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Issue #9 December 1, 2000
Announcements
Studies
& Publications: Editor's Pick | E-
Commerce | Innovation & Related Policy | University Research | IT
Events
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This newsletter is published by ONRIS at the Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, and jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade and the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.
Next issue: December 15, 2000
ANNOUNCEMENTS [Table of Contents]
Ottawa
companies don't make Fast 50 cut
Ottawa is conspicuously
absent from a new list of the fastest growing Canadian technology companies
published annually in the National Post Magazine and compiled by Deloitte
& Touche Canada. The Canadian Technology Fast 50 ranks the 50
fastest growing Canadian high-tech companies based on revenue growth over
five years.
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
The
Joint Venture Way: Lessons For Regional Rejuvenation, Volume 2
This is an account of the
experiences of Joint Venture, a regional collaborative of Silicon Valley
whose mission is to bring together business, government, education and
the community to respond to regional issues affecting economic vitality
and quality of life. Along with some lessons are case studies of
several initiatives including the Economic Development Team, a group which
coordinates economic development efforts in the region and provides a single
point of contact for a strategic network of economic development directors
and senior managers from cluster industries and business organizations.
E-COMMERCE [Table of Contents]
Canada:
The State of eBusiness when compared to the US
This study, prepared by
International Data Corporation (IDC), provides statistics of Canada's performance
shows in B2B and B2C e-commerce. Among its findings are that Canada
lags the US in terms of growth despite representing over 80% of all e-commerce
activity. In small business connectivity, Canada has closed the gap
considerably but in terms of supporting websites, Canada did fall behind.
Canadian
Internet Commerce Statistics Summary Sheet
Here is a brief summary
sheet from Industry Canada on the latest e-commerce figures with data form
IDC, AC Nielson and Statistics Canada.
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
State
Science and Engineering Profiles and R&D Patterns: 1997-98
Here are some detailed statistics
on the geographic distribution of R&D within the United States.
The report shows R&D data for 50 states derived from the several performer-based
surveys of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF’s) R&D Statistics
Program. Included are ten-year state R&D trends, historical data
of R&D and science and engineering profiles of each state available
in spreadsheet format.
US
Patterns of R&D Resources: 2000 Early Release Tables
These tables, released in
advance of the annual National Patterns of R&D Resources report, provide
up-to-date figures on US R&D statistics such as national expenditures
for R&D and basic research, by performing sector and sources of funding,
from funding sectors to performing sectors and, by performing sector and
sources of funding. Data is available in either spreadsheet or pdf
format.
Production
Networks: Linkages, Innovation Processes and Social Management Technologies
Yoguel G. et al. DRUID
This paper analyzes the
concept of production network from a methodological and theoretical viewpoint
based on a three-plane perspective of linkages among agents, the
innovation activities and
the social management technology. The methodological approach
is applied to the Volkswagen case in Argentina.
New
Book: Trade Specialisation, Technology And Economic Growth: Theory and
Evidence from Advanced Countries
Laursen, K. Copenhagen
Business School
How does Ricardian specialization
affect economic development in relatively advanced countries? Keld Laursen,
inspired by the myriad of newly-emergent neoclassical/new industrial economics
contributions, makes a detailed study of the role of specialization and
structural change in advanced economies. The three key questions addressed
in this work are: do countries converge or diverge in terms of their specialization
patterns over time?; can the role of technology explain the direction of
national trade specialization?; and what are the implications of international
specialization patterns (and their changes) for economic growth?
UNIVERSITY RESEARCH [Table of Contents]
Characteristics
of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States: 1997
This report presents data
on the demographic and employment characteristics of doctoral scientists
and engineers in the United States. The goal of the 1997 Survey of
Doctorate Recipients (SDR) is to provide policymakers and researchers with
high-quality data and analyses for making informed decisions related to
the educational achievement and career patterns of American doctoral scientists
and engineers.
