A new model of innovation for successful societies
OTTAWA—As the first decade of the 21st century draws to a close, a new model of innovation is placing people squarely at centre stage.
In recent decades, the dominant concept of innovation has evolved from a linear-transfer "push" model, to a more iterative "chain-link" model, and most recently to a complex model connecting researchers to consumers and users through multiple non-linear channels. Along the way, innovation has moved from an exclusive focus on products to also include services. Moreover, the new model incorporates insights and ambition from recent theory and practice in social innovation. The new, more organic, integrated model recognizes the key role that research and research training in the social sciences and humanities play in Canadian innovation, from fields such as entrepreneurship, design, technology, public policy, and city, urban and community development.
In Canada, universities occupy a central place in this model, supporting the researchers behind new ideas that foster economic growth in ways that embrace the social and cultural dimensions of successful societies. From philosophers collaborating with scientists and artists in interpreting the legal and ethical dimensions of biomedical technologies, to geographers working with demographers and economists in rethinking international public policy on agriculture, to business leaders identifying critical research questions for scholars of sustainable development, Canadian researchers in the social sciences and humanities are at the cutting edge of social innovation. Together with colleagues across campus and partners in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors, many of these researchers are leading global knowledge networks, fuelling Canadian innovation and expertise on social, economic, cultural, and political issues, as well as on the human dimension of technology and the natural sciences.
Take economic geographer Meric Gertler and political scientist David Wolfe, co-directors of an international project at the University of Toronto on the role of geographic clusters. Through their research, they have shown how innovation clusters such as Calgary's wireless industry, the biomedical cluster in Toronto, and the software and digital media cluster in Waterloo-Kitchener and in Stratford are essential to Canada's success in the global economy.
At the University of Western Ontario's Richard Ivey School of Business, Tima Bansal leads the Network for Business Sustainability—social scientists, business managers and policy makers who are raising the profile of sustainability research and change in the community of practice. One recent result of their work is TD Bank's 2008 announcement that it would become carbon neutral by 2010—the first such commitment by a major Canadian bank.
Yolande Chan of the Monieson Centre at the Queen's School of Business is using her Knowledge Impact in Society grant to help increase the economic vitality of rural Eastern Ontario communities, connecting academic knowledge with economic development needs. In one example of community success, Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, a small, environmentally and socially responsible rural business, was able to project first-year sales of $1,000,000.
And while pursuing his doctorate at McGill University, Stéphane Dandeneau turned a research project in social psychology into a video game that enhances users' self-esteem and reduces their social stress. Through Got Game Entertainment, it has been sold in Mac and PC versions in stores across North America and Europe.
These projects, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), illustrate some of the ways in which campus and community are connecting in innovative ways. Through the highest levels of excellence, SSHRC-funded research and training programs foster the development of the talented and creative people that Canada needs to thrive in the global knowledge economy. Within the framework of the new integrated model of innovation, these are the people, possessed of both "tacit" and "codified" knowledge, who make the crucial, small-scale improvements and large-scale transformations in product design, production processes, knowledge management, services and service delivery standards required to succeed in the 21st century. Their work characterizes the People, Knowledge, and Entrepreneurial Advantages at the heart of Canada's Science and Technology strategy.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of C.P. Snow's famous lament about the two solitudes—the "two cultures" of arts and science—we find ourselves at a historical turning point, witnessing a convergence among science, technology, art, literature and culture. While Snow would undoubtedly tell us that we still have work to do, bridging the gap between these cultures is now a key theme for leaders across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors. We now have an integrated model of innovation for bringing together Snow's two solitudes, enhancing society by drawing upon the most compelling insights, evidence and experience available to us, regardless of its "culture" of origin. SSHRC is working shoulder-to-shoulder with researchers and partners across all sectors of society to fuel innovation, bolster economic recovery, increase resiliency, and enhance Canada's place in the world by building a successful society for the 21st century.
Dr. Chad Gaffield is president of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
http://hilltimes.com/page/printpage/pb_gaffield-11-16-2009