Story perspectives

Canada's Innovation Struggles: R&D Spending Needs Strategic Shift

4/15/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Canada’s innovation performance is underwhelming, with high R&D spending failing to yield commercial success, according to the OECD.
The country lacks a unified innovation strategy, unlike the U.S. and South Korea, focusing excessively on research.
Establishing a non-partisan national innovation institution could improve strategic direction and outcome evaluation.
To stay competitive, Canada needs to distinguish innovation from research and align education with innovation objectives.

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Story summary

Canada’s innovation performance is underwhelming, with high R&D spending failing to yield commercial success, according to the OECD.
The country lacks a unified innovation strategy, unlike the U.S. and South Korea, focusing excessively on research.
Establishing a non-partisan national innovation institution could improve strategic direction and outcome evaluation.
To stay competitive, Canada needs to distinguish innovation from research and align education with innovation objectives.