Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Canada announces new innovation agency — and it's not modelled on DARPA

#1
C C Offline
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01190-4

INTRO: The Canadian government has announced that it will invest Can$1 billion (about US$780 million) over the next five years to create a funding agency focused on innovation in science and technology. The unit will buck a trend of countries trying to replicate the renowned US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA); instead, it will be modelled on innovation agencies in Finland and Israel. But some critics say that this strategy might not be a good fit for Canada, which is seeking to improve its poor track record of innovation.

The country has long lagged behind its peers, ranking last in the G7 group of wealthy nations in terms of business spending on research and development (R&D). Canadian businesses invest just 0.8% of the country’s gross domestic product in R&D, compared with the G7 average of 1.6%.

“This is a well-known Canadian problem — and an insidious one,” said finance minister Chrystia Freeland in her 7 April speech setting out the fiscal year 2022 federal budget, which authorizes the agency. “It is time for Canada to tackle it.”

The budget also includes a number of other innovation measures, including a Can$15-billion Canada Growth Fund aimed at stimulating private investment in low-carbon industries and restructuring supply chains. “There must be about 20 points [in the budget] that are there to drive innovation,” says Alain Francq, director of innovation and technology at the Conference Board of Canada, a think tank based in Ottawa... (MORE - details)
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  DARPA selects Boeing’s Aurora for potentially game-changing X-Plane C C 0 125 Jan 6, 2023 12:57 AM
Last Post: C C
  Most innovation originates from customers, not companies C C 0 170 Sep 12, 2019 07:05 PM
Last Post: C C



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)