Science and technology in Canada

Science and technology in Canada consists of three distinct but closely related phenomena:

• the diffusion of technology in Canada
• scientific research in Canada
• innovation, invention and industrial research in Canada

In 2019, Canada spent approximately CA$40.3 billion on domestic research and development, of which over $7 billion was provided by the federal and provincial governments.^[1] In 2018, Canada spent approximately C$34.5 billion on domestic research and development, of which around $2 billion was spent directly by the federal government in-house and an additional $5.7 billion was provided by provincial and federal sources in the form of grants.^[2] This investment corresponds to about 1.57% of Canada's gross domestic product, a decline from 1.72% in 2014.^[3] Canada was ranked 14th in the Global Innovation Index in 2024.^[4]

As of 2020^[update], the country has produced fifteen Nobel laureates in physics, chemistry, and medicine,^[5] and was ranked fourth worldwide for scientific research quality in a major 2012 survey of international scientists.^[6] It is furthermore home to the headquarters of a number of global technology firms.^[7] Canada has one of the highest levels of Internet access in the world, with over 33 million users, equivalent to around 94 percent of its total 2014 population.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Some of the most notable scientific developments in Canada include the creation of the modern alkaline battery^[12] and the polio vaccine^[13] and discoveries about the interior structure of the atomic nucleus.^[14] Other major Canadian scientific contributions include the artificial cardiac pacemaker, mapping the visual cortex,^[15][16] the development of the electron microscope,^[17][18] plate tectonics, deep learning, multi-touch technology and the identification of the first black hole, Cygnus X-1.^[19] Canada has a long history of discovery in genetics, which include stem cells, site-directed mutagenesis, T-cell receptor and the identification of the genes that cause Fanconi anemia, cystic fibrosis and early-onset Alzheimer's disease, among numerous other diseases.^[16][20]

The Canadian Space Agency operates a highly active space program, conducting deep-space, planetary, and aviation research, and developing rockets and satellites.^[21] Canada was the third country to design and construct a satellite after the Soviet Union and the United States, with the 1962 Alouette 1 launch.^[22] Canada is a participant in the International Space Station (ISS), and is a pioneer in space robotics, having constructed the Canadarm, Canadarm2 and Dextre robotic manipulators for the ISS and NASA's Space Shuttle.^[23] Since the 1960s, Canada's aerospace industry has designed and built numerous marques of satellite, including Radarsat-1 and 2, ISIS and MOST.^[24] Canada has also produced one of the world's most successful and widely used sounding rockets, the Black Brant; over 1,000 Black Brants have been launched since the rocket's introduction in 1961.^[25]

• Council of Canadian Academies (2012). The State of Science and Technology in Canada, 2012. Council of Canadian Academies. ISBN 978-1-926558-47-9.
• G. Bruce Doern; Peter W. B. Phillips; David Castle (2016). Canadian Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy: The Innovation Economy and Society Nexus. McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-4724-7.
• Edward Jones-Imhotep; Tina Adcock (2018). Made Modern: Science and Technology in Canadian History. UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-3726-2.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Science in Canada.

• Science and Technology for Canadians - Government of Canada
• Canada Science and Technology Museum - Government of Canada
• Canadian Institute for Advanced Research: Science
• Canadian Encyclopedia: Science
• The Society for the Preservation of Canada's Nuclear Heritage, Inc.