Innovation across North America; June 28, Ottawa

• Date: June 7, 2016, 12:00 am to
• For more information:

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CONTENTS:
– Program (English and French)
– Summary Report
– BIO Info on the speakers
– Resources on Innovation across North America
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Table of Contents

1. Summary
2. Program
3. Speakers
   1. Hon. Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources
   2. Dr. Enrique Cabrera Mendoza, General Director, CONAYCT
   3. Dr. Peter Arzberger, Senior Advisor, National Science Foundation
   4. Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
   5. Anita Vandenbeld, MP for Ottawa West-Nepean
   6. Will Marshall, President and Founder, the Progressive Policy Institute
   7. Dr. Gilles Patry, President and CEO, Canada Foundation of Innovation
   8. Dr. Gabriel Pulido-Cejudo, President and Chairman, International Centre for the Advancement of Health, Regional Innovation and Science
   9. Eme Onuoha, Vice President of Global Government Affairs (Canada), Xerox Corporation
   10. Cindy L. Bell, Vice President of Genomics Programs, Genome Canada
   11. Lisa MacLeod, MPP for Nepean-Carleton
   12. Dr. Brad Ashton, Principal Staff, Concurrent Technologies Corporation
   13. Elizabeth McDonald, President and CEO, Canadian Energy Efficiency Association
   14. Hon. Sergio Marchi, President and CEO, Canadian Electricity Association
   15. Dr. Steven Czitrom Baus, Academic Secretary, UNAM-Canada
   16. Steve Coupland, Director of Environmental Affairs, Canadian Nuclear Association
   17. Paul Cheliak, Director of Market Development, Canadian Gas Association
4. Resources on Innovation Across North America
   1. Canada
   2. United States
   3. Mexico

Le français suit l’anglais.

Advancing Innovation across North America
June 28, 2016, Ottawa

The North American Leaders’ Summit will take place in Ottawa on June 29, 2016 with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Barack Obama and Enrique Peña Nieto. This offers a good opportunity for experts in Innovation from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to have a dialogue about how to advance innovation cooperatively across all three countries and to augment linkages across the innovation community in North America.
The day before the Summit, on June 28, the Pearson Centre will host a Seminar on “Advancing Innovation across North America” in Ottawa, that will involve, the private and public sectors, the education sector, students and other leaders. Speakers will include senior leaders from the three countries.
Focused materials will be released in advance on the state of innovation.
Following the Seminar in Ottawa, the Pearson Centre will prepare a report on the proceedings and will work to maintain and develop an informal network from the innovation community in all three countries.
Seminar location: University of Ottawa, Ottawa
Date: June 28, 2016; 7:30 am till 12 noon. (Welcome reception on June 27; 7:00 pm)

TO REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/innovationsciencetech-across-north-america-tickets-26084801343?aff=es2

PROGRAM

June 27 (Carisse Studio Café, 274 Elgin St)
7:00 – 9:00 pm Welcome Reception

PROGRAM (cont.)
June 28: Location: Room 4007, Social Science Tower, University of Ottawa, Ottawa

7:30 – 9:00 am Breakfast and Opening: Keynotes from Canada, U.S. & Mexico:
Moderator: Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Foreign Affairs
– Canada: Hon. Jim Carr, Minister of Natural Resources, Govt. of Canada
– Mexico: Dr. Enrique Cabrero Mendoza, Director General, National Council for Science & Technology (CONACYT), Mexico
– United States: Dr. Peter Arzberger, Senior Advisor, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC

9:00 am Panel 1: Innovation in Science and Technology
Moderator: Anita Vandenbeld, MP
– Will Marshall, Progressive Policy Institute, Washington, DC
– Dr. Gilles Patry, President & CEO, Canada Foundation for Innovation
– Dr. Gabriel Pulido-Cejudo, Chairman, Int. Centre for the Advancement of Health
Regional Innovation & Science
– Eme Onuoha, VP, Global Government Affairs (Canada), Xerox Corporation
– Dr. Cindy L. Bell, Executive VP, Corporate Development, Genome Canada

10:30 am Panel 2: Innovation in the Energy and Environment sectors
Moderator: Lisa MacLeod, MPP
– Dr. W. Bradford Ashton, Senior Policy and Technology Advisor, Concurrent Technologies Corp. Washington DC
– Elizabeth McDonald, President & CEO, Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance
– Hon. Sergio Marchi, President & CEO, Canadian Electricity Association
– Dr. Steven Czitrom Baus, Academic Secretary, UNAM-Canada (National Autonomous University of Mexico), QC
– Steve Coupland, Director, Regulatory & Environmental Aff., Cdn Nuclear Assoc.
– Paul Cheliak, Director, Innovation and New Markets, Canadian Gas Association
11:45 am Closing Comments
12 noon Adjournment

TO REGISTER: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/innovationsciencetech-across-north-america-tickets-26084801343?aff=es2
Contact:
Greg Stulen, Communications Coordinator, gstulen@thepearsoncentre.ca 519-802-5352
Andrew Cardozo, President; acardozo@thepearsoncentre.ca 613-295-1260
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Forum sur la
Promotion de l’innovation
en Amérique du Nord
Le 28 juin 2016, Ottawa

Le premier ministre Justin Trudeau, le président Barack Obama et Enrique Peña Nieto assisteront au Sommet des leaders nord-américains à Ottawa, le 29 juin 2016, lequel sera l’occasion pour les spécialistes de l’innovation du Canada, des États-Unis et du Mexique de participer à un dialogue sur la façon de s’y prendre pour promouvoir l’innovation par la collaboration des trois pays, et pour renforcer les liens qui unissent la communauté de l’innovation en Amérique du Nord.
Le 28 juin, journée précédant ce sommet, le Centre Pearson accueillera un Forum, à Ottawa, sur le thème de la « Promotion de l’innovation en Amérique du Nord », auquel participeront des membres des secteurs privé et public, et du milieu de l’éducation, de même que des étudiant(e)s et d’autres dirigeant(e)s. Les conférenciers seront notamment des haut(e)s dirigeant(e)s des trois pays.
Des documents thématiques seront publiés à l’avance sur l’état dans lequel se trouve l’innovation.
Au lendemain de ce forum, le Centre Pearson rédigera un rapport sur les délibérations qui y auront eu lieu, puis mettra sur pied un réseau de membres de la communauté de l’innovation des trois pays en question.
Lieu de la tenue du Forum : Université d’Ottawa, Ottawa
Date : le 28 juin 2016 de 7 h 30 à midi (Réception de bienvenue le 27 juin à 19 heures)

Programme
Le 27 juin

19 h – 21 h Réception de bienvenue

Le 28 juin

7 h 30 – 9 h FORUM
Petit-déjeuner et séance d’ouverture
Discours liminaires sur les perspectives du Canada, des États-Unis et du Mexique

9 h Groupe d’experts 1 : L’innovation en science et technologie
Conférenciers de chacun des pays

10 h 30 Groupe d’experts 2 : L’innovation dans les secteurs de l’énergie et de
l’environnement
Conférenciers de chacun des pays

11 h 45 Allocution de clôture

Midi Fin du Forum

Renseignements : Andrew Cardozo, président
acardozo@thepearsoncentre.ca 613-295-1260

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R E P O R T

NORTH AMERICA AS OBAMA’S “GLOBAL INNOVATION HUB”: some ideas on how to get there
By Jonathan Calof, Andrew Cardozo and Greg Stulen

All that excitement of the Three Amigos summit! No end of these picturesque alpha-male metrosexuals. The man hugs, jogging together, toasting each other, a town hall with students and speeches in Parliament. A veritable three-way bromance. And such a contrast to the other news in the world: Brexit, Nigel Farage, Donald Trump and the Istanbul airport bombing.

