Business Innovation and Growth Support (BIGS) Strategic Research Network


The Business Innovation and Growth Support (BIGS) Strategic Research Network (SRN) is an advisory body that promotes research collaboration within the Government of Canada’s BIGS program community.

Date	Time	Description	Link to Agenda and Materials

October 1, 2025


2025-10-01	1:30pm-3:00pm (ET)	The tenth meeting of the SRN will feature a presentation from StatCan on an Analysis of Black Entrepreneurship in Canada, and a presentation from ISED on How Provincial Regulations Shape Internal Trade. It will also include updates provided by TBS.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2025-06-26	1:30pm-3:00pm (ET)	The ninth meeting of the SRN featured a presentation from ISED on AI Adoption and its Impact on Business Performance, a presentation from TBS on Complementarities of BIGS Programs for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, and a presentation from AAFC on Impact assessment of AgriInnovate program using the B-LFE.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2025-03-18	1:30pm-3:00pm (ET)	The eighth meeting of the SRN focused on clean technology, featuring a presentation from ISED on Understanding the green sector in Canada and a presentation from Saint Mary's University on the Impact Assessment of Transformational Innovation Support. It also included updates provided by NRCan's Innovation Branch, as well as TBS.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2024-09-26	1:00pm-3:00pm (ET)	The seventh meeting of the SRN featured three presentations from ISED including (1) Breaking the Glass: Understanding Canada’s Productivity Emergency, (2) Navigating the AI Revolution: Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities, and (3) Tech Trends in Canada: A Deep Dive into Business Adoption Patterns.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2024-05-09	1:00pm-3:00pm (ET)	The sixth meeting of the SRN featured a presentation from StatCan on Microsimulation for Economic Impact, a presentation from StatCan on the Linkable File Environments at Statistics Canada, a presentation from ISED and Finance on Scale-ups and Canada’s Innovation Policy Suite, and a presentation of updates related to the Research Agenda and Capacity Building from TBS.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2023-12-07	1:30pm-3:00pm (ET)	The fifth meeting of the SRN featured a presentation from the University of Waterloo on Productivity Dispersion and Firms' Growth in Canada, a presentation from AAFC of an Impact assessment study: AgriInnovation Stream C and AgriInnovate Program, and a presentation from ESDC of a Gender-Based Analysis Plus Exploratory Evaluation Study on Selected Labour Market Programs.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2023-06-08	1:30pm-3:00pm (ET)	The fourth meeting of the SRN featured a discussion on the Future of the SRN led by TBS, a presentation from StatCan on Black and Indigenous business ownership in Canada, and a presentation of updates related to Data Development, Impact Analysis, and Capacity Building from TBS.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2022-12-15	1:30pm-3:00pm (ET)	The third meeting of the SRN featured a presentation from Saint Mary’s University on Crowding-in or crowding-out: An Analysis of innovation government support for firms located in Canada and a presentation from StatCan on the Estimating the Aggregate Net Present Value of BIGS Programs.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2022-05-05	2:00pm-4:00pm (ET)	The second meeting of the SRN featured a presentation from TBS on the Analytical Results from BIGS 2019-20, a presentation from ISED on the Business Innovation Funding Continuum Study, a presentation from StatCan on Demystifying Accessing Business Microdata, and a discussion on Research Planning for 2022-23 led by TBS.	Agenda and Materials [click here]


2021-12-02	2:00pm-3:00pm (ET)	The first meeting of the SRN featured a roundtable to introduce all network members, a review of the SRN Terms of Reference, a presentation from StatCan on the Skills and Diversity Database, and an overview of the 2021-22 Research Plan from TBS.	Agenda and Materials [click here]