In the years leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics, Canada's sporting community realized that "aver-age" wouldn't satisfy a host nation hungry for success. Canada decided to Own the Podium, to create the conditions and practices that would place our athletes in the greatest possible position to succeed against international competitors.

Own the Podium wasn't just about money. It was about a cooperative effort to work smart. Athletes, coaches, sports associations, sponsors, governments all worked together, adopting international best practices and acting boldly. Often, this meant recognizing that long-followed practices didn't work, and needed replacing. It involved taking risks, adopting new strategies, innovating and doing something fundamentally un-Canadian: proclaiming our excellence.

These efforts paid off with our best showing yet, with more gold medals for Canada than for any other nation. Now, we face a similar challenge to our economic productivity. Canada has all the advantages to own the economic podium: high standard of living, strong communities, educated citizens and economic prosperity. Slowly, however, Canada is falling down the economic standings. Rapidly growing nations like India, China, Brazil and Korea have adopted bold strategies to own the economic podium. Canada has worked hard to respond, but our efforts too often fall short.

The numbers tell a grim story. Canada has the lowest per capita investment in business research and development in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Productivity levels have fallen against our economic peers for two decades. And studies consistently rank Canada near the bottom of innovation performers.

It isn't a question of investment. Canada spends nearly $7 billion annually to spur business innovation through programs like the Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive Program (SRED) and the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP). Canada has a glob-ally competitive corporate tax structure and the most favourable research and development tax system in the world. We also spend more per capita on university research than nearly all our economic peers, with impressive results. Despite these investments, we fail to be a leader in innovation and productivity.

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently remarked at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzer-land, "We believe that Canada's less than optimal results for those investments is a significant problem for our country."

In part to solve this problem, a government-appointed blue ribbon panel recently examined all aspects of federal support for industrial innovation, and released a set of recommendations. The Jenkins report did not recommend more investment; it recommended smarter investment. Among its numerous recommendations:

• Encourage smart procurement, so government can support innovation by Canadian firms;
• Streamline the relationship between government and industry, so Canadian firms can understand incentives for R&D more clearly;
• Increase collaboration between businesses, governments and colleges and universities to develop strategic partnerships, connect to global research flows, share R&D and skilled staff;
• Devise a talent strategy to ensure Canadians have the skills and training to contribute to innovation and economic growth in new and emerging industries.

These recommendations, along with others in the report, are designed to bring Canada's innovation and productivity people together to create the environment for Canadian companies to succeed in the global arena.

There are already signs this is happening. Across the country, business innovators are reaching out to leading researchers at universities and partnering with governments to create new companies, launch new products, or design better systems. Collaborative R&D programs, industrial internships, and cross-sector research networks are great examples of how business, universities, and government can work together to boost Canada's economic performance. Since 2007, Canada has climbed from 15th to 7th place in a ranking of countries with extensive university-business collaborations. Canada also leads the OECD in the share of university research expenditures financed by business.

These are great starts, but we need to press our advantage. Implementing the recommendations of the Jenkins report is a good way to get members of Canada's innovation system working together. Building a comprehensive human capital strategy that retains and recruits the best and brightest in Canada, and provides them with the skills to build our economic future is essential. In addition, we must encourage business investment in R&D by streamlining programs and encouraging collaborations with Canada's university and government researchers.

Some argue it's a moot point, that it's not in Canadians' blood to be innovators. That Canadians don't have the drive or the spirit to compete internationally. To these I'd offer Alexandre Bilodeau or Christine Nesbitt or Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. These exceptional athletes always had the potential; when the system around them decided to work together and own the podium, they proved they could be the best in the world. It's time we do the same for our young researchers and scientists, and spur on the innovations of tomorrow.

Arvind Gupta is a professor of computer science at the University of B.C. and scientific director of Mitacs, a national research network. He was a member of the panel reviewing federal government support for research and development, which was chaired by Tom Jenkins.

Vancouver Sun 
Sat Feb 18 2012 
Page: C5 
Section: Weekend Review