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Industry Canada Business Plan 2009–2010

Key strategies

Industry Canada supports investments in science and technology to create new knowledge and equip Canadians with the skills and training they need to compete in the global knowledge-based economy.

Innovation is a key driving force in creating wealth, economic growth and social development for Canadians in the knowledge-based economy. Science, technology and innovation policies and programs improve Canada's research and development capacity through support for research, the application of research and research infrastructure, and the attraction, development and retention of highly qualified people.

Canada is a leader in terms of research and development undertaken by the higher-education sector, but Canada's capacity to innovate is currently hampered by several factors. These include low investments in research and development, difficulty commercializing basic research, and the ongoing need to ensure access to capital and highly qualified people. To address challenges in the area of science and technology, the Government of Canada has reiterated the importance of the major investments it made in science in the three most recent budgets ($2.4 billion in 2006, 2007 and 2008) and has committed to making additional investments in internationally recognized science and technology projects in Canada.

The federal Science and Technology Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, provides an overarching framework to guide significant federal investments in basic and applied research ($9.7 billion per year). In addition, Canada's new Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) — an advisory body that provides the government with external policy advice on science and technology issues and is producing regular national reports that measure Canada's science and technology performance against international standards of excellence — identified in September 2008 key science and technology sub-priorities in areas of strategic importance to Canada. The sub-priorities recommended by STIC will assist research agencies in the design and implementation of research support programs and provide strategic direction and guidance for Industry Canada in its efforts to cultivate an innovative, knowledge-based Canadian economy.

Industry's Canada's work to carry out this strategy falls under four program activities and business objectives, as set out below.

1. Canada's research and innovation capacity: Industry Canada sets the strategic direction for policies and programs in support of science, technology and innovation in Canada, to ensure that government investments are effective and to encourage private sector contributions. It works with other government departments and private and public stakeholders to foster an environment that is conducive to innovation and to promote scientific excellence and industrial competitiveness. They key player working to meet this objective is the Science and Innovation Sector.
2. Communications Research Centre Canada: Communications Research Centre Canada, within Industry Canada's Spectrum, Information Technologies and Telecommunications Sector (SITT), conducts research that provides insight into future advanced telecommunications and information and communications technologies to help Industry Canada develop telecommunications policies and regulations, improve decision making related to information and communications technologies by other government departments, and close the innovation gap by transferring new technologies to Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises.
3. Knowledge advantage in targeted Canadian industries: Industry Canada provides value-added knowledge and expertise on Canadian industries, groups, individuals, and society as a whole to create conditions for research and development and commercialization, support innovation, encourage and promote technologies, and strengthen synergies between industry and government. Industry Sector and SITT play a key role working together with industry, while the Science and Innovation Sector works with Industry Canada's Portfolio agencies (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and National Research Council Canada) and with external partners (the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Genome Canada, the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, the Council of Canadian Academies and others).
4. Industrial Technologies Office: The Industrial Technologies Office of the Science and Innovation Sector helps to accelerate innovation by Canadian industries through investments in research and development. The agency currently administers the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI), which supports private sector industrial research and pre-competitive development in Canada's aerospace, defence, security and space industries through repayable project contributions, and manages projects contracted through the legacy Technology Partnerships Canada program and the Program for Strategic Industrial Projects.

The figure below provides a breakdown of planned spending under “Fostering the knowledge-based economy” strategy by program activity.

Departmental human resources (full-time equivalents) by program activity

Long Description

Canada's research and innovation capacity (59 FTEs)

Communications Research Centre Canada (398 FTEs)

Knowledge advantage in targeted Canadian industries (127 FTEs)

Industrial Technologies Office (99 FTEs)

Total planned departmental spending by program activity

Long Description

Canada's research and innovation capacity ($264.3 million)

Communications Research Centre Canada ($35.4 million)

Knowledge advantage in targeted Canadian industries ($131.0 million)

Industrial Technologies Office ($221.4 million)

2009–2010 program activities and business objectives

This section sets out Industry Canada's specific business objectives under each program activity for 2009–2010.

