Montréal, October 16, 2013 – The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal welcomes the National Research and Innovation Policy presented today by Quebec’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology, Pierre Duchesne.
“The city’s future depends on the vitality of its knowledge economy,” says Michel Leblanc, Board of Trade President and CEO. “So the new policy provides essential leverage for the metropolitan area and its businesses. The announcement of new investments of $3.7 billion over five years as part of the new research and innovation plan is great news for the business community.”
“A targeted strategy, like the one presented today, maximizes benefits in terms of competitiveness, growth and influence,” Michel Leblanc says. “Plus, the promotion of strategic fields should benefit Greater Montréal’s seven industrial clusters. The National Research and Innovation Policy supports the city’s orientation as a city of knowledge. Measures promoting cooperation among businesses and university researchers will foster the emergence of innovative technologies and help improve our productivity. But these efforts will generate growth only if they are accompanied by measures to address the issues of commercialization and the needs of businesses.”
“As we have already pointed out, the challenge remains promoting a stable, predictable business environment that encourages action from the private sector,” Michel Leblanc says. “The government’s proposed short-term impetuses are a step in the right direction. But in the longer term, the government needs to create a competitive business environment that will prompt companies to invest without having to depend on government incentives.”
About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
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Source:
Michelle LLambias Meunier
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4042
mllambias@ccmm.qc.ca
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