Whoever said that high-tech success is equal parts serendipity and business acumen could easily have been talking about Performance Plants (see page 3). The Kingston-based ag-biotech company has built a strong business case around a discovery that was stumbled upon by sheer happenstance.

When it comes to S&T and Asia-Pacific, Canada needs to get its act together, and quickly. This country is in danger of missing out on major trade and collaboration opportunities with nations such as China, India, Korea and Singapore unless there’s an aggressive and focused economic strategy aimed at countries and sectors where Canada can make a significant contribution.

The official response to the recent Budget from the research and technology sectors can only be characterized as polite. Qualifiers abound as officials responsible for the research and innovation agenda react to the near absence of initiatives in support of their portfolios.

Patience seems to be the buzzword in S&T circles these days. This week’s Budget notwithstanding, the Conservative government has uttered nary a meaningful word about innovation, R&D or competitiveness.

Patience seems to be the buzzword in S&T circles these days. This week’s Budget notwithstanding, the Conservative government has uttered nary a meaningful word about innovation, R&D or competitiveness.

The mid-sized city of Waterloo is about to enhance its excellent research base with a massive infusion of public and private investment that’s unprecedented in Canadian history. The close relationship between three levels of government, the high-tech sector and post-secondary institutions is starting to paying big dividends that extend far beyond Waterloo’s borders.

For any nation seeking a prominent place in the knowledge-based economy, the health of its universities and colleges and their ability to generate top-flight talent are essential prerequisites. But as Canadians know all too well, education falls firmly within provincial jurisdiction, creating an environment for inter-jurisdictional wrangling in which innovation and research inevitably become entangled.

Is Canada too late to jump on the nanotechnology bandwagon? The new Conservative government will soon be asked to approve a national nanotech strategy that will inevitably see an increase in funding and a greater degree of coordination across Canadian research institutions and clusters.

Collaboration is becoming a dominant feature of globally competitive econ-omies. It has become an essential component for any innovative company’s strategy to succeed in the marketplace, especially those that don’t have the advantage of lost-cost labour or large domestic markets.

When it comes to economic policy, the new Conservative government and the US Bush administration are virtual kissin’ cousins. Both are firm believers in a low-tax regime, the elimination of trade barriers and a hands-off approach to industrial assistance.

With a Conservative minority government about to assume the reins of power, the central players in Canada’s emerging system of innovation face a dilemma. What’s the most effective way to ensure that S&T and R&D are part of the new administration’s priority agenda?

Whether it’s the continuing and adequate support for basic research or new and existing mechanisms required to translate knowledge into social and economic prosperity, there’s no denying the fact that innovation has a dangerously low political profile.