RESEARCH ARTICLESIntroduction
There is strong evidence that innovation and technological progress drive sustainable long-term economic growth. In October 2025, the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their influential work showing how innovation and technology can drive sustained economic growth. This kind of sustained growth matters because it can shape whether a country’s long-term path leads toward prosperity or persistent poverty.
Research-intensive education is one important determinant of innovation and technological progress. For Indigenous Peoples, equitable access to advanced education and research opportunities can support innovation, self-determination, and long-term economic growth.
Innovation, Education, and Long-Term Growth
There is no single, unique path to innovation. However, some empirical patterns have been systematically observed and have served as a starting point for studying the innovation process. In short, structural factors, such as population density, geographic connectivity, family characteristics (e.g., parental income), and personal characteristics, such as education, marital status, and number of children, are positively associated with innovation. Among these characteristics, education has received significant attention.
At the micro-personal or individual level, education fosters innovation by enabling people to access current knowledge and existing technology. Crucially, education has been empirically shown to be a personal driver of innovation: inventors are, on average, more educated, and education levels the playing field for innovation in the presence of other inequalities. For example, highly relevant evidence shows that the relative importance of fathers’ income for innovation disappears once two children have the same level of education, independent of innate ability.
At the macro or broader economic level, developed countries tend to invest more in education than other countries because of the positive association between education, innovation, and long-run growth. In 2022, the last year for which data are available, high-income countries invested 4.7% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in education. In contrast, middle- and low-income countries invested 3.5% and 3%, respectively, according to the World Bank.
Why Research-Intensive Education Matters
Higher enrollment rates and improved educational quality are two crucial goals for investments in the education sector.
Regarding enrolment, having more people in the education system increases the likelihood of innovation and long-run growth happening. This is especially true for enrollment in the most advanced stages of the educational system, particularly those combining education and research. The World Bank has suggested that the number of Ph.D. graduates is one of the strongest indicators of a country’s technology and innovation development, and that public policies subsidizing access to Ph.D. education may be more relevant than investment in research and development (R&D) for supporting long-term innovation.
Regarding quality, high-quality education ensures that students are equipped with specialized knowledge and skills to use the latest technology, engage with advanced research, and develop new ideas and knowledge.
Indigenous Access to Tertiary and Postgraduate Education
Equitable access to tertiary education – all formal post-secondary education, including universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools – is critical for Indigenous learners. This is especially true for Ph.D. education because of its focus on research development, which arguably is crucial for Indigenous citizens to increase the likelihood of innovation and technological advancement within Indigenous communities.
Despite the well-documented fact that the Indigenous population has a higher demographic growth rate than the non-Indigenous population in Canada, Indigenous students accounted for only 1% of Ph.D. students on Canadian campuses in 2016, even though they represent 5% of the total Canadian population, according to the 2016 Census.
Increasing enrolment of Indigenous students in tertiary education, especially in Ph.D. programs, must be a priority. Facilitating access to education for First Nations learners, for example, is likely to increase both enrollment and completion rates.
At the high school level, previous research found that the odds of completing high school for First Nations citizens living in easily accessible areas were three times higher than for those living in very remote areas. Interestingly, this association was stronger than the estimates for non-Indigenous people. The odds of completing high school for non-First Nations people living in easily accessible areas were two times higher than for those living in very remote areas.
Quality Education and Indigenous Knowledge Systems
High-quality education fosters innovation by providing specialized knowledge and research skills that enable students to use the latest knowledge and technology available to develop new ideas.
For Indigenous Peoples, however, high-quality education does not mean purely Western, technical, or standardized education. Indigenous knowledge systems, combined with Western scientific knowledge as embodied in the Etuaptmumk (eh-doo-ahp-duh-mumk) or “Two-Eyed Seeing” approach developed by Mi’kmaq Elders, have proven effective in fostering innovation and improving the quality of life of Indigenous Peoples.
In brief, the Mi’kmaq approach encourages the use of both insights from Western science and from Mi’kmaw knowledge to achieve a richness of understanding we otherwise could not:
- One eye sees the strengths of Indigenous knowledge.
- The other sees the strengths of Western scientific knowledge.
- Both eyes work together for the benefit of all.
Western methodology and Indigenous knowledge, “To see from one eye with the
strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing, and to see from the other eye with the
strengths of Western ways of knowing, and to use both of these eyes together for the benefit of all” (Image via Shutterstock).
Examples of Indigenous-led Innovations Combining Indigenous and Western Scientific Knowledge
Renewing Indigenous Economies:
The Renewing Indigenous Economies project combines an understanding of the rich history of governance, entrepreneurship, and trade that enabled Indigenous Peoples to thrive before colonization with recent knowledge of the importance of economic and political institutions for economic development. Together, these insights can support the rebuilding of Indigenous economies within the realities of the modern global economy.
Indigenous-Led Health Partnerships:
Collaboration between Indigenous knowledge and medical training has been essential for developing innovative models of interprofessional collaboration and improving the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of Indigenous communities.
Indigenous Knowledge for a Sustainable and Equitable Future:
Scientific and Indigenous knowledge have been combined to explore how Indigenous-led food systems research is driving climate-resilient solutions, preserving biodiversity, and strengthening sovereignty over food systems.
Final Thoughts
Research-intensive education is a key, important condition needed for innovation. Innovation and technological progress are closely connected to sustainable, long-term economic growth, and education plays a central role in creating the conditions for new ideas, technologies, institutions, and approaches to emerge. For Indigenous Peoples and communities, expanding access to advanced education and research opportunities can help strengthen pathways for innovation and technological advancement.
At the same time, high-quality education for Indigenous Peoples must be more than access to Western research systems alone. Education grounded in Indigenous priorities, knowledge systems, relationships, and ways of knowing, while engaging with Western scientific knowledge where appropriate, can support innovation that is meaningful, self-determined, and responsive to community needs. Research-intensive education can therefore contribute to economic growth and, significantly, stronger conditions for Indigenous self-determination and overall improved quality of life and outcomes.
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