MRI research and innovation plan highlights need for culture of commerce

On the road for consultations

Ontario's Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI) has unveiled its long-awaited research and innovation strategic plan as a first step towards developing a government-wide strategy to enhance the province's innovative capacity and global competitiveness. With a strong emphasis on partnerships, industry-driven research and measuring progress, the high-level plan marks the first time the objective of creating a culture of commerce has featured so prominently in a Canadian innovation strategy.

MRI officials are currently in the field leading a series of consultations to gather feedback before matching its actions with programs (some already initiated) and bringing other government ministries into a larger provincial plan.

"We want to sustain this agenda. There's a tendency in Canada for old policies to change as new governments come in," says MRI DM Dr Alastair Glass. "This strategic plan is long-term and tactical that drives towards the goal of program development and other aspects."

The MRI strategic plan was developed in consultation with the Ontario Research and Innovation Council (ORIC), which provides advice directly to premier Dalton McGuinty, who is also MRI's minister. Dr Adam Choweniac is chair of the blue-chip Council, which advised MRI to:

* make government investments more focused;

* complement R&D investments with funding designed to enhance commerce competence;

* establish regional centres of innovation convergence;

* focus skills formation on commercial know-how;

* promote an effective intellectual property system; and,

* develop a communication strategy promoting a culture of innovation and commerce.

"There's a lot of work to do in the province, such as getting more value out of research (and) striking a balance between the long-term and the short-term," says Glass. "This strategy is very much influenced by ORIC. Over the past eight months, we've been working with them through a sub-committee and incorporated their advice into our plan. There's no conflict."

For Choweniac, the emphasis on commerce and culture sets Ontario apart at a time when "everyone on the planet has decided that innovation is what is important for the future". But most jurisdictions, including Canada at the federal level, have not attempted to strategically bridge the economy to a stronger culture of commerce.

"I have a big issue with that ... We need a stronger focus on commerce issues. This is a new way of framing the picture. In the past, it was a R&D focus in a programmatic, narrow way. That is not the way to look at this picture," says Choweniac. "We need to shift the way we do things and this (commerce focus) is unique in Canada. The weight of the commerce side and the link to the economy is our uniqueness."

The strategy also aims to make it easier for the transfer of intellectual property from research labs to the private sector. It is recommending that, in the future, publicly sponsored research organizations manage their IP "in ways that support Ontario's long-term innovation goals". Choweniac says easing transfer of knowledge is critical.

"Our mandate is to advise the premier on how to build prosperity in Ontario. There's only one way to do that and it's by growing, creating and attracting enterprises," says Choweniac. "Once this plan is rolled out after the consultations, the strategy will be expanded to be an Ontario strategy so it needs to intersect with health, energy and other areas ... If you want to impact innovation, it's a decade-long process."

The MRI plan acknowledges that Ontario is only one player in a much larger game, necessitating partnerships not only between sectors but among different levels of government. Glass recently participated in a meeting of S&T DMs from across Canada. He says there is a convergence of thinking about innovation and economic prosperity that bodes well for future cooperation and collaboration.

"We all want the same thing," he says. "This is an era of strategic plans."

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