Accelerating Technology Commercialization in Canada: the Role of Medium-sized Firms

Several international and domestic reports show that Canada is seriously lagging many countries in terms of bringing new products to market. Thus, there is call for a renewed commitment to accelerating technology commercialization in Canada. Commercialization ultimately takes place at the level of firms although market and other factors influence its pace and direction. This paper examines which types of firms – start-ups, small, medium, or large firms are best positioned to lead technology commercialization in Canada. The discussion is based on a review of available literature and evidence on Canada’s innovation and commercialization capabilities and performance. The review presented here indicates that although the conceptual arguments appear convincing, the empirical evidence is very thin and much more empirical work is needed. It is a promsing issue worthy of further investigation.