The celebrity nature of the summit of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, President Barack Obama and President Enrique Pena Nieto almost over-shadowed the substance of the meetings they had. Short in time, but long on content. The leaders did announce a plethora of forward-looking agreements that their ministers and officials had been working on for months.
At the summit’s closing press conference, Obama asserted that North America is “a global hub of innovation.”

And that was the theme of a forum on the Advancing Innovation and Science across North America held in Ottawa day before the summit.

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr was the Canadian keynote speaker launching the forum, highlighting the role he and the Trudeau government were taking to advance collaboration. Within weeks of becoming minister, he had hosted his Mexican and American counterparts in Winnipeg. “The agenda of the world is remarkably similar for energy and innovation and we have willing partners in the U.S. and Mexico. We have established trusting relationships.”

And here is the interesting thing about innovation: innovators and scientists don’t care about borders. They just want to do their thing and the presence of borders and different regulations from country to country act as barriers to progress. They really want that hub to be like a single hub.
The forum organized by the Pearson Centre, co-hosted with the University of Ottawa, brought together government, industry, labour, think tank and scientific leaders from the three countries, for a timely discussion on making that innovation hub a reality.

Enrique Cabrero Mendoza, head of the Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology and a member of the Mexican President’s delegation, noted that the challenges he saw were to encourage business to do more in research and innovation, to create stronger linkages between academic institutions and industry, and to create better linkages across borders.

American keynote speaker, Peter Arzberger of the National Science Foundation in Washington said the U.S. built the case for partnership in innovation by pushing the importance of collaboration and a multidisciplinary approach. “Collaboration is growing. Scientists want to work with the best institutions and researchers which cuts across borders. All activities are now multidisciplinary and require partners,” said Arzberger.

Dr. Gabriel Pulido-Cejudo, President and Chairman of the International Centre for the Advancement of Health, Regional Innovation, and Science, reiterated Dr. Arzberger’s point, stressing that facilitating cross border collaboration is critical to promoting innovation. Dr. Pulido-Cejudo emphasized that an important part in enabling this collaboration was being able to transport research across borders efficiently.

Eme Onuoha, a Vice President of Xerox Corporation, said his company launched the first open innovation process in 1996-97 with the Institute of Nanotechnology in Canada. (Open innovation is where you get the right people working together regardless of who they work for or where they are.) He noted that organizations expert Henry Chesborough preaches that not all the smart people in the world work for you but you need to find them and work with them.
But as Cindy Bell, executive vice president at Genome Canada, noted, scientists can no longer just travel across the border with their equipment…. or samples. That makes cross-border innovation challenging at best.

Fortunately, the amigos are hearing the message. In a statement, Trudeau and Pena Nieto pledged to “foster cooperation on science, technology, and innovation and further partnerships between Canadian and Mexican academic institutions on low-emission energy solutions.”
And when Obama joined in, he forcefully declared that the three countries together were a global innovation hub!

So that’s all very progressive, but how do you make it happen?
Elizabeth McDonald of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance pointed out that regulations in countries are behind the rate of innovation and invention. Further, where there are regulations, they differ from country to country. So we need more coordination across borders to keep abreast of technology.

A North American energy grid makes sense today said Sergio Marchi, now CEO of the Canadian Electricity Association pointing to COP 21 as a game changer. He reminded governments that if North American energy and environment agreements are to be successful, there needs to be effective and ongoing consultation between government and industry, across the three countries.
Brad Ashton, a US expert in innovation and technical intelligence, talked of the growth of open innovation in major companies around the world. Interestingly, this is also driving the investments of the Canada Foundation for Innovation, whose president, Gilles Patry, talked about open access to both data and facilities that they fund, as a requirement for their investments. Ashton also emphasized that the three countries share a common set of innovation priorities including climate change, alternative energy and cybersecurity, which interestingly were reflected the Leaders’ agreements the next day.

Union leader Larry Cann of UA Canada reminds us that we need to maintain an eye on workers and jobs. As technology wipes out jobs, we need to find ways for those laid off to find work.
Others talked about improving the training and education of people from all three countries and standardizing required levels of competencies – young people as well as older displaced workers.
Dr. Steven Baus, the Academic Secretary at UNAM (Autonomous University of Mexico), commented that progress in the development of innovation technology requires support form public-private partnerships. Notably, the public sector must supply educational institutions, political support and security resources, while the private sector needs to supply supplementary funding for research to be conducted.

Will Marshall, President of the Washington-based Progressive Policy Institute which is noted as the idea factory for Bill Clinton’s administration, suggested that the core problem in the US and in North America is economic stagnation….and how hard it is to sustain innovation in the face of small economic growth. Rather, innovation can be the key to growth – he highlighted how the Apple iphone had created 1.6 Million jobs in the US alone. We need to unleash innovation and the economy with big structural changes, big infrastructure, tax reform and training reform. We need to create a regulatory environment that is pro innovation.

Steve Coupland, the Director of Environmental Affairs at the Canadian Nuclear Association, noted that innovation should be aimed not only at the creation of new products and industries, but it also needs to have a focus on improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of existing technologies. The collaboration of experts across national borders would expedite the innovative process of both of these ambitions.

Vancouver area MP, Pam Goldsmith-Jones, Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Secretary, spoke of the high priority of the new government to Innovation across departments and agencies, and noted that the ministerial mandate letters from the Prime Minister reminded ministers that a collaborative North American relationship was key.

Paul Cheliak, the Director of Business Development for the Canadian Gas Association, is of the view that international partnership across North America should also be met with intergovernmental partnership within national boundaries to ensure that funding is available and is effectively shared with the appropriate organizations to promote research and development.

Speakers suggested that the Innovation Agenda review by Hon. Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, needs to address the efficient movement between the three countries, of people, research and scientific materials relevant to innovation. Cindy Bell suggested we need funding programs that support projects that work across borders. Think tank leader Gabriel Pulido-Cejudo called for a joint clean energy fund among the three countries.
In short, to turn the collaborative message of Trudeau, Pena Nieto and Obama into reality, cross-border cooperation, regulation, freer movements of people and research and tri-national funding arrangements are going to be key.

The Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy would like to thank Anita Vandenbeld and Lisa McLeod for moderating the discussions at the Forum for Advancing Innovation, Science and Technology across North America. We would also like to thank our co-host, The University of Ottawa, and our event sponsor, The Canadian Gas Association. Events like this which promote relevant discourse in Canadian politics would not be possible without our partners.

