Industry Canada outlines consultation process feeding into updated S&T Strategy

Industry Canada has released a broad description of the consultation process surrounding the updating of its 2007 science and technology strategy — Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage — but it's unclear whether the new policy directive will be ready in time for the next federal Budget, expected in late March. The government will hold a series of roundtables and stage a conference in early 2014 to gather feedback and gauge reaction to the proposed strategy.

Work on the strategy was first officially confirmed by the governor general in his Speech from the Throne (R$, October 28/13) and was briefly mentioned at a dinner of university presidents in late October by Greg Rickford, minister of state for science and technology. More details were provided by Rickford and Industry Canada DM John Knubley at last week's Canadian Science Policy Conference in Toronto.

In a keynote speech, Rickford described the forthcoming strategy as a "moving forward document" that was inclusive and "reflects the realities of today's ever-changing global innovation landscape (and) positions Canada as a leader in research and development". He invited conference delegates to make submissions to his office.

"In terms of putting out this moving forward document, we will continue to engage with Canadians and Canada's leading scientists, academics, entrepreneurs and business leaders to ensure that our S&T framework supports the strengthened innovation ecosystem and adequately answers the needs of Canadians and stakeholders," said Rickford. "We can do more to improve this innovation ecosystem. We have an opportunity to do better in areas where we know that we should. We want to be able to get scientific questions and academic curiosities, where it's appropriate, when it's appropriate, to the marketplace."

In response to a question from RE$EARCH MONEY, Knubley provided further details on the mechanics of the planned consultation process. He said Rickford would lead a series of round tables across the country between now and February, although whether the sessions are open to the public or by invitation only was not made clear.

Knubley added that other science-based departments and agencies are being encouraged to participate in the process but provided no details. The round tables will feed into the content of the updated strategy, setting the stage for a larger opportunity for stakeholder feedback.

"Our intention is to hold, in either late January or early February, a conference where we bring together the results of the consultations that happened between now and then during these round tables, and in terms of the formal submissions that come from people across Canada."

consultation paper

A consultation paper is currently in the draft stage and Industry Canada staff are developing the strategy's broad strokes. One government official told RE$EARCH MONEY that, as of late summer, there was no new money attached to the strategy's provisions which will likely stick to the structure of the current framework, namely the three themes of Entrepreneurial Advantage, Knowledge Advantage and People Advantage. Several officials with knowledge of the process say the strategy is already largely written, using confidential input from the Science, Technology and Innovation Council as well as work conducted by the expert panels of the Canadian Council of Academies.

The 2007 S&T Strategy was developed relatively quickly with negligible public input in late 2006 and early 2007 prior to an official release on May 17/07 at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (R$, May 31/07).

In contrast the 2002 innovation strategy developed by the previous Liberal government engaged in a $7.5-million, six-month "engagement exercise" complete with major policy documents, regional roundtables, a National Innovation Summit in Toronto and hundreds of formal submissions.

The Liberal followed up with an expert panel on commercialization in 2006 to flesh out its strategy and focus on the business/market sphere of innovation. Led by Joseph Rotman, the expert panel's paper — People and Excellence: The Heart of Successful Commercialization — was caught in the change of governments in 2006, quietly released and largely ignored (R$, April 28/06).

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