
Canadian Centre for the Innovation Economy
Improving Canada’s innovation performance
Canada has a highly educated workforce and strong research capability but fails to turn these advantages into commercial success and innovation-based economic growth. This problem is known as Canada’s innovation paradox.
The Canadian Centre for the Innovation Economy (CCIE) brings together Canadian innovation hubs, institutions, entrepreneurs, governments, corporate partners, and investors to research critical issues facing the innovation community and deliver data-driven insights to decision-makers.
Funded By
Become a Funding Member
Create more impact through a research collective initiative.
Funding members will shape the future of Canada’s innovation performance and economy by ensuring independent, evidence-based innovation research is developed and delivered to government, business, and civil society decision-makers. Pooling dollars from multiple funders allows your money to go further, enabling Conference Board economists and researchers to create more robust and impactful research.

Our Objectives

Drive national innovation performance through applied research and data-driven insights.

Convene thought leaders to advance organizational capacity to scale and compete globally.

Be a trusted voice and destination for communications and policy recommendations on the innovation economy.

Testimonial
Originally the Innovation Economy Council
We are happy to announce the establishment of Canadian Centre for the Innovation Economy (CCIE) along with founding members MaRS Discovery District and the Innovation Economy Council. The Centre will work with its members to unpack the significant pain points to improved innovation in Canada, specifically big problems in the space including intellectual property, research and development, red tape, talent and the skills gap.
Featured
Lift All Boats: The Opportunity in Digitizing Canada’s Traditional Industries
Innovation & Technology October 1, 2022
In recent years, Canada’s economy has been configured around two increasingly disparate parts. One segment encompasses highly productive and tech-driven sectors, including advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, biotech, food processing, aerospace, logistics, fintech and engineering services.
Impact paper • 24-min read
Ideas for Sale: Why IP is a Symptom, Not a Cause, of Canada’s Failure to Scale
Innovation & Technology June 21, 2021
Here’s a sobering statistic: Three-quarters of the patents held by venture capital-backed Canadian startups involved in recent takeovers are now in foreign hands.
Commentary • 3-min read
Recent Releases and Events

Innovation Report Card 2021
Innovation & Technology June 28, 2021
Innovation is the process through which economic or social value is extracted from knowledge—by creating, diffusing, and transforming ideas—to produce new or improved products, services, and processes. Firms and other organizations that innovate successfully enhance their competitiveness and position themselves for growth.
Online experience • 8-min read

Competition in Canadian Telecom: Implications of Consolidation
Innovation & Technology June 2, 2022
At the most basic level, telecommunications infrastructure saves time, energy, labour, and capital by condensing the time and space required for production, consumption, market activities, government operations, and educational and health services. With around $39 billion in gross value added, the Canadian telecommunications industry accounted for approximately 2 per cent of national GDP in 2020. The industry directly employed over 115,000 workers that year.
Impact paper • 36-min read

Strengthening Canada’s Digital Defences
Innovation & Technology March 23, 2022
The cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, with Canadian organizations getting attacked every single day. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have accelerated their digital transformation. As a result, they have been able to access significant cost-efficiency opportunities and deliver increased value to their customers and clients. However, the perimeters of Canada’s organizations have changed drastically, thereby increasing their risk profiles. For this reason, cybersecurity must not become an afterthought.
Impact paper • 43-min read

Join Us
Make Canada’s future bright by enabling evidence-based innovation research.