539.   Canada would like to thank Switzerland for drafting the paper for "IP and Innovation" theme of "Public-Private Collaborations in Innovation – IP Commercialization", under document IP/C/W/657. We would also like to thank the co-sponsors of this discussion and those TRIPS Council Members that have shared their national experiences and insights on public-private collaborations in innovation so far. 540.   Moving to the topic for this current discussion, we would like to take the opportunity to present an overview of two particular initiatives, building on presentations that Canada has made on other IP and innovation-related initiatives at past TRIPS Council discussions under this agenda item. First, we will present on the "Strategic Innovation Fund", which has been designed to provide financial support to projects that will improve innovation performance while providing economic, innovation and public benefit. Second, we will briefly present on Canada's "Agricultural Clean Technology Program" which provides non-repayable, federal contributions to implement and deliver clean technology projects that support activities across the innovation continuum. 541.   With respect to the Strategic Innovation Fund, the fund serves to simplify application processes, accelerate processing, and provide assistance that is more responsive and focused on results. In allocating funding, the Strategic Innovation Fund looks to accelerate areas of economic strength, strengthen and expand the role of Canadian firms in regional and global supply chains, support economic strategies, and attract investment that creates new and well-paying jobs. 542.   With respect to IP, under the Strategic Innovation Fund, recipients must own the background IP or hold sufficient background IP to allow their project's activities to be carried out. Additionally, recipients must hold sufficient rights to permit them to exploit the IP resulting from their project's activities. Recipients are also required to take appropriate steps to protect the IP resulting from activities supported through the program. 543.   Second, with respect to Canada's Agricultural Clean Technology Program, the Government of Canada's Budget 2017 allocated CAD 25 million (or approximately USD 18.75 million) in funding to develop a clean technology programme for the agriculture, agri-food and agri-based products sector in Canada. The Agricultural Clean Technology Programme provides non-repayable, federal contributions to implement and deliver clean technology projects that support activities across the innovation continuum, ranging from R&D and technology and knowledge transfer, to commercialization and adoption. Projects are selected as those that generate positive impacts on land, water and air, while reducing the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural production. For the purpose of the Agricultural Clean Technology Program, innovation is defined as an invention, significant modifications to a pre-existing technology, or improvements to an existing technology specifically noting changes to functionality, cost or performance. 544.   To conclude, Canada would be pleased to discuss these and other initiatives to any interested Member on these margins of this meeting. In the meantime, we would like to thank those Members that have shared their insights and experiences thus far, and look forward to further views on the topic of public-private collaborations in innovation and IP commercialization going forward.