Solving Canada’s innovation paradox: the "missing ingredient"

By Ted Hewitt

Ted Hewitt is President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This op-ed first appeared here in The Hill Times.

The word “innovation” permeates headlines as well as public and private sector policies, programs and projects. But what does it actually take to implement innovative practices that improve lives?

The challenge of transforming creative concepts into tangible outcomes was underscored in a report by the Conference Board of Canada that explored the “innovation paradox”: despite strong research capacity, entrepreneurial talent and resources, Canada is falling behind peer countries on many indicators of innovation and productivity.

Reasons include declining expenditures in R&D, low levels of commercialization and intellectual property protection, and a risk-averse culture.

It’s time for a new way of thinking about how to support innovation so we can dismantle the innovation paradox.

The missing ingredient

We need to start by understanding that successful innovation is only partly about science and technology.

While invention lies at the heart of innovation, it also relies on human processes such as defining problems, recognizing the value of new technologies and understanding how new products will be received by potential consumers. This leads to creative pathways to product development, helps overcome barriers to productivity and accelerates market success.

Research that comes from the social sciences and humanities (SSH) is the missing ingredient. To be effective, however, SSH research must be incorporated into innovation projects from the outset. Only then will we be able to crack the innovation paradox and ensure higher standards of living for all.

A great example is the Sustainable Agriculture Research Initiative. This net-zero initiative brings together Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council to build capacity and fill knowledge gaps in this sector.

One project based at NSCAD University in Halifax is connecting farmers, fibre mills, craftspeople and consumers to revitalize Atlantic Canada’s capacity to grow fibres and produce textiles, lessening dependence on unsustainable global supply chains.

Another project based out of the University of Toronto is bringing partners together to improve the management and expansion of sustainable urban and peri-urban systems, which will help meet greenhouse gas emissions mitigation and food production targets in Canada’s agriculture sector.

Yet another illustration is the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which integrates SSH research into AI development and implementation.

Understanding social demand and responsibility for transformational technologies like AI, quantum and genomics will help commercialize these technologies while ensuring they benefit people in Canada and around the world.

How social sciences and humanities research can advance Canada’s innovation strategy

SSH research can sharpen Canada’s innovation strategy by offering critical insights into the business dynamics that shape innovation, as well as changing labour markets. That includes helping improve understanding of skills gaps, recruitment challenges, the attraction and integration of immigrants, and the effects of an aging population.

For instance, several major Canadian industry partners are collaborating with University of Windsor professor Dr. Anne Snowdon on research to improve supply chains in Canadian health care. The project enables coordination among the many supply chain teams and stakeholders across Canada to strengthen supply chain resilience, enhance Canada’s global competitiveness, respond to supply disruptions, and protect health and safety.

SSH research can also improve understanding of emerging trends that might affect Canada’s ability to innovate. Through our Ideas Lab initiative, SSHRC is working with partners to better understand coming challenges and chart effective responses.

For instance, one initiative is examining the circular economy. By focusing on extracting maximum value from resources, the insights from this initiative can inform decisions to improve productivity and reduce carbon emissions. This is only possible by examining the role of human and social behaviour in these complex systems.

Applying SSH research insights to innovation policy and practice can pay huge dividends. But the jump from insight to innovation requires active efforts to strengthen academic-business partnerships so theory can lead to tangible gains.

That’s why SSHRC is looking for ways to better understand the private sector’s need for knowledge and expertise to inform how we facilitate research impact across sectors.

Mobilizing innovative ideas

SSH research is the key ingredient that can help us achieve more transformative innovation. We must bring SSH into innovation initiatives and build on and accelerate existing academic-business partnerships.

We must also leverage and invest in SSH talent. At SSHRC, we are cultivating a cohort of researchers with the skills, evidence and insights to inform innovation and industrial policy for Canada in a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive global environment.

With SSH research guiding the way, we can solve the innovation paradox by enabling whole-systems thinking, underpinning smart and responsible innovation, addressing global challenges, creating impact, and sharpening our innovation policy, to the benefit of people in Canada and across our planet.

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