For decades, Canada has struggled with sub-par business investment in innovation – a “low-innovation equilibrium.” Where innovation is happening, opportunities to participate and benefit from it have been distributed unevenly. As the COVID-19 crisis exposes socioeconomic disparities in the country, it should force us to change the way we think about innovation policy. How can we use it to expand the reach of our social policies, strengthen local supply chains, and secure a future of decent work? How can our policies ensure that more Canadians prosper from innovation-driven growth rather than be excluded from it?

Researchers in the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto explore these issues in this feature series on how the pandemic affects innovation and inclusive growth in Canada. What policies, strategies and resources will we need to rebuild a stronger and more inclusive innovation economy going forward?

Support for this series was provided in part by the Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

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