News & Views item - November 2011

 

 

Report to Canadian Government Seeks to Upgrade Business R&D. (November 10, 2011)

The American Association for the Advancement of Science notes in its "AAAS Policy Alert" of November 9:

 

Report to Canadian Government Seeks to Promote Business R&D. A panel charged with advising the Canadian government on promoting business R&D has delivered its near 150-page report, "Innovation Canada: A Call to Action." Noting that business innovation in Canada lags behind other highly developed countries and that business R&D spending has been falling since 2006, the panel provides a set of recommendations for the government, including creating an Industrial Research and Innovation Council; simplifying the Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax credit program while making a more complete set of direct support initiatives available to small and medium-sized enterprises; transforming the institutes of the National Research Council; and increasing access to risk capital for high-growth innovation firms.