Jonathan Calof, Ph.D. is professor in international business and Strategy at the Telfer School of Management at University of Ottawa and co-chair if the Pearson Centre’s Econ4Tmro Initiative. Andrew Cardozo is president of the Pearson Centre and adjunct professor at Carleton University. Greg Stulen is the Communications Coordinator at The Pearson Centre.

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BIO INFO on all the speakers

Hon. Jim Carr
Minister Carr has been a dedicated business and community leader in Winnipeg for more than 30 years. He began his career as a musician, as an oboist and trustee with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. He then moved on to journalism, working as an editorial writer and columnist with the Winnipeg Free Press as well as for CBC Radio.
Jim entered public life in 1988, when he was elected to represent Fort Rouge in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba. He was also the deputy leader of his party. Jim later went on to become the founding CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba, where he worked alongside business leaders to address issues critical to Manitobans and Canadians.
In particular, Jim was one of the architects of the ‘Winnipeg Consensus’ process, which brought together Canadian think tanks and energy leaders, and informed the Canadian Energy Strategy released in 2015 by Canada’s provinces and territories.
Jim has been an active volunteer with a number of local, provincial, and national organizations. He was the founding co-chair of the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council, member of the board of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, member of the board of the Canada West Foundation, and member of the board of the Arthur V. Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice at the University of Manitoba.
Jim’s community leadership has earned him numerous awards, including the Canada 125 Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Order of Manitoba.

Dr. Enrique Cabrera Mendoza
Doctor Cabrero obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Administration at the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi. Later on, he obtained a Master’s degree in Pedagogical Improvement at the French Centre d´Enseignement Supérieur des Affairs and a Master’s in Public Administration at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching (CIDE for its acronym in Spanish). In France 2001, Enrique Cabrero Mendoza got his Ph.D. in Management Sciences at L’École des Hautes Études Commerciales.
Among other research institutions, Dr. Cabrero has been a visiting professor at L’École Normale Supérieure in France, the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain. Dr. Cabrero’s research career has allowed him to attain the highest level within Mexico’s National System of Researchers, coordinated by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT for its acronym in Spanish).
Dr. Cabrero has authored and edited twenty books and over a hundred articles and book chapters. His publications cover a vast array of topics, such as decentralization, local governments, and public policies in Mexico and various other countries like the United States, France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Recently, he has focused his academic work on identifying and analyzing factors involved in building strong cities, enhancing local competitiveness, and strengthening science and technology public policy.
His academic career started at CIDE in 1980, where he founded the Management and Public Policy Journal, and the Government and Local Management Award, now granted annually by CIDE since 2000. His cutting-edge research along with his enthusiasm and eagerness for improvement, allowed him to become CIDE´s General Director from 2004 to 2012.
Dr. Cabrero Mendoza has worked as a consultant to various international institutions such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, The World Bank, and the United Nations Development Program.
In January 2013, Dr. Cabrero was appointed General Director of CONACYT and since then, he has been in charge of articulating Mexico’s national policy on science and technology.
Dr. Peter Arzberger
Peter Arzberger currently serves as Senior Advisor for Research Cyberinfrastructure in the Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) at the United States National Science Foundation (NSF). Since 1988 he has spent more than 11 years at NSF, in three tours of duty. He has served a Program Officer (Mathematics and Biology), Division Director (Biology and CISE), acting Assistant Director (CISE), and as Senior Advisor in the Office of the Director at NSF.
He is serving at NSF, on assignment from his home institution of the University of California San Diego (UCSD), where he served as the founding Chair of the Pacific Rim Application and Grid Middleware Assembly (PRAGMA), co-director of the Pacific Rim Experiences for Undergraduates program (PRIME), and as a founding member of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON).
In addition, he has served as on NSF Advisory Committee for International Science and Engineering; as a member and later Chair of the National Advisory Board of the US Long Term Ecological Research network; and as the Chair Working Group on Access to and Sharing of Data Produced from Public Funding, endorsed by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Committee on Scientific and Technology Policy.
Pamela Goldsmith-Jones
Pamela Goldsmith-Jones serves as the Member of Parliament for the riding of West Vancouver – Sunshine Coast – Sea to Sky Country and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Stéphane Dion. In these positions, she prioritizes issues related to environmental protection and marine conservation; building strong, sustainable communities; promoting women in peace and security; electoral reform and fair, inclusive democratic institutions; care and support for seniors; and research for the cure for juvenile diabetes, among many others.
Ms. Goldsmith-Jones’ family’s history inspired her to run for local government four times, serving as Mayor of West Vancouver from 2005 to 2011. As Mayor, she had the pleasure of presenting West Vancouver’s climate change plan to the United Nations, and actively working towards the protection of Eagleridge Bluffs. She prioritized conservation through the reduction of solid waste and the restoration of the intertidal zone, earning the city the UN Global Green City award in 2011. Ms. Goldsmith-Jones’ Council also actively worked under her leadership to attract talent to the community, and supported citizens in their leadership efforts.
Following her time as Mayor, Ms. Goldsmith-Jones took a hiatus from politics to complete my executive MBA at Simon Fraser University, specializing in Aboriginal Business and Leadership. During this period, she started a public affairs consulting firm in Vancouver.
In all her leadership roles, Ms. Goldsmith-Jones was passionate about open, accessible, and fair decision-making that is sensitive and responsive to the needs and aspirations of our communities. She continues to uphold this dedication to her constituents in my role as Member of Parliament.

Anita Vandenbeld, MP
Anita Vandenbeld is the Member of Parliament for Ottawa West-Nepean. She sits on three committees – Status of Women, Procedure and House Affairs and is the chair of the Pay Equity committee. She is chair of the Liberal Women’s caucus. Anita was a specialist in international democratic development, focused on parliamentary development & women’s political participation. She conducted an NDI women’s political leadership academy in Haiti; authored a study on women’s political participation for UNDP Vietnam, and was a technical specialist on parliamentary committees for UNDP Bangladesh. Anita is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Centre for Democratic and Participatory Governance (CDPG) in Brussels. She was country director for NDI in DRC where she established a political party program during the 2011 election. She was posted with the UNDP Democratic Governance Group in New York, where she managed a multi-partner international network to promote women’s political participation (www.iknowpolitics.org). Anita was Senior Advisor & Deputy Chief of the Central Assembly Section of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. She received a Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal for her work there. Anita coordinated an anti-corruption campaign with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), & worked on parliamentary development in BiH & Serbia with the Parliamentary Centre. She was Director of Parliamentary Affairs in the Office of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons & Minister for Democratic Reform in Canada, where she oversaw the development of the Government of Canada’s Democratic Reform Action Plan. Anita was also a Policy Analyst with the National Liberal Caucus Research Bureau in the Canadian Parliament, Chief of staff to a Canadian Senator, and chapter development chair for Equal Voice, a Canadian multi-partisan organization to promote women in politics. Anita holds an MA Degree in Canadian Political and Constitutional history from York University.

