Canada

Since its inception, ISTPCanada has established partnerships with several national organizations including the Canada-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (CIIRDF); the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC);the Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR), and most recently, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

In January 2012, ISTPCanada, CIIRDF and NSERC joined forces to increase the impact of three R&D collaboration programs, accelerate industrial innovation in Canada, and increase its commercial potential in global markets. Under a new agreement, the organizations will jointly solicit, evaluate and fund collaborative R&D projects that bring together Canadian companies, academic researchers and their counterparts from partner countries under the International S&T Partnerships Program (ISTPP). These include China, India, Israel and Brazil.  

These countries represent some of the fastest growing economies in the world, as well as key technology leaders in critical areas of research. Building on a shared commitment to world-class scientific and technological excellence, this ISTPCanada-CIIRDF-NSERC partnership will expand the R&D capabilities of innovators, facilitate access to international markets, and boost commercialization in Canada.  

Provincial Partnerships

These include:

• British Columbia: $1 million from the Ministry of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development, Government of BC, to support the delivery of a BC-India R&D Program
• Alberta: $3 million from the Alberta Enterprise & Advanced Education (AEAE), Government of Alberta, and another $3 million anticipated from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WED) to support the delivery of the Alberta Global Technology Fund  
• Ontario: $3 million from the Ministry of Research and Innovation for the management of the new Ontario-India Research Collaboration Fund  

These provincial funds provide significant leverage on federal investments made through ISTPCanada, and increase the efficiency of the broader parent ISTP program managed by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT).  By leveraging funding garnered through provincial partnerships, ISTPCanada is establishing a greater critical mass of activity and implementing a ‘whole-of-Canada’ approach.