Mobilizing Nationally to Win in the Emerging Global Economic Battlefront

Mobilizing Nationally to Win in the Emerging Global Economic Battlefront? October 1, 2015 Canada needs to forge a true national partnership on science and technology convergence – the new global economic battlefront — to protect long-term Canadian socio-economic interests. Imagine if our nation had failed to mobilize around the emergence of Genomics in the 1970s. Canada would likely be on…

Canada needs to forge a true national partnership on science and technology convergence – the new global economic battlefront — to protect long-term Canadian socio-economic interests.

Imagine if our nation had failed to mobilize around the emergence of Genomics in the 1970s. Canada would likely be on the sidelines of a fast-growing global market that is expected to hit $19 billion in revenues by 2018, one that brings an array of resounding social impacts ranging from health care to law enforcement.

Genomics, the combination of genetics, chemistry, optics, and bioinformatics, is an excellent example of the importance of science and technology (S&T) convergence (Convergence) – a mode of research and development that can lead to entirely new S&T domains that represent key platforms to secure global markets and to generate innovative solutions to complex societal issues. While there is no universally accepted definition of Convergence, the gist of the idea is the mobilization of a wide array of knowledge, expertise, skills, and infrastructure in an organized fashion to achieve important economic and social benefit. Akin to the theme of Genomics, it is not surprising that MIT views Convergence as a blueprint for innovation. In the long run, perhaps we are beginning to understand the innovation genome – innovation at a DNA level.

Canada is now witnessing sustained international efforts to understand and harness Convergence. It is the new economic battlefront. The US and Europe are setting the pace with key lessons being learned and key insights being gained. In effect, national competencies are slowly and methodically being built to overcome a broad range of challenges around Convergence. The most immediate of these include how to bring together diverse cultures and knowledge bases; how to manage massive amounts of data (e.g. access, ownership, processing); how to build true teams and partnerships; how to manage high associated costs and risks; and how to reduce administrative barriers such as organizational structures and human resource policies that do not explicitly recognize Convergence. Of note, the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) recently called for a nationally coordinated effort to build the infrastructure required for Convergence.

And what of Canada?

To begin, strategic investments have continued in the nation’s S&T and Innovation (STI) system during a period marked by significant global financial turbulence and uncertainty. This bodes well. Our nation boasts world-class universities and colleges that are true sources of knowledge and highly educated and skilled personnel in the natural and social sciences, and engineering; leading-edge S&T infrastructure such as accelerators and incubators; very successful, motivated, and integrated communities focused on the power and value of STI ecosystems such as Waterloo and Charlottetown; a world-leading marketplace framework to promote fair and efficient competition; and first-class policy-makers, politicians, business people; and financiers – a rich basis for Convergence.

But is this Convergence?

No. Convergence is non-existent without cooperative action. Individual parts of the Canadian STI system are definitely contributing at the leading-edge. But is the whole reaching its potential? Is Canada truly positioned to thrive in an era marked by Convergence?

So what comparative advantage does Canada have that would serve us well on the Convergence battleground? What would give Canada an edge? I believe it is our nation’s inherent ability to come together to cooperate in the face of truly urgent challenges. Canada needs to nurture and exploit this comparative advantage – a naturally endowed asset not easily accessible, or impossible to access, by competitor nations. Comparative advantages are, by their very nature, more difficult for competitors to replicate. This allows for sustained value capture. Competitive advantages, on the other hand, face the challenge of a fleeting advantage as they are more easily replicated in time. Blackberry and Nortel serve as useful examples.

So, what does this mean for Canada? The need for leadership marked by courage, fortitude, and the skills to forge a comprehensive federal/provincial partnership – a true national partnership –on Convergence to protect long-term Canadian socio-economic interests. A national rather than federal STI strategy, for example, would be a good starting point and is likely a prerequisite for success. Canada should borrow from the Taiwanese playbook. We must surpass other nations through our sheer will and hunger to compete, to maintain our position, and even expand it. This calls for national leadership and cooperation marked by courage will power, influence, and wisdom. Achieving national cooperation will be very difficult but success on this front will prove to be a true source of advantage.

For Canada, Convergence is not a question of a good fit. It’s a necessary fit! Smart pace. Long view. Focused and sustained effort. A national agenda. And true leadership. Talk is cheap. It takes real money to buy good whiskey.

Rob James is a former senior executive in the federal government and now President of Stoneleigh Strategies, Inc. Robert is based in Ottawa.