Lessons from a quarter-century of innovation

In 2002, the government department then known as Industry Canada profiled 21 of the country’s biotechnology initiatives in a colourful publication with an enthusiastic title: Follow the Leaders. 

Today, fewer than one-quarter of these entities remain as distinctly Canadian enterprises. About half were absorbed into large foreign firms; others petered out through lack of funding or viable results; and a few metamorphosed into new work in entirely different organizations. 

That track record might seem dismal, and many Canadians might wish all of this R&D had remained in the country. However, such “churn” has become a familiar part of high-tech development everywhere, accepted as the price of progress. 

More importantly, the surviving research activity reveals much about what went right, with lessons for what Canadians need to continue to get right if we want to turn future scientific discoveries into tangible new technologies.  

In this series, we look at some of the discoveries highlighted in that 2002 Industry Canada report, and how the scientists behind them overcame obstacles to achieve commercial success.   

Instalments will be published every Tuesday throughout the month of November.  

Part 1: From veterinary research lab to patent powerhouse  

We begin by looking at how, by placing the needs of industry ahead of those of academic administrators, the University of Saskatchewan’s Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization evolved from a modest veterinary medicine research group to one of Canada’s six designated Major Research Facilities — capable of handling the next pandemic and much more. 

Part 2: From bright idea to commercial partnership 

Our second article explores how scientists at the University of Guelph and Université Laval built strategic relationships with agricultural industry representatives, to take their genetic research beyond the pages of scholarly journals. Their discoveries became the basis of patented livestock breeding technology employed by a major Canadian consortium, serving all of Canada and licensed to firms all over the world.  

Part 3: How a laboratory surprise took on a life of its own  

The story of a serendipitous discovery at Queen’s University illustrates how dedicated members of the research community can overcome setbacks and find creative ways of keeping their work alive, with new partners and new ideas. 

Part 4: Turning knowledge into money 

In 2002, biotechnology was one of the most promising fields of the day; in 2026, that same energy swirls around artificial intelligence and quantum computing. And just as they did before, Canadians are bound to attach high expectations to the prospect of research discoveries that turn into products or services enhancing our economy and quality of life. However, the path from lab to lifestyle is far more fraught, complex, and demanding than most of us would like to imagine. By examining what has worked well since 2002, perhaps we stand a better chance of meeting the expectations for this latest round of discovery and innovation.