Innovation is a key component of a competitive economy. Often, however, that innovation also requires taking risks. Many small cap firms take on the challenge and risk of finding innovative solutions to problems facing the world today and in the process help raise the wealth and well-being of their host country. What then, is the appropriate role for Government to play in facilitating innovation from entrepreneurs, especially against the current challenging environment for public small cap firms?
This and other fascinating issues related to innovation in Canada will be discussed at an event (now sold out) co-sponsored by the Canadian Securities Exchange and the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law. Entitled “Frugal Fare, Intellectual Feast” the session will certainly provide both. The keynote speaker, Professor Jeffrey MacIntosh, is the Toronto Stock Exchange Chair in Capital Markets Law at the University of Toronto and is a thought leader in the conversation on innovation policy within Canada.
In particular, MacIntosh’s talk will highlight the Federal Government’s 2011 report Innovation Canada: A Call to Action and the impact to small cap firms of Government policy shifts regarding the Scientific Research & Experimental Design (SR&ED) tax credit program.
The event will take place at the Metropolitan Centre in Calgary on January 15th from 11:45am to 1:15pm.
For additional reading on MacIntosh’s perspectives on innovation in Canada and SR&EDs, the following links may be of interest.