The Government of Canada's science and technology strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, outlines Canada's approach to ensuring long-term economic prosperity through innovation. The strategy recognizes that innovation is essential to Canada's future competitiveness and productivity, and that increasing private sector R&D and its commercialization is the key to success. It outlines four S&T priority areas in which Canada excels: environmental S&T, natural resources and energy, health and related life sciences, and information and communications technologies.

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) contributes to Canadian innovation through several innovation-related tools and resources. These acknowledge the increasingly globalized nature of innovation and encourage Canadian firms to look beyond Canada's borders in the pursuit of R&D excellence.

The programs and tools include:

• The Going Global Innovation Program, a program specifically designed to promote and enhance Canada's international innovation efforts by helping Canadian researchers—from private companies, universities and/or non-governmental organizations—pursue R&D partnerships with key players in other economies.
• The International Science and Technology Partnership Program, a five-year, $20-million program established in 2005 to facilitate joint R&D projects with strong commercialization potential between Canada and four other economies: China, India, Israel and Brazil. The program is underpinned by S&T agreements between Canada and these partner countries. The program supports international access for Canadian private sector firms to specialized knowledge, technology, talent and capital.

Based upon the early success of the program, DFAIT hopes to renew and expand the program in order to engage other priority country partners that have strong innovation capabilities and that offer good market potential and positive investment environments.

• The Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP), an informal initiative for collaboration and exchange among academic, private sector, financial and government organizations. The CCSIP champions new models of cooperation and projects in innovation-intensive areas.
• The Trade Commissioner Service, a worldwide network that includes specialized S&T officers in leading innovation countries. These trade commissioners work with partners to connect Canadian businesses and researchers with world-class technology opportunities and key international research partners.

More information on DFAIT's Innovation, Science and Technology program