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Council for Innovation and Commercialization

According to the Conference Board of Canada’s Report Card on Innovation, Canada receives a "D" grade and ranks 14th out of 17 OECD countries on innovation performance. Our economy remains a below-average performer on its capacity to innovate, and relative to peer countries, Canada has only improved on a couple of indicators. The general consensus is that there is a lack of progress being made in both innovating and adequately commercializing the intellectual property being developed. The Council for Innovation and Commercialization provides innovation executives in Canadian firms with the contacts, concepts, tools and learning experience to improve innovation performance in their organization. Through interacting with thought leaders and networking with peers, Council members share experiences, best practices, methodologies, and learning tools.

Recent Themes or Topics

  • Measuring Innovation Performance
  • Planning for Emerging Technologies
  • Competitive Business Intelligence
  • Linking Technology with Business Strategy
  • Collaborations and Partnership
  • Open innovation
  • Understanding the relationship between SMEs and the broader community
  • SME collaborations with larger organizations

News

Innovation Key to New Economy according to the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation  

Innovation

A process that extracts economic and social values from knowledge using the generation, development, and implementation of ideas to produce new or improved products, services, or processes. Source: The Conference Board of Canada.

Testimonials

“The Council for Innovation and Commercialization provides an outstanding forum for networking with experts in technology and innovation. The thought provoking seminars and discussions provide a wealth of ideas which can be applied within your own industry.”

—Dr. Paul Smith, Vice President of the Xerox Research Centre 

“Innovation and commercialization is a measure of how companies, large or otherwise, are impacting the GPD and productivity of our country. It is critical to have a voice that concentrates on bringing best practises, ideas and networking opportunities to the Enterprises in Canada. The Innovation and Commercialization Council provides that voice.”

—Rick Fesciuc, Director, Technology Solutions, Information Services Corporation of Saskatchewan

“The Council has been even more valuable than I anticipated when I initially joined as an SME member. I have a new understanding of several highly relevant macro issues and a better appreciation for the perspectives and drivers of members from the public sector, higher education and large corporations, as well as a much clearer understanding of the Conference Board and the work it does. I look forward to our meetings and the annual summit - the open communication has been fabulous and I have confidence that the things we discuss and work to influence are actually heard and used by the Conference Board.”

—Kevin Fleming, Pesident and CEO, Plato Consulting Inc.