Will Marshall
Will Marshall is the president and founder of the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI), established in 1989 as a center for political innovation in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, he has been one of the chief intellectual architects of the movement to modernize progressive politics for the global age.
Called “Bill Clinton’s idea mill,” PPI’s policy analysis and proposals were the source for many of the “New Democrat” innovations that figured prominently in national politics over the past two decades. The Institute also has been integral to the spread of “Third Way” thinking to center-left parties in Europe and elsewhere. Marshall is an honourary Vice-President of Policy Network, an international think tank launched by Tony Blair to promote progressive policy ideas throughout the democratic world.
Marshall is editor or co-editor of many books, including Memos to the New President (PPI, January 2009); With All Our Might: A Progressive Strategy for Defeating Jihadism and Defending Liberty (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006); The AmeriCorps Experiment and the Future of National Service (PPI, 2005); Building the Bridge: 10 Big Ideas to Transform America (Rowman & Littlefield, 1997); and Mandate for Change (Berkley Books, 1992), PPI’s best-selling policy blueprint for President Clinton’s first term. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times and many other newspapers, as well as The American Interest, The American Prospect, Democracy, and other journals.
In 1985, Marshall helped to found the Democratic Leadership Council, serving as its first policy director.
Marshall currently serves on the board of directors for the National Endowment for Democracy.
Marshall’s previous campaign and political experience includes posts as press secretary, spokesman and speechwriter for the 1984 United States Senate campaign of former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, speechwriter and policy analyst for the late U.S. Representative Gillis Long of Louisiana, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus; and, spokesman and speechwriter in the 1982 U.S. Senate campaign of former Virginia Lt. Governor Dick Davis.
Before becoming involved in politics and public policy, he was a journalist in Virginia, including a stint with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia in 1952, Marshall is a 1975 graduate of the University of Virginia, where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English and History. Marshall and his wife, Katryn S. Nicolai, live in Arlington, VA. They have two children, Olivia and William.
Dr. Gilles Patry
On August 1, 2010, Dr. Gilles G. Patry became the fourth President and CEO of the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Following a long and distinguished career as a consultant, a researcher, and a university administrator, Dr. Patry brings to the CFI a wealth of experience from both the private and academic sector.
Dr. Patry holds a B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Ottawa, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis in environmental engineering. He was an environmental engineering consultant (1971-78) before becoming professor of civil engineering at École Polytechnique de Montréal (1978-83) and then at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. (1983-93). Dr. Patry’s research program at McMaster led him to develop an innovative modelling concept for the simulation of wastewater treatment plant dynamics, and ultimately, to launch a Hamilton-based consulting company, Hydromantis, Inc. His research focuses on modelling, simulation and control of environmental systems.
Returning to the University of Ottawa as Dean of Engineering in 1993, Dr. Patry was instrumental in the creation of the School of Information Technology and Engineering, which was designed to provide leading-edge information technology research and education. In 1997, he became Vice-Rector (Academic) and fostered the creation of new institutes, academic programs and partnerships among the private sector, government and other post-secondary institutions. During his tenure as President and Vice-Chancellor (2001-08), Dr. Patry led the development and implementation of the university’s strategic plan Vision 2010, promoted the development of multidisciplinary initiatives, initiated more than $300 million of capital investments on campus and spearheaded the most successful fundraising campaign in the history of the University. He is now President Emeritus at the University of Ottawa.
Dr. Patry is a Member of the Order of Canada, a recipient of the Order of Ontario and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He has received honorary doctorates from the University of Waterloo and McMaster University, and was named Executive of the Year in 2004 by the Regroupement des gens d’affaires of the National Capital Region. In 2009, he was also named Chevalier de l’Ordre de la Pléiade of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie.
Dr. Gabriel Pulido-Cejudo
Inventor and entrepreneurial scientist, Dr Gabriel Pulido-Cejudo is President and Chairman at the International Centre for the Advancement of Health Regional Innovation and Science. He is an energetic executive and advisor within public, non-for-profit and private organizations involved in national and international activities in support of emerging technologies, competitiveness and innovation. His fields of interest and expertise include human and veterinary medical devices, bio-drugs, biosecurity and bioterrorism, human disease awareness and prevention particularly in regards to the health of women, infectious diseases, stem cell research, nanotechnology, related duties and opportunities.
Dr Pulido has provided developmental task frameworks, implementation and post-implementation surveillance on projects and special initiatives concerning regional innovation, biosafety and biosecurity within major events such as G8 Summits (Evian), Colloques de la Fondation Pour L’Innovation Politique and most recently within NAFTA Summit 2009. In his role as Chairman of the International Center for the Advancement of Health Regional Innovation and Science™, he was responsible for the design and implementation of the International Programme of Alignment and Consortia for Innovation and Regional Growth (ACIR)™ to assist the creation of start-up corporations and to enhance the innovation capacity of SMEs within the Life Sciences and related Sectors.
Dr Pulido is member of Health Canada’s Scientific Experts Inventory and former member of Team Canada Trade Missions led by the Prime Minister of Canada. He has been recently appointed CEO of BioConverGene Technologies Corporation™ and of iBioSign Health Integrated Systems™.

Eme Onuoha
Eme Onuoha is Vice-President of Global Government Affairs (Canada) with Xerox Corporation. He is responsible for national and sub-national government affairs strategy and related public policy/legislative engagement in Canada. Eme joined Xerox Canada in 2007 and has served in roles related to national account management, environmental sustainability, customer experience and innovation. Prior to his current role, Eme served as Chief Innovation Officer in the Industrial, Retail and Hospitality division of Xerox Services. His responsibilities included identifying innovation-driven growth opportunities and accelerating the commercialization of market-connected, research, development and engineering outcomes in close collaboration with the Xerox Innovation Group, capability groups, industry business group teams, clients, and external communities of practice.
Prior to joining Xerox, he held several senior positions within the Government of Canada, including: Director of Operations at the Privy Council Office; Vice President of the Canadian Commercial Corporation; Chief of Staff to the Minister of National Defence; and Policy Adviser to the Minister of International Trade. During his tenure in government he received the Merit Award for Team Achievement for distinguished contribution to the effectiveness and efficiency of the Privy Council Office.
Eme earned an Honours BA in International Relations from McMaster University, an MBA from Queen’s University and a Masters level diploma in strategy and innovation from the University of Oxford. He is a member of the McMaster University Board of Governors and a recipient of McMaster University’s Honour M and Arch awards. He also serves on the Board of Governors of the Community Foundation of Ottawa. In 2010 he was awarded the Top 100 under 50 designation by Diversity MBA magazine. In 2011 he received Green Living Enterprises’ Excellence in Corporate Responsibility Award for the Canadian IT industry. Most recently he was recognized as one of Canada’s Clean50 honourees for 2015.

Cindy L. Bell
Cindy Bell joined Genome Canada in August 2000. From 2000-2008 she held the position of Vice-President, Genomics Programs in which she was responsible for providing policy and strategic advice on scientific and other aspects of Genome Canada’s programs. This included overseeing and managing the peer review process used to establish the research program of Genome Canada. In her role as Executive Vice President, Corporate Development she provides leadership in the development and implementation of strategic initiatives and approaches to enhance Genome Canada’s business model and secure funding to support genomics research in Canada. Prior to joining Genome Canada, Dr. Bell was a Deputy Director in Programs Branch at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research from 1994 to 2000. At CIHR she managed a number of research programs and was involved in policy development and implementation. From 1986 to 1994, Dr. Bell was a researcher at the University of California, Riverside. Her research focused on investigating the basic defect in the genetic disease, Cystic Fibrosis. She obtained her Ph.D. in Genetics from McGill University in 1986.

