Transforming Canada’s Innovation Landscape

The federal government has created an opportunity to focus on filling gaps in the Canadian innovation landscape and jumpstart high-growth sectors, and it represents a significant opportunity for PSE’s who are strong in research and industry partnerships. The recent announcement of a $950 million federal government investment to develop “Superclusters” -- industry-led, education-backed consortia designed to accelerate economic growth and resiliency -- confirms the federal government’s plan to compete with major global centres of innovation like Silicon Valley.

Supercluster investments will seek to drive international competitiveness, long-term prosperity, and job creation by positioning Canada as a global leader in key areas including advanced manufacturing, agri-food, digital technology, artificial intelligence, health and bio-sciences, clean resources, infrastructure and transportation.

The proposals are to result in the formation of a non-profit organization and three to five superclusters will be funded by the end of the year. The federal investment must be matched by industry and be based on a compelling case. Winning consortiums will complete a full proposal and must include two industry-leading “anchor” companies, six small and medium-sized enterprises, and one PSE institution.

The opportunity is a long-term play and the success of funded superclusters will depend in large part on the strength of pre-existing research and teams, both organizations and PSE partners. Long-term success will also depend on many other factors, including long-term sustainability of operating funding, understanding the dynamics of innovation eco-systems, understanding scalability, and the ability to integrate and implement.