Superclusters! Lessons + Opportunities for Canada

Executive Summary

As announced in Budget 2016 and reaffirmed in Budget 2017, the federal government has made a five-year, $950-million commitment to support “superclusters.” This is a key component of the government’s Innovation and Skills Plan. To advance this commitment, the government will make a small number of large investments to promote collaboration between private companies, universities, and governments through a competitive process that will launch later this year. The goal of these collaborations is to help more innovations move along the continuum from research to commercialization to scale. Applications could come from sectors such as advanced manufacturing, agri-food, clean technology, digital technology, health/biosciences, clean resources, as well as infrastructure and transportation.

Innovative, globally competitive companies are essential to driving Canada’s economic growth. However, for these companies to win globally, Canada will need to implement this cluster strategy effectively. This strategy should build on areas of existing and potential strength. This policy brief explains the role of government in supporting cluster growth, outlines the challenges and opportunities in implementing this strategy, and suggests approaches to maximize its long-term success.