Lisa MacLeod, MPP
With a family history of public service, Lisa has made a career out of standing up for the little guy- whether for the agriculture industry due to government policy hurting its livelihood, raising thousands of pounds of food for Ottawa food banks or speaking out for families with autistic children who needed services in her community.
She has been rewarded for her hard work by the voters of Nepean-Carleton four times (2006, 2007, 2011 and 2014) with some of the highest vote totals in Ontario. As the PC Party’s only MPP in a major Ontario city Lisa was the youngest woman ever to be elected as an Ontario PC Party MPP and only the second woman to be elected as a conservative in Ottawa.
Lisa has an excellent grasp of complex policy files and has been given some of the toughest economic critic portfolios including revenue, education, energy and now treasury board.
Her senior responsibilities are a reflection of her strong, effective, hard working and loyal traits. Under two different leaders, Lisa was given a leadership role to travel across 107 ridings delivering the PC Party message to Ontarians.

Dr. Brad Ashton
Dr. W. Bradford Ashton is a member of the Principal Staff at Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) and currently works on Energy and Sustainability in Washington, DC. Dr. Ashton is a recognized expert in energy policy and energy technology analysis, with over 30 years of experience serving government, private, and international organizations, to include nearly 20 years at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in energy research and as a Program Manager for Energy Efficiency. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, holds advanced degrees from the Ohio State University in Industrial and Systems Engineering and served on the Engineering Faculty of the University of Missouri.

Elizabeth McDonald
Elizabeth McDonald has experience as a senior executive, industry advocate, industry advisor and board member with over 25 years experience in government relations, advocacy, organizational management, and communications with an accomplished record of service as a diplomatic intermediary between industry and government.
In August of 2012, she accepted the position of President and CEO of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance (CEEA), the national voice of energy efficiency and conservation in Canada. Since that time she has worked with the Board of CEEA on a strategic review of CEEA, developing new communication tools and launching CEEA’s first annual survey of Canadians on energy efficiency and conservation.d
CEEA will also hold its first Thought Leaders Conference in April of 2013 in order to develop a “white paper” which will underpin the Association’s activities going forward.
Previous to this she was President of Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) from May of 2007 to September 2011. CanSIA is the national trade association that represents the interests of all aspects of the solar industry in Canada. Elizabeth works closely with all levels of government including the federal government of Canada. In particular she has collaborated with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) who named her an Investment Canada Champion.
Ms. McDonald lives in Ottawa and has previously been CEO at the Canadian Film and
Television Association and held senior executive positions in other Canadian trade
associations in the broadcasting and communications sector.

Hon. Sergio Marchi
The Honourable Sergio Marchi was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) in February 2015. As President of CEA, Mr. Marchi acts as spokesperson on issues of national concern to the electric utility industry.
The Honourable Sergio Marchi was elected as a Toronto City Councillor in 1982, and was subsequently elected as the Member of Parliament representing the Toronto riding of York West in 1984. During his time in the federal government, he served as Cabinet Minister in three key portfolios: International Trade; Environment; and Citizenship and Immigration.
After voluntarily leaving the political arena in 1999, Mr. Marchi was appointed Canadian Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN) Agencies in Geneva, where he served for five years. In 2003, he was nominated by the Canadian government and the UN Secretary General to serve as Commissioner on the UN Global Commission on International Migration, a position he held until 2005.
Prior to joining CEA, Mr. Marchi held a number of positions in the private sector, and was a frequent public speaker and commentator on international issues, including global migration, international economy, trade, and investment.
Mr. Marchi graduated from York University with an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree in Urban Planning. He is married, with two children.

Dr. Steven Czitrom Baus
Dr. Steven Czitrom Baus is Academic Secretary, UNAM-Canada (the National Autonomous University of Mexico), based at the Canadian campus across the river in Gatineau. His academic work focuses on the study of the biological, chemical, and physical features of lakes and other bodies of fresh water as well as physical oceanography and renewable energies.

Steve Coupland
Steve is currently on a part-time secondment to the Canadian Nuclear Association from Bruce Power where he serves as Senior Advisor, Regulatory Affairs for Bruce Power and is the company’s representative in Ottawa. At the CNA, Mr. Coupland serves as Director, Environmental Affairs where he has responsibility for assisting members of the nuclear industry to continue to improve their environmental performance and receive recognition for nuclear’s role as a clean, reliable source of electricity. Prior to joining Bruce Power, Mr. Coupland worked as a management consultant for SCG Research Inc. and held a number of senior federal government policy and public affairs positions in Ottawa including working as a Director in the Prime Minister’s Office, Industry Canada and Government Services. Mr. Coupland holds an Honours B.A. in History and Political Studies from Queens University and an M.A. in History from the University of Western Ontario.

Paul Cheliak
Paul Cheliak is the Director of Market Development with the Canadian Gas Association in Ottawa, Ontario. The CGA is the national voice for Canada’s natural gas distribution companies who deliver natural gas to over 20 million Canadians in all sectors of the economy. Paul’s role at CGA is to work with member companies to identify opportunities, develop policy recommendations and gather business intelligence to advance the efficient use of natural gas. Prior to joining CGA, Paul worked with Natural Resources Canada – Canada’s federal resource department – providing natural gas market and policy advice to the Department’s senior management.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Commentary by Paul Cheliak, Canadian Gas Associaiton

 
Response to Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy Session on Innovation
Where are the challenges, what are the solutions and any recommendations about cross-border cooperation?

First, for purposes of scope, the comments below are from the business perspective of Canadian natural gas distribution utilities who deliver natural gas to almost 7 million residential, commercial and industrial customers, reaching an estimated 20 million Canadians. It should be noted however, that many of the innovation challenges and solutions identified are likely of relevance to other regulated industries operating in North America.

Overview

For over 100 years, Canada’s natural gas distribution utilities have delivered safe, reliable, clean and affordable natural gas to millions of consumers across Canada. Today, natural gas meets over 30 per cent of Canada’s energy end use needs and is delivered through 460,000 kilometers of gas line infrastructure. Natural gas is the single largest fuel source for Canadian homes and industry and is the second largest fuel source for commercial and institutional buildings. More recently, natural gas has begun to play a larger role in meeting the energy needs of Canada’s electricity industry and as a fuel for transportation.

The gas utility experience in driving new innovations for Canadian customers has been such that when collaboration is in place, there is a higher chance of successfully bringing to market new natural gas appliances and equipment. These innovative products – with examples like condensing furnaces and transportation engines that burn clean natural gas – are the direct result of collaborative funding partnerships between public and private sources. Unfortunately, Canadian natural gas end-use innovation peaked in the 1980’s and since the closing of the Canadian Gas Research Institute (CGRI) in the early 1990’s, it has seen a significant decline. The closure came because utility budgets for innovation dropped significantly – a consequence of the unbundling of the natural gas market in the 1990’s. Unbundling entailed legislative changes removing utilities from the business of selling and maintaining appliances and equipment in homes and businesses, and restricting their activities to the building of gas line infrastructure and delivery of the commodity. The result has been a 20 year natural gas end use innovation funding gap in North America.

