UFV professor’s book examines innovation and entrepreneurship in India

Dr. Jon Thomas, director of UFV’s Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

A new book co-edited by a UFV professor examines entrepreneurship in India, and how it compares to Canada. The Symphony of Innovation presents a collection of papers written by academics, industry leaders, and policymakers in India, examining the rapid growth of innovation and entrepreneurship in a country that has made remarkable progress in modernizing its economy.

Jon also co-authors a chapter.

“This book illustrates the value universities provide for economic development, and how universities, policymakers, and entrepreneurs can collaborate to improve the translation of ideas into products and services that benefit society,” says Dr. Jon Thomas, director of UFV’s Esposito Family Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (EFCIE).

Jon is also B.C. Regional Innovation Chair in Canada-India Partnership Development, focused on building research partnerships. A partnership with Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras (the top-ranked research institution in India) brought him to India in December 2023 for an international conference that was attended by more than 700 researchers, CEOs, ministers, and policymakers.

The idea for a book emerged as Jon and Thillai Rajan listened to a series of fascinating presentations and panel discussions.

“We wanted to make sure there was something that reflected all that was said and shared,” Jon recalled.

Thillai is a professor in the Management Studies department and leads the Centre for Research on Start-ups and Risk Financing (CREST) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). For anyone interested in innovation and entrepreneurship, India provides a fascinating case study. Since gaining independence in 1947 its economy has evolved from one based primarily on agriculture, to one focused on manufacturing, and now, services.

Jon says India presents an interesting contrast with Canada. Ours is a resource-rich country, but the wheel of innovation spins slowly. For people trying to bring ideas to market, that can be frustrating.

“But in India, there’s more top-down support, and once you decide to do something, set up a business for example, the approvals process can be much faster,” he noted. “From an entrepreneur’s perspective, if you want to enter that market, once you have the right partner and region figured out, you can move a whole lot faster than you might be able to do within Canada.”

“We can learn a lot from the speed with which they take an idea and run with it, and they can learn from us how to be thoughtful in converting basic research into commercialized ideas. It can be a complementary relationship.”

India offers a huge opportunity for Canada at a time when the country is trying to diversify its trade partnerships.

Jon says India’s government and universities are on the same page where innovation is concerned, working together to move ideas forward. He suggests there’s a golden opportunity for Canada’s policymakers, entrepreneurs, and post-secondary institutions like UFV to create research and innovation partnerships and forge valuable networks.”

“These connections that are fostered now can be leveraged to advance our region, our province, and our country in due course,” Jon noted. “And if potential students and parents see UFV partnering with the top institutions in that country, as we’ve done with The Symphony of Innovation, it creates opportunities for our university to attract high-quality international talent to Canada.”