Developing an Innovation Engine to Make Canada a Global Leader in Cybersecurity

Abstract

An engine designed to convert innovation into a country’s global leadership position in a specific product market is examined in this article, using Canada and cybersecurity as an example. Five entities are core to the innovation engine: an ecosystem, a project com- munity, an external community, a platform, and a corporation. The ecosystem is the focus of innovation in firm-specific factors that determine outcomes in global competition; the project community is the focus of innovation in research and development; and the ex- ternal community is the focus of innovation in resources produced and used by economic actors that operate outside of the focal product market. Strategic intent, governance, re- source flows, and organizational agreements bind the five entities together. Operating the innovation engine in Canada is expected to improve the level and quality of prosperity, se- curity, and capacity of Canadians, increase the number of Canadian-based companies that successfully compete globally in cybersecurity product markets, and better protect Canada’s critical infrastructure. Researchers interested in learning how to create, imple- ment, improve, and grow innovation engines will find this article interesting. The article will also be of interest to senior management teams in industry and government, chief in- formation and technology officers, social and policy analysts, academics, and individual citizens who wish to learn how to secure cyberspace