Addressing Barriers to Innovation: The Ontario Context

1
Addressing Barriers to Innovation The Ontario
Context

• George Ross, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario
  Ministry of Research Innovation
• Presentation to Innovation In Environmental
  Management Conference
• October 17th, 2006

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Sound Environmental Management

• High standards are vital to
• Protecting the health of the population
• Social well being
• Sustainable resource use
• High standards innovative firms
• Tremendous economic benefit at home
• Products and processes for sale to emerging
  markets
• But only if jurisdictions are open to developing
  and employing innovative approaches domestically
  as a way of demonstrating their effectiveness

3
Characteristics of Business in Environmental
Management

• A challenging area with
• Low tolerance of errors
• Polarized views among stakeholders and a
  suspicion of industry by professional
  environmental managers
• Policy and regulations developed and implemented
  at a scale that makes local, small scale
  innovation difficult
• Suspicion of customers of new innovations
• A less than optimal level of cooperation,
  collaborations and convergence between
  government, industry and the public

4
Innovative Business Needs

• Basic research in fields that support advances in
  environmental management
• Highly qualified people trained and retained in a
  jurisdiction
• A cultural shift that sees government and
  business more open to reviewing/using new
  technologies
• Better ways to propel ideas from the lab bench
  into successful businesses
• Better technology transfer to existing firms
• Business supports mentors for new firms
• Adequate supply of of venture capital to support
  growth

5
MRI Market Readiness Strategy
ORF
Seed Stage VC Program (90 M)
Ontario Research Commercialization Program
(Components A and B -- 22 M)
1) Entrepreneurship- Business Mentorship (17
M) 2) Investment Accelerator Fund (29 M) 3)
ORCP Component C (5 M) 4) Ontario
Commercialization Network Program (9.5 M)
Universities
Angel/Seed
Early
Global
Later Stage
Financing Gap
Tech
Hospitals
Stage
Stage
Markets
Financing
Transfer
Gov. Labs
VC
Skills Gap
VC
Intellectual
Fundamental
R D Project
Early
Market Needs
Engineering
Sales
Property
Research
Lab Prototype
Manufacturing
Production
Analysis
Product Strategy / Early Management
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• Thank You.
• Ministry of Research and Innovation
• www.mri.gov.on.ca