Canada’s National System of Innovation

239 Pages·2000·14.301 MB·English

by  Jorge Niosi

Canada's National System of Innovation
In Canada's National System of Innovation, Jorge Niosi discusses the theo-
retical underpinnings of the concept of innovation, examining the
works of Charles Edquist, Christopher Freeman, Bengt-Ake Lundvall,
Richard Nelson, and others around the world. He argues that the con-
cept is particularly useful in analysing science and technology policy
and related institutions.
Niosi looks at the history of Canada's national system of innovation
(NSI), particularly during the post-war period, illuminating the fact
that during and after World War II Canadians developed over 30 re-
search universities, 150 government laboratories, and dozens of gov-
ernment policies aimed at nurturing innovation in private firms,
academe, and government organizations. He uses data obtained
through questionnaires sent to all the large research and development
organizations in Canada to analyse Canada's domestic system of inno-
vation, and he finds increasing collaboration between universities, gov-
ernment laboratories, and private firms.
He concludes that Canada has been quite successful in creating a
national system of innovation and that the federal government,
through its initiatives and innovative techniques, has been the main
factor in the creation of this system.
JORGE NIOSI is professor of administration at 1'Universite du Quebec
a Montreal.
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Canada's National
System of Innovation
JORGE NIOSI
with
ANDRE MANSEAU
and
BENOIT GODIN
McGill-Queen's University Press
Montreal and Kingston • London • Ithaca
© McGill-Queen's University Press 2000
ISBN 0-7735-2012-0
Legal deposit first quarter 2000
Bibliotheque nationale du Quebec
Printed in Canada on acid-free paper
McGill-Queen's University Press acknowledges the
financial support of the Government of Canada through
the Book Publishing Industry Development Program
(BPIDP) for its publishing program. It also acknowledges
the support of the Canada Council for the Arts for its
publishing program.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Niosi, Jorge, 1945—
Canada's national system of innovation
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7735-2012-0
i. Research - Canada. I. Godin, Benoit II. Manseau,
Andre III. Title.
T177-C2N55 2000 5O7'.2O7i 099-901198-7
This book was typeset by Typo Litho Composition Inc.
in 10/12 Baskerville.
Contents
Tables, Figures, and Insets vii
Preface xv
1 Introduction: The NSI and R&D 3
PART i: THE NSI WITHIN CANADA'S BORDERS
2 Canada's R&D System 31
3 Canada's Domestic R&D System 76
4 Linking the Units: Technology Transfer 98
5 The Rise of Cooperative R&D 112
PART II: THE INTERNATIONALIZATION
OF CANADA'S NSI
6 Towards a North American System of Innovation? 131
7 Canadian R&D Abroad. The Patent Record 145
8 Canadian R&D Abroad. Management Practices 167
q Conclusion. Canada's NSI Today 193
References 205
Index 219
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Tables, Figures, and Insets
TABLES
1.1 Percentage of gross expenditure in R&D (GERD)
performed by each sector in 07 countries, 1995 / 12
i .2 Percentage of GERD financed by each sector in G7
countries, 1995 / 12
1.3 R&D expenditures in G7 countries, 1995 / 13
2.1 Canada's R&D in 1938 / 33
2.2 Business R&D, by industry, 1955 / 35
2.3 Major Canadian corporations with R&D capabilities,
i969 / 36
2.4 Federal government R&D organizations, 1969 / 43
2.5 Provincial research organizations, 1969 / 44
2.6 Largest Canadian research universities, 1969 / 46
2.7 R&D-active companies: figures from Revenue Canada and
Statistics Canada, 1992 / 56
2.8 Concentration of industrial R&D, 1973 and 1995 / 58
2.9 Top twenty-five industrial performers of R&D in Canada,
!995 / 59
viii Tables, Figures, and Insets
2.10 BERD by industry, R&D expenditure intentions,
1995 / 60
2.11 Technology transfer activities, selected Canadian
universities, 1992 / 62
2.12 Federal organizations performing R&D, 1995-96 / 64
2.13 Revealed technological advantages (RTAS) of Canadian
industry, 1988-91 / 69
2.14 Canadian trade balance in advanced technology products,
1994 / 70
2.15 Venture capital in Canada, 1996 / 72
2.16 Convergence of GERD/GDP in industrial countries,
selected years, 1961-95 / 74
3.1 Target population, number of valid responses, and
response rate, 1993 / 78
3.2 Regional distribution of Canadian laboratories with twenty-
five or more employees, 1993 / 78
3.3 Some characteristics of laboratories sampled, 1992 / 79
3.4 Major laboratories'missions / 81
3.5 Sources of funds for laboratories, 1992 / 81
3.6 Distribution of industrial R&D funds in laboratories,
1992 / 83
3.7 Research outputs in laboratories, 1992 / 83
3.8 Motives for technology transfer / 85
3.9 Major or single most important benefits to laboratories of
technology transfer / 86
3.10 Major and most important problems engendered in
laboratories by technology transfer / 86
3.11 Number of laboratories patenting and licensing,
1990-92 / 88
3.12 Cooperative agreements, 1992 / 88
3.13 Main motives for cooperation by laboratories / 89
3.14 Laboratories declaring important difficulties (%) / 91
ix Tables, Figures, and Insets
3.15 Position of laboratories within the parent
organization / 91
3.16 Central versus divisional laboratories / 92
3.17 Industrial laboratories with/without government
contracts / 92
3.18 Total R&D budgets in central and divisional government
laboratories, 1992 / 92
3.19 Organization within government laboratories, 1992 / 93
3.20 Patents in central and divisional government laboratories,
1992 / 93
3.21 Total R&D budgets in university laboratories, 1992 / 93
3.22 Internal organization of university laboratories,
1993 / 94
3.23 Effectiveness criteria, 1993 / 94
4. i Technology transfer in Canadian laboratories,
i990-92 / 101
4.2 Motives for technology transfer / 102
4.3 Strategies used by laboratories for promoting technology
transfer / 103
4.4 Benefits obtained by laboratories from technology
transfer / 105
4.5 Problems with technology transfer / 105
4.6 Levels of success in technology transfer / 106
4.7 Commercial impact of technology transfer / 106
4.8 Characteristics of industrial laboratories involved in
technology transfer / 107
4.9 Characteristics of government laboratories involved in
technology transfer / 109
4.10 Characteristics of university laboratories involved in
technology transfer / 111
5.1 Technological cooperation by Canadian R&D
laboratories / 114