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Introduction
Welcome to Ontario’s Regional Economic Development and Innovation
Newsletter. The newsletter is published by ONRIS and jointly sponsored
by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Ministry of
Energy, Science and Technology. The purpose of the newsletter is to share
news and information on research initiatives, publications, and events
related to regional economic development and innovation in Ontario. It
is intended to create a digital forum for information sharing and dissemination
across the research community, the private sector and government.
We encourage you to participate in the Newsletter - please forward items
that you would like to share with newsletter recipients, as well as other
items of interest, to: onris.progris@utoronto.ca. In addition, please forward
this newsletter to anyone you think will find it of value. We look forward
to collaborating with you on this initiative.This newsletter is also available
on the web at: http://www.utoronto.ca/onris/. Please contact onris.progris@utoronto.ca to be added
to or removed from the distribution list.
The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect
the views and policies of the Ontario Government.
This Newsletter is prepared by Matthew Lucas and David A. Wolfe
Announcements / News
Ontario Budget, May 2, 2000
The Ontario contained a substantial increase in Science and Technology
investments. They include: a tripling of the Ontario Innovation Trust
by providing an additional endowment of $500 million for research infrastructure;
doubling the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund in 2000-02
to $100 million; doubling annual funding to $10 million for the Premier's
Research Excellence Awards; an annual investment of $30 million for a
new Ontario Research and Performance Fund; and $5 million for science
and technology awareness and innovation over five years. There were also
some tax incentives measures in the budget such as reduction in Corporate
Income Tax for certain industries and the Ontario Research Employee Stock
Option Deduction and the Educational Technology Tax incentive. Full details
can found at the budget website:
http://www.gov.on.ca/FIN/bud00/index.htm
Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network
MEST announced on the 23rd of May in Ottawa a $57 million investment
to create ORION (Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network). ORION
is a high speed, state-of-the art network to be used by researchers, educators
and scientists to conduct advanced research and to develop and test new
technologies.
Further information: http://www.est.gov.on.ca/english/ar/nr_intro.cfm?news_id=175&body=yes
Ontario Centre for Genomic Computing
MEST announced the Ontario Research and Development Challenge
Fund investment to expand the Ontario Centre for Genomic Computing at
The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) and thereby the Fund's commitment
to genetic research has reached $75 million.
For more information contact: http://www.ontariochallengefund.com/english/news/04052000.shtml
U.S. Council on Competitiveness
On March 22, forty seven members of the Council on Competitiveness,
including CEOs of some of America’s largest corporations, presidents
of major U.S. universities, and prominent labor leaders, signed a letter
to Congressional leaders advocating long-term investments in America’s
science and technology enterprise that will strengthen U.S. competitiveness
and assure future economic prosperity. The letter was delivered to Senate
Majority Leader Trent Lott, Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle,
Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert and House Minority Leader Richard
A. Gephardt.
http://www.compete.org/bookstore/boost_index.html
Legislation Proposed to Bring Ontario into the World of E-Commerce
John Hastings, M.P.P. Etobicoke North, has initiated legislation
to put Ontario on the cutting edge of the electronic age with the introduction
of his Private Member’s Bill, The E-Commerce Act, 2000. This
proposed legislation creates a legal framework for e-commerce. This legislation
will have a positive impact on the demand for Ontario products and services
on-line and will work to encourage the growth of e-commerce in Ontario’s
communities. If passed, this legislation will help ensure that Ontario
is on the forefront of the electronic age. The legislation is based on
a model developed by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada, which builds
on the United Nations Model Law on Electronic Commerce.
For more information on this initiative, contact Eve Horvath, in M.P.P.
John Hasting's office, at 416-325-6001.
Research Initiatives / Publications
Innovation analysis bulletin - Statistics Canada
The Innovation analysis bulletin focuses on trends in science,
technology, and the information society. It includes updates on government
science and technology activities, industrial research and development,
intellectual property commercialization, advanced technologies and innovation,
biotechnology, connectedness, telecommunications and broadcasting, and
electronic commerce. The May 2000 issue contains articles on innovation
in service industries, the deployment of science and technology skills,
and research and development tax incentives.
The Innovation analysis bulletin (88-003-XIE, free) is now available at www.statcan.ca under Products
and services, Downloadable publications
(free).
http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/88-003-XIE/0020088-003-XIE.pdf
Brain Drain and Brain Gain: The Migration of Knowledge Workers from
and to Canada.
This article in the Education Quarterly Review presents the latest evidence
from Statistics Canada on the extent and nature of the emigration from
and immigration to Canada of highly skilled workers.
For further information contact: http://www.statcan.ca/english/indepth/81-003/feature/eq2000_v06n3_spr_a01_hi.htm
Survey of Intellectual Property Commercialization
in the Higher Education Sector, 99.
The second annual survey of Intellectual Property Commercialization designed
to illuminate the overall process of IP management in the higher education
sector. Over 100 universities, colleges and affiliated research hospitals
participated in the voluntary survey.
It is available at: http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/88F0006XIB/00001.pdf
Regional Economic Observer - Industry Canada
A quarterly publication providing an overview of the recent economic performance
of Canada's provinces and territories. (PDF format)
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_ecnmy/mera/engdoc/09.html?he=y
Forestindustry.com: A Case Study.
