Fourteen innovation support and advocacy organizations from across Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop a more coordinated approach to intellectual property education for Canadian businesses, researchers, and entrepreneurs.

The Stakeholders in IP Education MOU brings together federal and provincial agencies, technology accelerators, and innovation support organizations from B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, and Atlantic Canada. Signatories include Innovate BC, New Ventures BC, the Innovation Asset Collective, Intellectual Property Ontario, Axelys, Communitech, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Innovate Calgary, and several others.

Through the agreement, participating organizations will work toward a shared national IP competency framework, common education tools, and a national IP education pathway — with a focus on helping startups, scaleups, and entrepreneurial researchers understand how to protect and leverage their intellectual property.

"Canada's ability to compete globally depends not only on developing breakthrough innovations, but on ensuring innovators understand how to protect and leverage the intellectual property behind them," said Peter Cowan, president and CEO of Innovate BC. "This collaboration is an important step toward creating a more coordinated innovation ecosystem that equips entrepreneurs with the tools they need to turn ideas into lasting economic impact."

"New Ventures BC is excited to collaborate across Canada to build a stronger, IP-ready startup ecosystem," said Angie Schick, executive director of New Ventures BC. "By sharing our resources, we're creating a unified education pathway that empowers Canadian businesses to ideate, scale, and lead."

The agreement reflects a shared view across the Canadian innovation ecosystem that IP education has been fragmented across jurisdictions, leaving many entrepreneurs without consistent access to guidance.