Canadian colleges and universities continue to occupy a critical space in Canada’s innovation ecosystem

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) released the results of its latest 2017-2018 applied research survey. According to it, colleges and institutes continue to occupy a critical space in Canada’s innovation ecosystem. The survey results show that colleges and institutes across Canada led over 6,000 applied research projects in 2017-2018. This resulted in over 2,100 prototypes, 880 new products, 480 processes and 360 services, 87% of which were completed in less than one year.These projects were based on over 7,300 research partnerships, 64% of which included small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which may not always have the capacity or resources to conduct cutting-edge research on their own. In this way, college and institute applied research helps drive innovation in their communities, from large urban centres to small northern and remote communities. The survey also highlights how applied research projects provided great opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience while working with potential employers. Over 57,000 people, including more than 4,000 faculty and staff, and 53,000 students, contributed to applied research projects at college and institute laboratories and research centres in 2017-2018.