Awareness to Application
Over the past three years, Provincial and Federal IP initiatives have significantly advanced IP awareness through foundational assessment tools and educational resources. While these efforts have strengthened understanding of core IP concepts, assessment data points to a critical next step: building the intermediate and advanced skills needed to apply IP in real business, technical, and commercialization contexts.
This Framework responds to that need by establishing a shared roadmap for:
- leveraging existing IP education materials more effectively
- addressing capability gaps across the innovation ecosystem
- coordinating with delivery partners
- using assessment data to inform future IP investments and initiatives
Endorsed by Innovate BC, Intellectual Property Ontario, and Axelys, and to be leveraged by New Ventures BC as part of deployment of Elevate IP Programming, the Framework represents a shared baseline for IP capability development and certification outcomes - one that can be used or adapted by provinces, territories, and IP programs across the country.
A Collective Vision
Canada's future as a global innovation leader depends on our ability to protect, own and harness intellectual property. To address this dependency, several programs and agencies have increased IP awareness and support to SMEs. While this investment has created a number of positive outcomes to date, there is much more to do. The fragmentation of IP education resources and concentration on building awareness rather than teaching implementation leaves many businesses, researchers, entrepreneurs, and students underprepared to navigate complexities of the innovation economy.
Representatives from New Ventures BC, Innovation Asset Collective (IAC), Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON), and Innovate BC authored a proposal for national alignment on the approach to the creation and delivery of IP education for Canadian innovation businesses and post-secondary institutions, to address long standing systemic IP literacy gaps. Through a National IP Competency Framework, we can work together to build IP educational resources that foster a culture of IP fluency, give life to innovation, accelerate commercialization, and strengthen Canada's economy for generations to come.
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IP education is foundational to Canada’s innovation future — but to remain globally competitive, we need a coordinated national response. By unifying our efforts and advancing a pan-Canadian approach to IP education, we can reduce duplication, close critical gaps, and build a stronger, more cohesive innovation ecosystem that empowers entrepreneurs and drives long-term economic growth.
Peter Cowan
President + CEO, Innovate BC
