Ramping up commercialization of Canada’s research success will drive economic growth — Increased government, business, and education collaboration will make it happen

Canada has no shortage of vision. Our researchers are leaders in discovery and innovation. As a nation, we consistently make key investments in post-secondary research in order to drive excellence and ideation. However, translating that creativity, new knowledge, and invention into economic growth requires commercialization—and that’s where we fall short. Canadian researchers are helping to solve pressing problems facing our country and the world. They are conducting critical research support to sustainability, lay the foundation for a thriving future economy, and encourage long-term prosperity. But to be truly successful, we need to help researchers turn their discoveries and innovations into new products and services. Unfortunately, many promising ideas and novel approaches are not taken up by industry for commercialization. The landmark Council of Canadian Academies report on the state of R&D in Canada concluded that, “Declining levels of private and public R&D expenditures threaten to erode Canada’s research capacity over time.” As budget 2022 identified, Canada’s long-term prosperity requires that we better connect post-secondary researchers with businesses that can commercialize high-potential research outcomes. To compete and succeed in the changing global economy, Canada needs to become a world leader in bringing new ideas and inventions to market. ‘Innovation intermediaries,’ like Mitacs, are part of the solution. We strengthen linkages between education and business, promoting collaboration that includes government partners, and support our next generation of innovators in entering the marketplace. Innovation intermediaries work to bring all parties to the table, based on mutual or complementary interests. We act as innovation brokers, bringing the right external research partners to post-secondary institutions and helping companies inform research programs so they can better meet today’s industry needs. It’s about helping Canada transition to a more innovation-based economy. These partnerships apply to the entire innovation continuum—from working with scientists on their original research through to supporting the adoption, use, and export of Canadian innovations. In the process, students and faculty gain greater insights into the needs of businesses, which helps close the gap between the skills needs of industry and the talent coming out of our universities and colleges. Major investments in innovation, including the creation of the $1-billion Canadian Innovation and Investment Agency, which builds on budget 2021’s $708-million investment in Mitacs, can also further bridge the gap. Dr. Seyyedarash Haddadi is a good example of Canada’s top research talent working hard to address challenges. The need to protect people from COVID-19 inspired the postdoctoral researcher in chemical engineering to shift his graphene research from metals to fabrics and find a way to improve the COVID-19 protection offered by masks. He developed a novel, low-cost compound that can be used as part of a coating material for masks, making them 99.99 per cent effective against transmission of COVID-19. Supported by a Mitacs fellowship, Dr. Haddadi teamed up with Ontario-based company Zentek to bring his innovation to market. After receiving approval from Health Canada in September 2021, Zentek made its first major commercial sale of the novel coating. This year, it hopes to produce up to 800 million coated masks per month at a new manufacturing facility. This is how the research-to-commercialization journey should work. We need to support more researchers in getting their discoveries to market. There is a lot at risk if we don’t get it right, including the potential loss of innovative start-ups to international buyers, an inability to scale up promising new companies, and the risk of losing our top talent to international firms. Such outcomes mean Canada cannot fully benefit from its significant research investments—investments that should lead to increased prosperity and quality of life for all Canadians.In combination with other types of support—such as federal direct funding for research and the commercialization support provided through Canada’s Innovation Clusters—innovation intermediaries, like Mitacs, help ensure that Canada’s top-tier post-secondary system helps build profitable and job-creating Canadian businesses, and that college and university innovations yield important benefits for all Canadians. John Hepburn is CEO of Mitacs, a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions.

Ramping up commercialization of Canada’s research success will drive economic growth — Increased government, business, and education collaboration will make it happen

To be truly successful, Canada needs to help researchers turn their discoveries and innovations into new products and services.

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Ramping up commercialization of Canada’s research success will drive economic growth — Increased government, business, and education collaboration will make it happen

To be truly successful, Canada needs to help researchers turn their discoveries and innovations into new products and services.

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