Culture of Innovation

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By Amber Lepage-Monette

Ontario’s new Ministry of Research and Innovation focuses on the province’s greatest strengths

Last June, the Ontario government took a bold step, proclaiming what it feels will be important to the province’s future.
In an effort to support and bolster wealth creation and the knowledge economy, the Ministry of Research and Innovation (MRI) was established, and Premier Dalton McGuinty named minister.
By making himself the head of the MRI, Premier McGuinty realized he would be generating some buzz — and that was exactly the point.
“I thought it was so important for us to accelerate the public understanding of how intrinsic a part of our wealth-generating capacity this is going to be. And the best way to quickly elevate the profile of the ministry was for me to take on that responsibility,” he says.
“And also, of course, being the premier, that gives my ministry a little bit more clout as we’re looking to develop its responsibilities, ensure it has the appropriate funding and to make sure that everybody who’s connected with innovation in the province of Ontario understands that this has suddenly become very important to the government.”

Getting the Message Out
McGuinty says creating a new ministry focused on innovation was an important and necessary step for the government to ensure the province’s ability to compete and sustain itself economically.
“We’re living in a world where you can borrow your capital, you can copy technology and you can buy natural resources,” he says. “That tells me there are only two things left on which to found a high-wage, high quality-of-life economy: education and innovation.
“I already have a minister of education, and a minister of training, colleges and universities, but we did not have in place a ministry of research and innovation.”
Ensuring the public knows how important innovation is includes reaching out to youth, the next generation of employees and innovators.
McGuinty says that while young people today are exceptionally adept at using and understanding technology, there is a disconnect in understanding where that technology comes from, and how it can benefit individuals and society.
“Right now they don’t understand the processes that resulted in the product and we have to help them understand that those processes in fact exist and (they) can and should be a part of those (processes),” he says.
“It’s an important part of my new responsibilities . . . to draw a stronger link between the kind of work that goes on as a result of graduating from a science program with a bio bent, for example,” McGuinty explains. “The products and services, the processes that are being developed, the quality of life and satisfaction that you will enjoy, and the contribution you will make to the quality of life that we all enjoy — that’s not there. It’s all rather abstract.”

Human Capital
With that in mind, the MRI has developed programs targeted at young Ontarians, specifically its Youth Science and Technology Outreach program, which aims to encourage high-school students to pursue careers in science and technology.
The program plans to give young people access to science experiences outside of the classroom by working with a mentor, and will provide applicants with up to $150,000 over three years to fund their projects.
McGuinty says encouraging students to pursue sciences as a career path helps set up realistic standards about what opportunities are available in Ontario, which does not depend on natural resources as much as other provinces.
“I think the single most important responsibility that I have at the outset is to help people understand the value of innovation to the quality of life they’re enjoying at the present. To better explain to them some of the opportunities to be found there, and to help remind them that we don’t have oil and gas, and we won’t have oil and gas, and that it’s all about developing our human capital,” he says.
Innovation is not only a vital part of Ontario’s future, but also a large part of its history, McGuinty points out.
Ontario has been home to some major discoveries in the last century, including stem cells, the pacemaker and advances in 3-D imaging technology. Ontario is Canada’s primary biotech region, and while many have been content to celebrate its past successes, McGuinty says this recognition needs to be taken one step further.
“I want to go beyond celebrating instances of innovation, and I want to make innovation inevitable,” he says.

Investing in the Future
An essential part of creating this culture of innovation is ensuring companies not only want to do business in Ontario, but can do business in Ontario.
To that end, the MRI has created the Ontario Research and Innovation Council (ORIC), headed by Adam Chowaniec, PhD, chairman of the board of directors of Tundra Semiconductor Corp. (Ottawa, ON) and executive in residence at VenGrowth Capital Partners Inc. (Toronto, ON).
The ORIC will comprise representatives from the public and private sectors who will advise McGuinty on where strategic investments should be made.
McGuinty has a working group in place that is taking a look at the condition of Ontario’s capital investment market to ensure the province stays competitive.
“One of the things we’re working on is making sure we have the necessary kind of risk-capital environment in place so that people can actually have access to the money that is necessary to take that idea into a business, which becomes successful, and in turn creates good jobs, and good products and services,” he says.
Encouraging some of the leading life sciences companies to do business in Ontario is key, McGuinty says.
“Success begets success,” he says. “If you have one big company, you’re likely to have another, and so on and so forth. Then you can attract the best and brightest young researchers, and (that’s) going to inevitably lead to spin-offs. Then you’ll become the beneficiary of clusters and it’s one of those things that continues to grow.”
But spinoffs don’t come about on their own. The MRI has therefore established the Ontario Research Commercialization program, a three-year, $27-million project that aims to accelerate commercialization of innovations coming out of universities and hospitals.
Research institutions, including colleges, universities and hospitals, and not-for-profit organizations can apply for grants, which will generally range from $100,000 to $750,000 per year, per program component, depending on the kind of research and number of participants involved.
The program focuses on three areas: knowledge and technology transfer to the private sector, proof of principle funding, and building the industry receptor capacity, which will focus on encouraging entrepreneurs to commercialize their work.
Though the programs aren’t focused specifically on the life sciences or biotech, McGuinty says he is particularly cognizant of backing these industries, especially when one realizes what strong players they are in the Ontario economy.
“My leading goal scorer in Ontario, when it comes to innovation, is biotech,” he says.
“I’m determined to make sure they’re getting the necessary support so they can continue to do what only they are doing so well: they’re scoring goal after goal after goal. What do I mean by a goal? New products, new processes, new jobs, new investments, which means they’re paying more taxes and they’re supporting our quality of life.”

The Rewards
As any minister representing a new ministry would be, McGuinty is eager to talk about the MRI’s programs and what they have to offer the province and the industry. BIO 2006 in Chicago, Ill., will provide him with ample opportunity and an international audience.
“It’s the opportunity where all the major players come together and have the opportunity to display their wares, establish connections and make plans for shared successes on a go-forward basis,” he says of the conference.
“I’m looking forward to being there . . . and making sure our presence is well felt,” McGuinty says. “I want to be there with a strong contingent, (and) we’re going to do the necessary groundwork so that we can make the appropriate corporate calls, with a good followup strategy as well.”
What’s more, McGuinty says a broader message, which goes beyond talking about Ontario’s successes or the MRI, needs to be delivered.
“A great thing about biotech is that . . . there’s a moral purpose,” he says.
“It’s not just about generating wealth, and it’s not just about improving quality of life for those who work in the sector. It has a measurable impact on the health and well-being of people. It seems to me that’s pretty rewarding stuff, and that’s one of the things that we need to talk about more.”