Thank you very much.
Good evening, Madam Chair and members of the committee. Today I want to discuss the role our members play in science and research on behalf of our 142 publicly supported colleges, CEGEPs, institutes and polytechnics.
With 95% of Canadians and 86% of indigenous peoples living within 50 kilometres of a college campus, our members are deeply rooted in their communities. As trusted industry and community partners, colleges serve as local gateways to the innovation ecosystem. Our members contribute to Canadian science in two essential ways. First, they prepare students for careers in the sciences, from technology and engineering to mathematics. Roughly 1,500 of the programs our members offer focus on science, and a certain proportion of the others naturally incorporate scientific content. These programs meet the needs of local economies by equipping students with the skills and training to be work-ready.
Second, Canada's colleges are home to a unique form of applied research. Applied research is an essential part of Canada's research ecosystem that uses the discovery process to solve problems for partners, often businesses, especially SMEs, and our business-led approach to science and research makes Canada more productive, competitive and resilient.
Our approach is unique in three ways: the research question is driven by the partner; the partner retains the intellectual property; and we develop solutions quickly, with 85% of projects being completed in under one year.
Small and medium-sized businesses are especially fond of our approach because they account for approximately 70% of our applied research partners. Over the past decade, investment in applied research has risen significantly. On one hand, revenue has doubled, and on the other, private sector contributions match federal investments dollar for dollar. In 2019–20, more than 8,000 businesses received support from a college, be it technical expertise, equipment or access to a talent pool. More than 42,000 students participated in applied research activities, resulting in the development of more than 5,500 new processes, products, prototypes and services.
To share more, I will now turn to my colleague, Don Lovisa, president of Durham College.