26th! Take our Innovation Poll.

Picture by: theonlyone

Businesses are constantly trying to move their companies forward. Their blood, sweat and tears go into their companies and the line between work and home life become blurred. SMEs have much to benefit from partnering with academic institutions but have very limited time and resources to commit.  Research, innovation and business strategy are essential for the success of any business, but many SMEs do not have the internal capability to conduct or even improve these capabilities. Now, with a suffering economy and increased global competition it is critical that SMEs develop and enhance their capacity, not only for survival but also to ensure a place in the post-recession economy.

There is so much opportunity out there for SMEs to work with academia to develop new products, think of inspiring ideas, target new markets etc., but not a lot of business owners know exactly where to start, or what is involved.

The OES is going to be lending a helping hand by bringing together the right people to…

1. Share information with each other to identify “best practices”
2. Network and develop partnerships
3. Identify government programs that can help!
4. Develop a “How to Guide”

So to do this right, tell us, what would help your business move forward with research, innovation and the commercialization of new products and services? What are your obstacles? Where are the opportunities? Share with us your stories of partnership and innovation!