Ministry of Research and Innovation (Ontario)
Encyclopedia
The Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation is a government
ministry of the Province
of Ontario
. The current minister is Glen Murray.
During the Harris
and Eves
conservative governments, the province organized itself to facilitate partnerships between the public and the private sectors. One such arrangement was a sole-source management agreement between the MEOI Science and Technology Division, and the Innovation Institute of Ontario (IIO). The IIO was essentially a private corporation that was contracted to administer the $1.25 billion Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund.
The Science and Technology Division of MEOI was the subject of a provincial audit in 2003. The Provincial Auditor was particularly critical and in the report said: "A major concern was that the Ministry had committed to spending $4.3 billion without an overall strategic plan to set parameters and consistent policies for existing programs or to guide the development of new programs to meet the objectives of promoting innovation, economic growth, and job creation."
At that time the division had 50 staff, had spent $1.3 billion, and had committed a further $4.8 billion primarily on research grants to universities, colleges, and research hospitals.
Funding for research and innovation is also provided by the Canadian Government, and administered through Industry Canada
. The Provincial-Federal relationship will be key to the success of the new Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, and may present an opportunity for Premier McGuinty to further the "Strong Ontario" agenda which is attempting to close the $23 billion gap between the tax dollars collected in Ontario by the Federal Government, and the amount the Federal Government returned to the province through federal programs.
per year.
Biotechnology
Research Funding
Research Awards
Skills Development and Resources
Supporting Commercialization
Technology Infrastructure Development
Youth Science and Technology
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
ministry of the Province
Provinces and territories of Canada
The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories...
of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The current minister is Glen Murray.
History
The research and innovation agenda in Ontario was previously the responsibility of the Science and Technology Division of the Ontario Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation (MEOI).During the Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
and Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
conservative governments, the province organized itself to facilitate partnerships between the public and the private sectors. One such arrangement was a sole-source management agreement between the MEOI Science and Technology Division, and the Innovation Institute of Ontario (IIO). The IIO was essentially a private corporation that was contracted to administer the $1.25 billion Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund.
The Science and Technology Division of MEOI was the subject of a provincial audit in 2003. The Provincial Auditor was particularly critical and in the report said: "A major concern was that the Ministry had committed to spending $4.3 billion without an overall strategic plan to set parameters and consistent policies for existing programs or to guide the development of new programs to meet the objectives of promoting innovation, economic growth, and job creation."
At that time the division had 50 staff, had spent $1.3 billion, and had committed a further $4.8 billion primarily on research grants to universities, colleges, and research hospitals.
Funding
Research funding is also a significant source of funding for higher education. The creation of this new ministry is closely aligned with the 2005 provincial budget, and the "Reaching Higher" initiative to provide $6.2 billion in funding for higher education in 2005-2010.Funding for research and innovation is also provided by the Canadian Government, and administered through Industry Canada
Industry Canada
Industry Canada is the department of the Government of Canada with responsibility for regional economic development, investment, and innovation/research and development. The department employs 6104 FTEs across Canada....
. The Provincial-Federal relationship will be key to the success of the new Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, and may present an opportunity for Premier McGuinty to further the "Strong Ontario" agenda which is attempting to close the $23 billion gap between the tax dollars collected in Ontario by the Federal Government, and the amount the Federal Government returned to the province through federal programs.
Initiatives
Program responsibility for the following initiatives is likely to transition to the newly created Ministry. Based on previous funding for these programs, it is expected that this new Ministry will command a sizable budget of several hundred million dollarsCanadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
per year.
Biotechnology
- Biotechnology Cluster Innovation Program
- BiotechOntario Web Portal
- Medical and Related Sciences (MaRS) Discovery District
Research Funding
- Ontario Research Fund
- Ontario Cancer Research Network
- Ontario Innovation Trust
- Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund
- Research Performance Fund
Research Awards
- Premier's Platinum Medal for Research Excellence
- Early Researcher Award
Skills Development and Resources
- Ontario Centres of Excellence
Supporting Commercialization
- Ontario Research Commercialization Program
Technology Infrastructure Development
- Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) ORION (Research and Education network)
Youth Science and Technology
- Youth Science and Technology Outreach Program
Ministers of Research and Innovation
- Glen Murray August 18, 2010 - present
- John Milloy June 24, 2009 – August 18, 2010
- John WilkinsonJohn Wilkinson (Canadian politician)John Wilkinson is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the predominantly rural riding of Perth—Wellington for the Liberal Party, and serves as provincial Minister of Environment....
2007-2009 - Dalton McGuintyDalton McGuintyDalton James Patrick McGuinty, Jr., MPP is a Canadian lawyer, politician and, since October 23, 2003, the 24th and current Premier of the Canadian province of Ontario....
2005-2009
External links
- Introduction at Ontario government website broken link