AUCC applauds expert panel’s vision for innovation

Universities welcome recognition of leadership in talent, discovery and ideas

OTTAWA – The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada values the vision of innovation outlined today in the report of the Independent Panel on Federal Support to Research and Development. The panel’s report is a timely call to action, and universities are ready to play their part in making Canada more prosperous and innovative.

“The panel’s analysis reaffirms the leading role that Canada’s universities play in providing the talent, discovery and ideas that serve as the cornerstone of our economy and society,” says Paul Davidson, president of AUCC. “We’re pleased the panel stayed focused on the major problem in our innovation continuum: the fact that Canada lags behind other highly developed countries on business investment and innovation.”

The recommendations in the report call for a series of measures that will create closer links among university research, business and governments in order to create a more dynamic culture of innovation in Canada. AUCC is pleased to note that many elements of the panel’s report mirror the analysis and proposals we made earlier this year in Canada’s universities: partners in the business of innovation, our recommendations to the panel.

In its report, the panel identifies the primary role that universities, and their faculty, students and graduates, occupy as the leading contributors to innovation. It recognizes the pressing need for support for the institutional costs of research. And it calls for Canada to invest in basic research at internationally competitive levels.

Canada’s universities welcome the panel’s recognition of the importance of talent development for undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral fellows (a move called for recently by Canada’s Science and Technology Innovation Council and by AUCC in its pre-budget submission to the House of Commons Finance Committee. “Our country needs more collaboration to bridge the gap between research and innovation. We are very pleased that the panel recognizes the willingness and efforts of universities to play our part,” says Mr. Davidson.

There are a number of very encouraging recommendations in this report, such as:

• creating vouchers to build relationships between small and medium-sized enterprises and universities;
• maintaining a broad range of intellectual property arrangements to meet the variety of needs Canadian businesses as they seek to engage in research and discovery collaborations;
• adopting procurement policies that encourage innovation.

The panel, which was chaired by Open Text chairman and chief strategy officer Tom Jenkins and included David Naylor, president of the University of Toronto, has charted “an ambitious and achievable agenda to make Canada a global leader in research, discovery and innovation,” Mr. Davidson states. Over the coming weeks and months, AUCC looks forward to meeting Parliamentarians, public servants and other stakeholders to further discuss the recommendations and move forward.

AUCC is the voice of Canada’s universities. It represents 95 Canadian public and private, not-for-profit universities and university-degree level colleges.

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Report of the Independent Panel on Federal Support to Research and Development

For more information:

Helen Murphy
AUCC Communications Manager
hmurphy@aucc.ca
613-563-1236 ext. 238