Colleges of Ontario Information Symposium

Speaking Points

The Honourable Gary Goodyear, PC, MP
Minister of State (Science and Technology)

Toronto, Ontario
February 15, 2011

Check Against Delivery

Good morning.

I'd like to thank Dan Patterson of Niagara College for the warm introduction and the organizers of today's symposium for inviting me here today.

I'd like to start by sharing some thoughts on the theme for this event—Applied Innovation: Next Steps for Colleges. This is a great opportunity to share my vision about how colleges are increasingly seen as innovation leaders in communities across Canada.

And we know this is not just talk. According to a recent Conference Board of Canada report, colleges are undertaking increasing amounts of research. They are also proving successful in bringing their research to the marketplace and in responding to the needs of the private sector as Canadian companies strive to be more innovative.

Transforming promising ideas into new products and processes is also at the heart of our government's science and technology (S&T) strategy. Our support for bringing research to market is focused on strengthening Canada's long-term economic competitiveness and creating the highly skilled jobs of tomorrow.

Since Prime Minister Harper launched the science and technology strategy in 2007, our government has maintained S&T funding with each successive budget—even through the recession.

We also recognized the potential of community colleges to become catalysts in creating innovation, which is why a major portion of our strategy involves support for Canada's colleges.

We realize that sustaining our commitment to innovation is especially important during times of economic uncertainty. Support for research creates the foundation for future economic success.

Due in no small part to our research programs and partnerships, Canada continues to lead the G7 in higher education research and development (R&D) spending, measured as a percentage of GDP.

And through Canada's Economic Action Plan, we have taken steps to make sure we maintain this edge. The Knowledge Infrastructure Program, for example, has allowed post-secondary institutions to build new facilities and renew aging research spaces.

Since we unveiled this program, we have invested nearly $700 million in college infrastructure, which has helped to leverage another $1 billion from other sources. Here in Toronto, for example, we supported the expansion of Seneca College's Newnham Campus, which will see new classrooms, new labs, a new auditorium and several new offices built. In fact, the four-floor expansion will create space for 1,100 new students.

And as everyone here is probably aware, in December the Canada Foundation for Innovation launched a call for proposals under its new College-Industry Innovation Fund. This program will help to narrow the gap between promising ideas and new products and processes that businesses can commercialize. It will allow colleges to acquire the research infrastructure they need to pursue partnerships with the private sector.

Under the first stream of this fund, colleges with qualifying projects are eligible to receive up to 40 percent of all costs.

But our government is not only investing in infrastructure, it is also supporting college research. One way we are doing that is through our very successful College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program. Right now, CCI is supporting dozens of research projects at colleges across Canada, including several here in the Greater Toronto Area.

Just down the road in Oakville, for example, CCI is supporting Sheridan College's research partnership with local business, which is exploring ways to promote health and well-being among seniors. The Sheridan Elder Research Centre is carrying out very promising work on cognitive health and the social inclusion of seniors.

The applied research undertaken at colleges can have far-reaching benefits for our society. That's why the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) is working with colleges as well.

As the Minister responsible for FedDev Ontario, I can tell you that the Agency has already begun to engage the province's colleges and universities through its pilot Applied Research and Commercialization (ARC) Initiative. We launched ARC last April and committed up to $15 million to support applied research collaborations between small and medium-sized businesses and post-secondary institutions.

To date, nearly $6 million has been awarded to 11 colleges in Ontario. This initiative is clearly aligned with the advanced research activities that Ontario colleges conduct.

Centennial College is working on several sustainable development, digital gaming and wireless networking projects, all thanks to a two-year FedDev Ontario investment. We also allocated $750,000 for research projects undertaken in this area at Sheridan, Durham and Seneca colleges.

These are just a few examples of how our government is working with colleges to further our country's innovation advantage.

While we are building for the future, we are mindful that Canadians continue to be concerned about the economy. Although Canada's financial picture is better than most, we realize that the global economic recovery is still fragile.

The next phase of Canada's Economic Action Plan will see Canada return to a balanced budget.

It will focus on protecting the financial security of hard-working Canadians and their families. We want to ensure that our economic policies reflect the values of Canadians, who remain concerned about their jobs and retirement.

While now is not the time for unnecessary spending initiatives that would trigger higher taxes and reverse the momentum of our hard-earned economic recovery, I would like to assure you that our government remains committed to supporting innovation.

And we expect colleges to remain leaders in applied research. The work you do each day to bridge the gap between research and business is playing a major role in building a stronger economy.

I look forward to hearing the results of the symposium and continuing to work with colleges to further strengthen Canada's innovation advantage.

Thank you.