2.1. Canada's research and innovation capacity — Set the strategic direction for policies and programs in support of science, technology and innovation in Canada

• The Science and Innovation Sector will continue to provide science policy advice and policy frameworks, including working with counterparts in other science-based departments and agencies, provinces and territories and the regional development agencies to fulfill commitments made in the Science and Technology Strategy.
• The Sector will support external science policy advice, including supporting the newly created Science, Technology and Innovation Council in support of the Council's mandate to provide the Government of Canada with evidence-based science and technology advice on issues critical to Canada's economic development and Canadians' social well-being, and managing federal interaction with the Council of Canadian Academies.
• The Sector will lead the management of Canada's science, technology and innovation policy responsibilities and obligations in multilateral bodies, notably the Carnegie Group, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy, and the G8.
• With partners, such as the federal granting councils (the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), the Canada Foundation for Innovation and Genome Canada, the Sector will work to improve the effectiveness of funding for higher-education research and to measure and maximize the impact of these investments.
• The Sector will work with National Research Council Canada (NRC) to maximize the effectiveness of NRC's contribution to basic research undertaken for regulatory purposes, such as metrology and building codes, and NRC's research and technical support to improve the competitiveness of Canadian industry.
• The Sector will continue to work with the three granting councils to implement the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships, the Canada Excellence Research Chairs and foreign study stipend supplements, which were announced in Budget 2008.

2.2. Communications Research Centre Canada — Conduct research on advanced telecommunications and information technologies to ensure an independent source of advice for public policy and to support the development of new products and services for the information and communications technology (ICT) sector

• Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) will continue to be part of a consortium creating a sustainable platform for the development of shared, ICT-based health services to support patient treatment planning and to help teams and individuals prepare for their work in operating rooms, emergency rooms and clinics, and at patients' bedsides.
• CRC will provide forward-looking technical assessments to Industry Canada and to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Canada and Heritage Canada to support the development of policies and regulations for new communications services.
• In partnership with the Canadian Navy and allied partners, CRC will demonstrate in spring 2009 new network management concepts it developed as part of its focus on improving military communications capabilities in challenging environments.

2.3. Knowledge advantage in targeted Canadian industries — Provide value-added knowledge and expertise about Canadian industries to create conditions for research and development and commercialization, support innovation, encourage and promote technologies, and to strengthen synergies between industry and government

• Industry Sector will work with renewable and alternative energy stakeholders to examine advances in Canadian technology capabilities, identify commercialization and industrial development opportunities, and explore domestic and international partnerships for business development.
• Industry Sector will work with partners to enhance the commercialization of biotechnology by encouraging the global competitiveness of Canada's health industries, which are world leaders in the practical application of biotechnology.
• Science and Innovation Sector, Industry Sector and the Portfolio agencies will work together to ensure that the $145-million Automotive R&D Partnership Initiative is responsive to the research priorities and innovation needs of Canada's automotive sector.
• Industry Sector will work with the Canadian aerospace industry to ensure the advancement of priority technologies that will enable Canadian firms to work on upcoming major aircraft platforms.
• Industry Sector will encourage and promote the adoption and adaptation of new technologies and skills to business processes by working with the private sector to guide the development of several Technology Roadmaps.
• Industry Sector will conduct innovative research on service and manufacturing industries and core business functions; develop key performance indicators, benchmarks and best-in-class analysis; and leverage research results to inform government policy directions.
• Industry Sector will conduct research and consultations into business opportunities and challenges related to nanotechnology research and development and commercialization, to support policy development.

2.4. Industrial Technologies Office — Accelerate innovation by Canadian industries through research and development investments that produce social and economic benefits for all Canadians

• The Industrial Technologies Office, part of Science and Innovation Sector, will continue to manage the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI), the legacy Technology Partnerships Canada program, and the Program for Strategic Industrial Projects.

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