Part of a series of case studies by Price Waterhouse Coopers on
how e-marketplaces are affecting the Canadian forest, metal and building
products sectors.
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/mm01779e.html?he=y
A Shift in the Landscape: A Comparison of Third-party
Intermediary Portals to Industry-backed Portals in the Global Forest and
Paper Industry.
Part of a series of case studies by Price Waterhouse Coopers on how e-marketplaces
are affecting the Canadian forest, metal and building
products sectors.
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/mm01781e.html?he=y
Dofasco: An e-Business Case Study.
Part of a series of case studies by Price Waterhouse Coopers on
how e-marketplaces are affecting the Canadian forest, metal and building
products sectors.
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/mm01782e.html?he=y
NGA Releases Second Report in New Economy Series
“Growing New Businesses with Seed and Venture Capital: State
Experiences and Options”
Calling upon states to adopt policies to nurture their entrepreneurial
cultures, the National Governors’ Association (NGA) released a report,
the second in their New Economy series, which focuses on the best state
programs to increase the availability of seed and venture capital.
http://www.nga.org/Pubs/IssueBriefs/2000/VenCapital.asp
Talent, Not Technology: Publicly Funded Research and Innovation
in the UK
This report presented on May 24, 2000 by the Science Policy Research Unit
(SPRU) at the University of Sussex focuses on publicly funded research
and the need to strengthen it if the UK is to remain a world leading innovator
in the 21st. century. The report finds that research is becoming increasingly
international in scope and that participation in networks of innovation
requires substantial investment.
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/news/talent.html
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/news/talent.pdf
SME Policy and the Regional Dimension of Innovation:
Towards a New Paradigm for Innovation Policy
This paper prepared by Claire Nauwelaers et René Winyjes for the
Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT
) examines the experience with forty innovation policy instruments in
eleven European regions and discusses the issue of how to build a coherent
portfolio of policy instruments, taking into account both different regional
situations and specific SME needs in terms of innovation.
http://meritbbs.unimaas.nl/publications/smes.pdf
Hyperlinks
Association of European Regions of Industrial Technology
RETI is an association of industrial regions in Europe. In 1984
these regions, having found themselves facing similar economic and social
challenges, created a common forum to share experience, ideas and know-how;
and to serve as a strong and coherent voice in the arena of European Community
policy.
http://www.association-reti.org/
Events
Towards a Digital Media Institute
The University of Toronto's Knowledge Media Design Institute,
Ryerson Polytechnic University, Sheridan College, and the Canadian Film
Centre are continuing their 10-week lecture series: Towards a Digital
Media Institute. Sessions are held on Thursdays from 3:00-5:00 pm. For
more information, please go to:
http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/dmi/
Brain Gain 2000: Meeting Ontario’s Innovation Challenge
Taking place on June 1, 2000 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
This one day symposium will bring together some of Ontario’s leading
thinkers from the worlds of science, business, media and government to
discuss the keys to competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy. The
symposium is sponsored by the Ontario Challenge Fund. For more information
see:
http://www.ontariochallengefund.com/english/braingain_flyer.pdf
Forum on E-Business: Moving Forward
The purpose of the Forum On E-Business, June 7, 2000 in Montreal
is to discuss the work of the Canadian E-Business Opportunities Roundtable,
present the experiences of companies in major sectors of the economy and
identify solutions to help companies embrace
this new way of doing business. For further information visit:
http://e-com.ic.gc.ca/eteam/quebec/?he=y
This event will be held at the Omni Mont-Royal Hotel, 1050
Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal. For registration information, contact
Nolie
Imprévert by phone at (514) 871-4000 extension 4020 or by e-mail at nimprevert@ccmm.qc.ca
Venture Fair 2000
Brought to you by Toronto Venture Group, a member of SMART Toronto,
and York Technology Association (YTA), you are invited to attend Venture
Fair 2000 to be held on Wednesday, June 14, 2000 from 7:00 a.m. –
7:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Centre Hotel, 123 Queen Street West.
Venturefair.com is a one-day Internet and e-business venture capital event.
Venturefair.com is the first Canadian financing event to exclusively feature
Internet and e-business companies looking for capital.
For more information on this event, please visit their Web site at http://www.venturefair.com.
Partnerships 2000
A networking event organized by Materials and Manufacturing Ontario
in Toronto on 15th of June, 2000, aimed at industry, universities and
the financial community. For further information contact:
http://www.mmo.on.ca/partnerships_2000.htm
Creativity 2000
The National Research Council, the Canada Council for the Arts
and the National Arts Centre are co-organizing a conference in Ottawa
on 21st of June, 2000 called "Creativity 2000" where special attention
will be placed on promoting a new alliance between the arts and sciences
communities and to celebrate creativity and the arrival of the new millennium.
Contact: http://www.nrc.ca/confserv/creative/ for further
information.
ED-MEDIA 2000: World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia
& Educational Telecommunications
The annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of
Computing in Education (AACE) will take place in Montreal from June 26
to July 1, 2000. The conference is hosted by the Computer Research Institute
of Montréal (CRIM) Concordia University, McGill University, LICEF Research
Center (Tele_université), University of Montréal, and Université du Québec
à Chicoutimi. For a sampling of session by topic, see
http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/sampling.htm
The early registration date is May 16. For the Advance
Program or to Register, see
http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/advprog.htm.
