The biggest potential win in Canada’s new digital economy strategy could be easily overlooked

Its 26 pages should be short enough for anyone to read it in its entirety, but the parts of Industry Canada’s digital strategy document that deal with commercialization will probably be ones that attract the least attention over the next few weeks.

For obvious reasons, the things that jump out to most mainstream media covering Digital Canada 150 last week were the ones that seemed to have the biggest impact on everyday consumers. There is the promise of expanded Internet access in rural areas, for example, and revamped privacy legislation to keep data safe in an age of increasingly online and mobile transactions. For academics wondering how, or if, their research in areas like gamification, user experience (UX) design or interactive display will ever make it into the commercial market, there was plenty in the federal strategy that could help.

Probably the best news, in fact, was something that had come out before the complete digital strategy was unveiled. This is the Business Innovation Access Program, which was originally announced in the 20123 budget. It’s designed, in the government’s words, “to support innovative research and development that translates into products that benefit Canadians by connecting small and medium-sized businesses with universities, colleges and other research institutions.” Elements of the Business Innovation Access Program almost seem to have been created with things like UX in mind. Eligible technical areas, for example, include “product optimization,” and “process development, analysis or optimization.”

There was a lot more in Digital Canada 150 that touched on commercialization, including intentions to update intellectual property laws and $100 million set aside for the Canada Accelerator and Incubator program, but the Business Innovation Access Program deserves particular attention. It’s less money, at $20 million pledged, but it could represent a highly tactical form of investment.

Many of the breakthrough inventions or technologies in post-secondary labs already take years to develop. Sometimes the thought of bringing it to market must seem equally (and dauntingly) long-term. The Business Innovation Access Program, however, focuses on organizations that normally aren’t candidates for technology commercialization because their pockets aren’t deep enough. Yet small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the predominant corporate entity in this country, and a breakthrough that brings value to SMBs could have a far greater chance of commercial success than something that appeals to what is essentially a small collection of large Canadian enterprises.

SMBs are also, out of necessity, focused on a more near-term return on investment (ROI), and the Business Innovation Access Program has clearly taken this into account.  The government wants “short-term projects for which a business service or technical assistance would clearly demonstrate the potential to contribute to quicker commercialization of products or academic research.” That’s something researchers should want, too.

It’s hard to say how the government’s overall digital economy strategy will pan out, but this program, albeit a piece part of the whole, is probably the only way academic breakthroughs can get a foothold with this particular customer set. Yes, Ottawa is clearly hoping for a few quick wins here, but if the research sector could give them some, the path to applied innovation could become a lot shorter, too.