The City of Toronto recently released an ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Report, which takes a look at a number of items regarding investing in business in Toronto – including the state of Research and Development in Toronto. While the whole report is worth taking a look, the section on R&D is really what caught my eye. Some points of interest include:
- The fact that many of Canada’s Top 100 Corporate R&D Spenders have a location in Toronto – typically either a research facility or the corporate headquarters. In 2009 alone, these companies invested over $2.5 billion in R&D.
- The National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) awards approximately 30% of NSERC university funding to Toronto university projects.
- Canada is the third highest producer of publications relating to ICT. On a per-capita basis, Canada is the second highest contributor to articles published in the ICT sector.
The full report also takes a look at investing, talent and the workforce in Toronto.