In response to changing consumer needs, utilities are actively exploring financing measures with regulators and governments that would once again support a robust natural gas innovation agenda for Canada. By unlocking funding, utilities could become active partners in delivering on the priorities under Mission Innovation and further develop our innovation partnerships with key global natural gas innovation leaders through the International Gas Union. Attachment 1 illustrates where utilities are currently active in the innovation spectrum (green box) and where they are proposing, via a public-private partnership, to be active (yellow box) and where utilities are not expected to play an active role (red box).

Responses to Questions on Innovation Challenges and Opportunities

This section provides an overview of the innovation challenges and solutions for natural gas utilities operating in Canada and the United States. It should be noted that these same innovation challenges are likely to exist in Mexico, although our research is primarily focussed on Canada and the United States.

Challenges: For natural gas utilities the most common issue around innovation is the ability to access rate payer/customer funding to support innovation priorities. Without a source of funding to support an innovation agenda, there is little need or signal for utilities to advance domestic or cross border discussions on areas of collaboration. Over the last 5 years, Canadian gas utilities have been advancing an innovation agenda with Sustainable Development Technology Canada, the National Research Council and Natural Resources Canada and its CanmetENERGY laboratories in Ottawa. Over this 5-year period, Canadian utilities have develop a list of innovation priorities and needs. However, without a consistent funding platform, utilities are challenged to support the commonly identified RD&D needs that can benefit our customers. The result of this is a less innovative natural gas end use energy economy than would be otherwise with innovation funding in place. Also, in addition to the funding challenges, there is a need for greater domestic and international collaboration between governments and research entities on funding and sharing of best practices around technology priorities and information sharing. Too often, a host of different research bodies are examining the same challenge. Their efforts and resources would be better spent on approaching a common issue or need collectively. Finally, there is the challenge of Canadian programs or funding agencies (e.g., SDTC) limiting its funding exclusively to Canadian technology companies. Too often, promising technologies from outside Canada are unable to access or be piloted in the Canadian market due to funding restrictions. A focussed effort to pool a portion of funding from SDTC with other international innovation agencies (US Department of Energy, etc) to address and fund common areas of interest/need should be examined. For certain, a robust discussion on Intellectual Property would need to be conducted as part of any multi-country R&D exercise.

Solutions: An optimal solution for utilities to address the innovation funding challenge is for a coordinated approach to unlocking funding and identifying and working together on common solutions. More often than not, a natural gas innovation challenge (e.g., renewable natural gas production from biomass resources or high efficiency water heaters and heat pumps) for Canada is also a challenge for the United States and other countries. To address funding, one approach is to examine the use of carbon levies to be paid by natural gas rate payers as a source of capital to finance innovation. As governments across North America are introducing carbon charges on CO2 emissions, natural gas utilities are proposing that those revenues be used to deliver benefits back to the customer, as innovation funding to support pilot projects and market development activities that reduce GHG emissions and deliver cost savings for consumers. This funding, if used effectively to finance and de-risk innovation, will further enhance household and commercial/industrial building energy efficiency, and reduce costs for residences, business and industry by supporting new applications for clean and affordable natural gas. It is estimated that by supporting new gas technologies and new markets, Canada can realize between 30-45 megatonnes of GHG reductions by 2030 . With innovation funding in place, utilities can work across borders with one another to co-fund pilot project and R&D activities. For example, governments are often required to leverage at minimum 1:1 their funding with private capital. In many instances, gas utilities are unable to secure this matching funding due to very limited innovation budgets. The result is both government and industry fail to meet their financing thresholds. In turn, innovation fails to occur.

Recommendations
This section includes three recommendations. One each to economic regulators (because they govern utility expenditures and rate making in each province), provincial governments (because they set the provincial policy priorities in which utilities operate) and the federal government (because it has international energy engagement as a priority and also has a regulatory role [through the Energy Efficiency Act and other environmental permitting Acts] that affect natural gas project development and end use consumption).
1. Provincial Economic Regulators: it is recommended that provincial economic regulators work with gas utilities in Canada (and by extension other countries) to put in place the needed monitoring and verification processes to account for and track innovation investments that should be made available to utilities through carbon fees paid for by natural gas customers. Regulators can share best practices across provincial and international borders on their approach to managing innovation funding and investments.

2. Provincial Governments: It is recommended that provincial/state governments ensure that utilities and regulators have a mandate to pursue innovation efforts aligned with national and provincial energy policies. Concentric Energy Advisor, a leading U.S. energy consultancy, concluded in an August 2014 report (attached) that the optimal approach for Canada is for utilities to form industry consortia focused on innovation that can pool customer funding from across jurisdictions and enable valuable collaboration and knowledge sharing. From a utility perspective, there are many reasons why Canada-US-Mexico collaboration is of critical importance as we advance innovation priorities. These include the ability to leverage capital and technology expertise, supporting solutions to common regulatory and energy efficiency agendas (e.g., methane emissions, energy efficiency regulations, etc), accelerating market access for new products, and data and information sharing to develop common codes and standards. As an added benefit, natural gas utilities are regulated monopolies and therefore do not compete with one another within franchise areas. Therefore, the utility learnings in one jurisdiction can easily be shared with other utilities in separate countries or provinces/states.

3. Federal Government: In an effort to restore natural gas end-use innovation in Canada, and thereby to deliver its benefits to customers and society as a whole, the utility industry is proposing a coordinated federal-provincial funding strategy to advance promising energy end use technologies – to be led by the Federal Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and by Natural Resources Canada, in conjunction with private industry and provincial-territorial research agencies. This co-operation would deliver on a number of priorities set out by federal and provincial governments including: improving overall environmental performance; stimulating new energy technology deployment in Canadian homes and businesses and the high-skilled jobs that would flow therefrom; supporting priorities outlined in the Canadian Energy Strategy and the Vancouver Declaration; and, offering a suite of technology solutions that offer lower emissions in support of national, provincial and municipal GHG emission reduction targets. Looking beyond Canada, there is an opportunity to liaison with international players to share priorities, approaches and information around promising natural gas enabled technology solutions. At a time when developing countries across the Globe are rapidly expanding natural gas infrastructure as a means of supporting economic development, Canada can bring its world class R&D capabilities and expertise in the end use of natural gas. It is recommended that as a starting point in the international dialogue that Canada explore a forum for technology information sharing and best practices. In support of this, in April 2015, CGA signed a MOU with the American Gas Association, the Natural Gas Technology Centre (in Boucherville, Quebec) and the Gas Technology Institute (Chicago, Illinois). This MOU sets the priorities for engagement among the gas utilities and research organizations in the two countries. This MOU could be expanded and built on with Mexican natural gas organizations and could also include government agencies as participants. A workshop with industry on the topic of natural gas end use innovation priorities would be a recommended first step in this process.

