Colleges seek new funding to expand role in Canada’s innovation system

Canada’s colleges are putting the finishing touches on a proposal to the federal government for $116 million a year to fund dedicated programs and other mechanisms to enhance their ability to conduct applied research and engage in technology transfer and commercialization. The proposal comes as the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) considers the creation of a national innovation network among colleges and gears up to participate in the federal innovation agenda.

The ACCC package of requests includes $50 million for 200 Innovation Chairs, $20 million through the Networks of Centres of Excellence, $18 million for fellowships and internships, $15 million for a business incubator fund, $10 million for a Technical Assistance Program and $3 million for a Student Technical Assistance Program for small businesses.

The proposal completes the mandate of the ACCC’s Task Group for applied research to quantify and enhance R&D activity in the nation’s colleges, technical institutes, university-colleges and CEGEPs. Now officially disbanded, the Task Group’s work will be carried forward by the ACCC executive. ACCC representatives are in discussions with officials from Industry Canada and Human Resources Development Canada to develop appropriate vehicles for boosting the contribution of colleges to innovation.

“We’ll talk to Industry Canada about what’s saleable politically. We’ve already discussed various models but we’ve left it deliberately vague,” says Ron Woodward president of Red Deer College and chair of the Task Group. “By September we will be much more definitive about what the ACCC will propose and have a much better idea of what will be accepted.”

SURVEY CONTAINS WEALTH OF INFORMATION

Over the past year, the Task Group completed a survey designed by Industry Canada to develop the first cut of a national inventory of R&D activity in Canadian colleges. It found that colleges performed $32 million in R&D, with 84 colleges responding. Adjusted for the entire college sector and factoring in other sources such as the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and Quebec data, the total estimate for college R&D spending jumps to between $100 million and $155 million. The wide range is due to uncertainty of funding from the private sector, which is estimated at somewhere between $25 million and $80 million. Other sources include an estimated $24 million from provincial and territorial governments and $51 million from the federal government. The CFI is the largest single federal funder.

Woodward acknowledges that the survey’s figures are both conservative and have not been tested for accuracy, but he asserts that it provides a baseline for ongoing strategic planning and discussions as the innovation agenda gears up.

“Colleges are an underutilized mechanism in this country and their time has finally come. I credit Industry Canada for recognizing this,” he says. “Industry Canada initiated the current discussions, and at the same time ACCC wants to make more inroads to the federal government. The innovation agenda represents a good vehicle to bring colleges to the forefront. There’s a cultural change happening in government and they are now recognizing the role of colleges. It’s a great opportunity for colleges to step up and be more active.”

Although the dollar value of college R&D is small relative to universities, the Task Group’s survey found considerable community-based activity across the country. Among its findings:

• 64 colleges work with economic development agencies to support the growth of firms, attract new firms to their regions and create new companies;

• 62 colleges perform R&D or assist firms in adopting new technologies;

• 45 colleges specialize in niche technology areas; and,

• 28 colleges have R&D or technology transfer targets.

The survey also found that Quebec colleges have considerable R&D experience and that the province is home to a disproportionate number of institutions. Many specialize in technology areas such as biotechnology, environmental technologies, com- posite materials, chemical products and metallurgy.

As expected, the vast majority of R&D conducted by colleges is applied research and relationships are strongly focused on local businesses and organizations. That focus dovetails nicely with the government’s emerging policies on cluster development and the development of innovation engines at local and regional levels.

“Through the innovation agenda, there’s been a significant interest in community-based innovation and the key role colleges play,” says Woodward. “There are 200 colleges in Canada in 950 communities, applying and commercializing new knowledge through applied research.”

MANY CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME

Despite the potential for making major contributions to a national system of innovation, colleges face several daunting hurdles. There is growing recognition of their importance at the federal and provincial level, but the survey found that most provincial legislation is silent on the role of colleges in performing R&D. In fact, only Quebec, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories recognize their role.

Within the colleges, most collective agreements with staff are also silent on R&D, resulting in faculty going unrecognized for the work they do. Once again Quebec is an exception.

Given the low priority R&D is afforded within the institutes themselves, faculty are given full teaching loads with no time allotted to conduct R&D. That makes the volume of R&D all the more remarkable, since most seems to be conducted as an extracurricular activity.

“Faculty are not provided with time to do research. To get money on a project basis you must allow faculty relief time and increase their ability to contribute to innovation,” says Woodward. “Right now, it’s extracurricular and not very effective. Federal funding would help alleviate the situation.”

The survey includes snapshots of what some provinces are doing to bring colleges into the innovation fold. Quebec’s recently crafted innovation agenda commits increased support for college research, infrastructure and networks. Ontario is committed to broadening the reach of the Ontario Centres of Excellence program to include colleges. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council has stated that colleges are part of the mechanisms that must have increased capacity to do R&D.

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