OSPE - COVID-19 Economic Recovery Recommendations - Federal Government - 20

As such we recommend that the government address three key barriers currently preventing all types of SMEs from pursuing the
generation, protection, and commercialization of IP:

* Limited access to IP professionals with practical expertise (patent agents or patent lawyers);

* Lack of transparency and uniformity in the process to engage research institutions in IP development and commercialization;

* Cumbersome administrative requirements that impact the access for funding.
Recommendations:
a. Provide a dedicated fund for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to access IP expertise alongside their R&D efforts. SMEs require
practical IP advice at every stage of the R&D process. This includes providing a foundational understanding of the types of IP protections
available for R&D, guidance on IP strategy, and how to capture and leverage IP protections to achieve business goals. The patent filing
fee and legal fees associated with this are costly and a deterrent for companies to file. Current government funding programs either do
not consider IP a fillable expense or do not encourage the expense as it may be a significant portion of the grant. If the government wants
to increase the number of patents filed, especially in Ontario, it must reduce this cost.
b. Create a resource that effectively explains the process by which industry can engage with universities and other research institutions
to access IP assets for commercialization. Currently, who owns the IP depends on the funding program used to engage with the institution. This means that working with one research institution will not be the same as working with another and there is no transparency regarding who will own the IP until the company is engaged in the process. The negotiation can take time and resources that SMEs do not
have the capacity to provide. This resource/tool should provide distinctions between research institutions that enable companies to make
informed decisions in the selection of their research partner and navigate the negotiation process once it begins.
c. Reduce cumbersome red tape that impedes access to public funding to support R&D

i. Public disclosure of funds available to disperse for that year and an up-to-date version available regularly. This should avoid

the filling of applications to programs where funding may no longer be available or become highly competitive as funding is

closed to being fully committed. Submitting a funding application requires a time investment that organizations can spend

on other activities with higher ROI if funding is no longer available.

ii. Companies undertake strategic relationship building, with members from funding agencies, located within regional

innovation hubs. This relationship building process is onerous creating an added burden on SMEs. At times, these

relationships may not be well established by the end of the funding cycle, and companies miss the opportunity to access

funding for the year. The government must examine this process and determine how best to streamline these activities

considering the potential economic burden these place on SMEs.

OSPE - COVID-19 Economic Recovery Recommendations - Federal Government

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