 
Attachment 1.
Utility Activities in the Innovation Spectrum

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Resources on Innovation across North America

Prepared for the Forum on Innovation
Ottawa, June 27-28, 2016

Canada:

Government Policy Documents:

“Building an Inclusive and Innovative Canada,” News Release – Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (June 2016)
Minister Bains put forward a vision to build Canada as a global center of innovation – one that focuses on strengthening the middle class by creating jobs, driving growth across all industries and improving the lives of all Canadians. The vision focuses on six areas for action: promoting an entrepreneurial and creative society; supporting global science excellence; building world-leading clusters and partnerships; growing companies and accelerating clean growth; competing in a digital world; and, improving ease of doing business. Minister Bains, with support from Kirsty Duncan, the Minister of Science, and Bardish Chagger, the Minister of Small Business and Tourism, will engage Canadians in consultations over the course of summer 2016 and develop an Action Plan with their input.
Accessible at: http://news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=1084439

Canada, Mexico and the United States Show Progress on North American Energy Collaboration
[June 03, 2016] San Francisco, California: In support of the objectives of the 7th Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and inaugural Mission Innovation Ministerial in San Francisco, the Honourable Jim Carr, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Pedro Joaquín Coldwell, Mexico’s Secretary of Energy, and Dr. Ernest Moniz, United States’ Secretary of Energy, reviewed their cooperative efforts underway to foster sustainable energy development, address climate change, and encourage economic growth.
Media release from NRCAN

“Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Mandate Letter,” Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau (November 2015)
Minister Bains’ Mandate Letter outlines the priorities for the newly re-branded Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development. The overarching goal of the Minister’s portfolio is to help Canadian businesses grow, innovate and export so they can create quality jobs and wealth for Canadians. Minister Bains’ will be developing an Innovation Agenda, which includes expanding support for incubators, accelerators, the national network for business innovation and cluster support, and the industrial Research Assistance Program. Further, this Innovation Agenda will work collaboratively with Regional Development Agencies to make strategic investments that build on competitive regional advantages.
Accessible at: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-innovation-science-and-economic-development-mandate-letter

“Minister of Science Mandate Letter,” Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau (November 2015)
The top priority identified in Minister Duncan’s Mandate Letter is to create a Chief Science Officer who will be responsible for making all government-produced science available to the public and to ensure that Canadian scientists are able to speak freely about their work. Minister Duncan has also been tasked with assisting all Ministerial colleagues in re-integrating scientific considerations in all decision-making and investment choices.
Accessible at: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/minister-science-mandate-letter

“Seizing Canada’s Moment: Moving forward in science, technology and innovation 2014,” Government of Canada
Seizing Canada’s Moment built on the 2007 strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology, which guided the previous government’s science, innovation and technology strategy. Seizing Canada’s Moment acted as a progress report on the previous strategy and a guiding document for the government’s policy. The strategy continued to focus on the four core principles defined in the 2007 document: promoting world-leading excellence, focusing on priorities, fostering partnerships and enhancing accountability. Seizing Canada’s Moment further incorporates three new ‘pillars’: people, knowledge and innovation.
Accessible at: https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/icgc.nsf/eng/h_07472.html

“Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity – Canada’s Innovation Strategy,” Government of Canada (2001)
This 2001 innovation strategy calls for Canada to rank among the worlds leaders in share of private-sector sales attributable to innovations, to match the U.S. in per-capita venture-capital investment, to improve the recruitment of foreign talent and increase graduate student admissions by 5% each year. To make the business environment more globally competitive, the strategy called for regulatory reform, lower taxes, and increased accessibility to broadband across Canadian communities.

Analytical/Supplementary Documents

“Innovation and the #Econ4Tmro with the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development,” Presentation delivered at New Paths for Innovation hosted by the Pearson Centre ( March 2016)
Minister Bains engaged in a discussion with participants and panellists on his new portfolio and the importance of innovation in spurring economic growth. At its core, Minister Bains sees innovation as a mindset that prompts positive change and progress in all fields. He goes on to explore how emerging technologies can be utilized to solve small and large problems faced by Canadians, from climate change to health care to energy efficiency.
Accessible at: http://www.thepearsoncentre.ca/events/navdeep-bains-on-innovation-mar-14-tor/

“Developing a digital research infrastructure strategy for Canada: The CFI perspective,” Canada Foundation for Innovation (November 2015)
Researchers in all fields are increasingly reliant on the production, sharing and management of larges amounts of data to generate knowledge. As a result, there is a need in Canada to ensure access to an efficient and effective digital research infrastructure (DRI) ecosystem. This CFI Report identifies seven essential attributes of a national high-performing DRI: integrated, inclusive, sustainable comprehensive, accessible, user-centric and adaptable. The CFI recommends strategic objectives and short- and medium-term actions to realize a DRI that meets the needs of Canada’s research community.
Accessible at: https://www.innovation.ca/en/AboutUs/Publicationsandreports/developing-digital-research-infrastructure-strategy-canada-cfi

“The State of the Nation 2014 Report: Canada’s Innovation Challenges and Opportunities,” Science, Technology and Innovation Council (November 2015)
This STIC report argues that Canada’s poor business innovation performance represents the country’s most profound and urgent science, technology and innovation challenge. The report suggests that, despite ongoing efforts to improve Canada’s lagging business innovation performance, it has continued to deteriorate. This is the fourth public report from STIC; the series of analyses charts progress from a baseline set in 2008 and compares Canada’s performance to global competitors across the business, knowledge and talent pillars of the ST&I ecosystem.
Accessible at: http://www.stic-csti.ca/eic/site/stic-csti.nsf/eng/00088.html

United States:

Government Policy Documents:

“A Strategy for American Innovation,” National Economic Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (October 2015)
The Strategy, first issued in 2009, provides an overview of U.S. government efforts to ensure America continues to lead as the world’s most innovative economy, to develop the industries of the future, and to harness innovation to help address important challenges. The Strategy also makes the case for the key innovation investments to advance the important emerging technologies it identifies, which are proposed in the Obama Administration’s 2016 Budget.
The Strategy has three core components: The importance of investing in research and development (R&D); Strategic areas from advanced vehicles to precision medicine where focused effort can advance national priorities and help create shared prosperity; and, new efforts to make the Federal government more innovative to improve performance and create a better environment for innovation by the private sector and civil society.
Accessible at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/…/strategy_for_american_innovation_october_2015.pdf

“Cities and the Future of Technology,” Executive Office of the President and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (February 2016)
This report produced by leading American scientists and entrepreneurs argues for a “place-based” policy that uses investment to embed the most advanced technology in urban infrastructure. It expands on the concept of “smart cities” by identifying opportunities to improve standards of living through modernizing key infrastructure (including energy, water, or transportation) and by using information technology to enhance city operations and services. The report recommends that the Federal government play an enhanced role in investing in experimental technologies, setting up innovation laboratories, and coordinating interagency research and information sharing.
Accessible at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/images/Blog/PCAST%20Cities%20Report%20_%20FINAL.pdf

“Strategic Vision 2013,” Advanced Research Projects-Energy (October 2013)
ARPA-E catalyzes and accelerates energy technologies that will enhance the economic and energy security of the United States. ARPA-E achieves this goal through the development of transformational technologies that reduce the America’s dependence on energy imports; reduce energy related emissions; improve energy efficiency across all sectors of the economy; and ensure the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced technologies. This document outlines the strategic direction of ARPA-E for the 2013-2016 fiscal period.
Accessible at: http://arpa-e.energy.gov/sites/default/files/ARPA-E_Strategic_Vision_Report_101713_0.pdf

