Editorial - 26-15

Canadian researchers are among the best and most accomplished in the world — that's one of the inescapable conclusions that can be drawn from the latest expert panel report from the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA). In field after field, Canadian research is dominant and internationally recognized as such.

Unfortunately that isn't the only conclusion to be drawn from . Despite the excellence of Canadian science, the nation's performance in technology — or the application of science — leaves something to be desired. While Canada can lay claim to 1.7% of global patents, it pales in comparison to its 4.1% share of scientific papers.

Simply put, Canada's impressive scientific production doesn't fully translate into capturing discovery and packaging into something that can lead to new products and processes. One result is that Canada spends $5 billion more in fees to acquire intellectual property generated outside its borders than revenue generated from IP held by Canadian interests.

The reasons for the gap between science and technology fell outside of the expert panel's mandate that produced the report. But panel chair Dr Eliot Phillipson acknowledged that weak private sector R&D performance is the likely culprit.

A CCA report on the state of industrial R&D is slated for release next year and all indications point to a sobering reading experience. But the latest CCA report should be a cause of some optimism. Canadian innovation may not be firing on all cylinders, but its foundation of world class science is in very good shape.