2014-15 Canada-China Business Forum Magazine | Page 68
EDUCATION
Business
Innovation
Begins in
the Global
Classroom
by KAREN McBRIDE
I
nternational research collaboration
between Canada and China is a critical
platform for business innovation across
borders. The global classroom has a key
role to play in building partnerships.
Canada is an education destination of stature and is ranked
sixth internationally in attracting international students. The
Government of Canada launched in early 2014 its first ever
international education strategy, which calls for a doubling
of international students in Canada to 450,000 by 2022.
Called Harnessing Our Knowledge Advantage to Drive Innovation
and Prosperity, this strategy focuses on international students,
addressing the skills gap and benefitting the Canadian
economy and society as a whole. But it’s not just about
attracting more students. In a 2014 Globe and Mail article,
Gilles Patry, President and CEO of the Canada Foundation
for Innovation and former President and Vice-Chancellor
of the University of Ottawa, called upon international
education stakeholders to ensure that Canada’s reputation
as an education destination and world-class research hub
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EDUCATION
not become lost amidst numeric targets. It is not just
the number of students choosing Canada, but their
learning outcomes and global perspectives which
invigorate business in today’s knowledge economy.
Patry encourages Canadian institutions to welcome
the best and brightest in order to “…produce new
technologies, new medical breakthroughs, new insights,
and products that will translate into real, long-term
economic growth, competitiveness and wellbeing for
the country.”
Bearing in mind that China is one of the world’s
fastest-growing economies and is the top country of
origin represented in Canada’s international student
population, it is important to examine how Canada
and China could maximize international education
collaboration for innovation.
CHINESE SCHOLARS IN CANADA
In 2013, 95,160 Chinese students were studying
in Canada. A 2014 survey of international
students conducted by CBIE revealed that just
over 40 per cent of Chinese students in Canada
are studying at the graduate or post-doctoral/
fellowship level. In addition to these types of
graduate research opportunities, Chinese students
were attracted to Canada by the accessibility and
expertise of professors and instructors, exposure to
Patry is right in highlighting that a competitive
advantage of Canada’s education system and
business excellence lies in our world-class research
environment. According to the Council of Canadian
Academies, Canadian researchers have a strong
reputation worldwide, accounting for 5 per cent of
the top most-cited publications globally. What’s more,
Canada’s colleges and polytechnic institutes are
increasingly known for their applied research projects
in collaboration with industry. Such research intensity
in our higher education institutions is supported by
strong investment in Higher Education Research
and Development (HERD) on the part of Canadian
governments, the private sector, private non-profit
organizations and foreign institutions. Canada’s R&D
expenditure is concentrated in the higher education
sector, which received 37 per cent of the total gross
domestic expenditure on research and development
(GERD) in 2009, compared with an average of 18 per
cent among OECD countries.
Whether it is an applied research project taking place
at La Cité collégiale in Ottawa, an Arctic research
consortium led by the University of Toronto or any
number of other examples we could cite from across the
country, business innovation benefits from research at
education institutions and the international connections
made with growing markets such as China. In
fact, recognizing that international co-operation
is fundamental to their continued achievements as
premier research bodies, it is no surprise that more
and more institutions are putting international
research collaboration at the forefront of their strategic
plans. The Council of Canadian Academies echoes
this priority in a global business context stating,
“Canada’s place as a global research leader is essential
to enhancing the innovative capacity of Canadian
businesses.”
CANADA CHINA
FORUM
BUSINESS
2014-2015 ccbc.com
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