Analytical/Supplementary Documents

“Unleashing Innovation & Growth: A Progressive Alternative to Populism,” Progressive Policy Institute (March 2016)
A central theme of the upcoming American election will be how to break out of the persisting slow-growth trap that holds down wages and living standards. This report provides a progressive alternative to the dispiriting populist rhetoric by focusing on a forward looking plan to unleash innovation, stimulate productive investment, develop the world’s most talented workers, and putting the American economy back on a high-growth path.
Accessible at: http://www.progressivepolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2016_PPI_Unleashing-Innovation-and-Growth_A-Progressive-Alternative-to-Populism.pdf

“The Rise of Innovation Districts: A New Geography of Innovation in America,” The Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institute (May 2014)
A new complementary urban model is now emerging, giving rise to what this report terms “innovation districts.” These districts are geographic areas where leading-edge anchor institutions and companies cluster and connect with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators. Led by an eclectic group of institutions and leaders, innovation districts are emerging in dozens of cities and metropolitan areas across North America. This report examines the unique potential of innovation districts to spur productive, inclusive and sustainable economic development.
Accessible at: http://www.brookings.edu/about/programs/metro/innovation-districts

“Introducing the Breakthrough Energy Coalition” (November 2015)
The Breakthrough Energy Coalition is a public/private partnership aimed at doubling the amount of public money going into clean energy innovation. The coalition is a network of private capital committed to building a structure that will allow informed decisions to help accelerate the change to the advanced energy future our planet needs. Success will require a partnership of increased government research, with a transparent and workable structure to objectively evaluate those projects, and committed private-sector investors willing to support the innovative ideas that come out of the public research pipeline. The group of investors, including Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Richard Branson, will primarily invest in early-stage clean energy companies across a range of sectors, such as electricity generation and storage, transportation and agriculture.
Accessible at: http://www.breakthroughcoalition.com

MEXICO:

“The Mexican start-up Bluemessaging’s commitment to artificial intelligence,” BBVA Innovation Center (May 13, 2016)
Interview with Andrés Rodríguez, founder of Bluemessaging, a Big Data platform that incorporates artificial intelligence. Rodríguez discusses the important role of the National Council for Science and Technology (Conacyt) in supporting Mexican start-ups.
Accessible at: http://www.centrodeinnovacionbbva.com/en/news/mexican-startup-bluemessagings-commitment-artificial-intelligence

“Automatische Technik: a robotics initiative with the ‘Made in Mexico’ stamp,” BBVA innovation Centre (May 23, 2016)
Interview with Juan Pablo Martinez, founder of a start-up that aims to bring cutting-edge technology to small and medium-sized companies.
Accessible at: http://www.centrodeinnovacionbbva.com/en/news/automatische-technik-robotics-initiative-made-mexico-stamp

“Mexico: at the forefront of the technology vanguard,” BBVA innovation Centre (May 3, 2016)
In May 2016 Microsoft YouthSpark hosted the Imagine Cup, a competition that encourages young people from across the world to test their technical skills. Mexican inventors featured prominently in the competition, taking home the top prizes in the “innovation” and “global responsibility” categories.
Accessible at: http://www.centrodeinnovacionbbva.com/en/news/mexico-forefront-technology-vanguard

“Seven innovative companies in Mexico that should be followed closely this year,” BBVA Innovation Center (February 16, 2016)
This article argues that business conditions in Mexico are favourable to innovation, and that companies such as Kaxan Media Group, NA-AT Technologies and Kubo.financiero are demonstrating the vast potential for harnessing this opportunity.
Accessible at: http://www.centrodeinnovacionbbva.com/en/news/seven-innovative-companies-mexico-should-be-followed-closely-year

NORTH AMERICA:

“North American Climate Leadership: A road map for global action on methane,” Environmental Defence Fund, Mario Molina Center and the Pembina Institute. (June 14, 2016)
This Report identifies the significant opportunity available to Mexico, the United States and Canada in cooperating to reduce their oil and gas methane emissions.
Accessible at: https://www.pembina.org/pub/north-american-climate-leadership

“Summary of Methane Emission and Reduction Opportunities Across North American Oil and Gas Industries,” Environmental Defense Fund and ICF International (May 2016)
Summary analysis of three previous reports on economic oil and gas methane abatement opportunities undertaken by ICF in the three North American countries. The summary estimates current and projected oil and gas methane emissions in North America, the largest abatement opportunities, and the cost of potential reductions achievable through currently available and applicable technologies.
Accessible at: https://www.edf.org/sites/default/files/north-american-executive-summary_english.pdf

“The North American Grid: Powering Cooperation on Clean Energy & the Environment,” Canadian Electricity Association (2016)
Fundamental shifts in energy production and consumption are taking place across North America, in particular in the management of reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity systems. The CEA highlights the existing partnerships between Canada, the United States and Mexico in meeting the energy challenges ahead. However, it suggests that the nature and pace of current transformations demand even broader and deeper action by governments. North America requires a suitable policy architecture capable of both leveraging the continent’s significant energy potential and addressing the immense magnitude of climate change challenges.
Accessible at: http://www.electricity.ca/media/ReportsPublications/CEA_16-086_The_North_American_E_WEB.pdf

“The Digital Economy: The Driver for Growth” B20 Coalition (June 2015)
An introduction to a suite of 2015 initiatives on Digital Economy from the B20 Coalition to raise awareness among global leaders about the potential of rapidly accelerating digital technologies and to provide guidance for policy makers. The B20 Coalition brings together leading independent business associations from G20 economies and operates as a worldwide exchange platform between national business communities.
Accessible at: http://www.chamber.ca/media/news-releases/150601-building-a-digital-world/

“Joint Launch Statement,” Mission Innovation: Accelerating the Clean Energy Revolution (June 2016)
Mission Innovation was announced on November 30, 2015 by the leaders of 20 countries (including U.S., Canada, Mexico) who share a desire to accelerate global clean energy innovation. Each of the 20 participating countries will seek to double governmental and/or state-directed clean energy research and development investment over the next five years.
Accessible at: http://mission-innovation.net/joint-statement/

“High-Energy Innovation: A Climate Pragmatism Project,” The Breakthrough Institute (December 2014)
Clean energy innovation and de-carbonization efforts will be overwhelmingly concentrated in rapidly industrializing countries, where demand for energy is high and deployment opportunities are broad, says a new report from a group of 12 energy scholars. High-Energy Innovation evaluates four clean energy technologies – shale gas, carbon capture and storage, nuclear, and solar – and finds that, in all cases, industrializing countries are making significant investments and leveraging international collaborations in order to make energy cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable. Nearly all of the growth in energy markets and the majority of new energy technologies deployed in the next several decades is projected to occur in the developing world.
Accessible at: http://thebreakthrough.org/index.php/issues/innovation-policy/high-energy-innovation

Resource List Prepared by Liam Gardner-Murphy

What’s New

Current Initiatives