Economic effects and spin-offs in a small space economy: the case of Canada

Canada, through a well-focused space program (telecommunications, earth observation, robotics), has succeeded in developing a space industry largely based on SMEs. The result has been significant economic benefits and technological spin-offs. In this article, the results of two programs, the ESA (European Space Agency) and the STEAR (Strategic Technologies in Automation and Robotics), are compared. The ESA program has generated significant indirect effects and spin-offs for Canadian exports. ESA's reputation and network have enabled SMEs to increase export sales of both space products and other commercial products derived from space technologies. The STEAR program has been highly successful in promoting a new generation of SMEs for space robotics, encouraging both spin-in and spin-offs of technologies. The analysis highlights the complementarity of mission- and diffusion-oriented programs in the technology transfer process.