C HAPTER 7: C REATING I NVESTMENT O PPORTUNITIES T HROUGH T HE SDTC
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS In order to determine how to improve technological developments here in Canada, it is important to first understand the technology development process and isolate the areas of greatest concern. There are five distinct stages that an emerging technology must pass through before it is ready to enter the market (see Figure 2). Typically, emerging technologies face three basic types of risks: developmental, financial and market.
Figure 2
DEVELOPMENTAL RISK Early in the process, developmental risk is high; it is simply not known whether the technology will work or not. During these early stages of fundamental research and prototype development, federal and provincial governments provide sporadic but substantial funding support. FINANCIAL RISK As the technology matures, the proportion of financial risk increases as concern shifts to the financial viability of the product.
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