Industry-Academic
Job Links in the UK: Crossing Boundaries
Dr. J. Howell, CRIC
The Briefing Paper discusses
the key issues surrounding the fostering of industry- academic research
collaboration. The discussion has outlined other schemes which have been
highly successful in furthering such aims via research personnel. However,
the paper has identified a genuine policy gap in terms of transfer existing
staff between higher education and industry. The policy is not without
its problems, however the potential gains are considerable and certainly
outweigh these difficulties. The last section outlines more specifically
what shape a scheme might be in terms of seeking to develop industry-academic
ties through staff secondment.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY [Table of Contents]
Canadian
ICT Sector Intramural R&D Expenditures: 2000 Intentions
According to the latest
statistics from Total Canadian private sector R&D now totals $9.9 billion,
up 5.8% from 1999. The ICT sector remains the largest private
sector R&D performer in Canada with total expenditures of $4.7 billion
in 2000, an increase of 6.1% over 1999. R&D expenditures in the telecommunication
equipment industry are expected to reach more than $2.3 billion in 2000,
accounting for 48.9% of ICT sector R&D expenditures and 23.2% of total
Canadian private sector R&D. [See
Chart]
Federal
Reserve Bulletin: Productivity Developments Abroad
This article reviews recent
productivity trends in foreign industrial countries. The focus of the analysis
is on whether productivity abroad has accelerated to an extent comparable
to that observed in the United States. The authors find that foreign labor
productivity, unlike that of the United States, has not accelerated in
the latter half of the 1990s and discuss the role played by information
technology in influencing foreign productivity trends as well as cyclical
and methodological factors that are important in the analysis of these
trends.
ICT
Cluster: The Engine of Knowledge-Driven Growth in Finland
Paija L., The Research
Institute of the Finnish Economy
Despite the prominent role
of the Finnish ICT equipment industry both in domestic and international
contexts, the cluster development lies heavily on the foundation built
in the operator sector during the early phases of the history. In the retrospect,
the ICT cluster looks like an outcome of an well-orchestrated master plan.
However, many of the factors with great impact on national competitiveness
have been more or less coincidental in past- or at least motivated by other
than industrial policy objectives.
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
Policy
Agendas for Sustainable Technological Innovation
December 1-3, London,
England
This is the third of four
conferences organized as part of the European POSTI project: "Policies
for Sustainable Technological Innovation". The London conference
will focus on the policy implications of Science, Technology and Society
(STS) research on socially, economically and environmentally acceptable
technological innovation. It will draw upon the body of recent and current
post-graduate and post-doctoral research in Europe as well as the work
of senior academic researchers in STS and professionals in the world of
policy research, development and implementation.
Ottawa
Life Science National Conference and Exhibition: The BioProducts Revolution
December 4-6, Ottawa
This will be the Ottawa
Life Science Council's 7th annual national conference. Sessions include
an examination of biotechnology's impact on the health and agriculture
fields and on the financing of biotech start-up companies.
Partners
2001 : Linking Education and the Local Economy
April 26 - 28, 2001,
Winnipeg
Join over 400 leaders and
executives from education, business and government at the 12th Annual Partners
2001: Linking Education and the Local Economy Symposium and showcase.
Learn and share how to develop links and partnerships among business, education
and communities to ensure economic competitiveness, prosperity and community
development.
Workshop:
Innovation, technological change and growth in knowledge based and service
intense economies
The Royal Institute of
Technology, Stockholm, February 1-2, 2001
This workshop seeks to stimulate
applied and theoretical research on the changing nature of innovation and
to bring researchers attention to the problems associated with measurement
of technological change and growth in the more knowledge based and service
intense economies. The main objective is to discuss problem related to:
innovation and growth indicators, data quality, concepts, models and theories
of growth, technological change and competitiveness at the firm level.
The participants of the workshop are invited to submit their abstracts
before December 1, 2000 to the workshop organisers to the following address:
hans.loof@lector.kth.se
<mailto:hans.loof@lector.kth.se>.
The
5th International Conference on Technology, Policy and Innovation
June 26-29, 2001, Netherlands
Congress Centre, The Hague
Theme: Critical Infrastructures
Abstract submission deadline:
December 15, 2000
The conference focuses on
infrastructures such as those enabling transportation of goods and people,
telecommunications, and the supply and distribution of energy and water
have become vital to the daily functioning and security of society.
Proposals are invited for workshops or presentations dealing with vulnerability,
institutional management, historical lessons, innovation, and methodologies
for interdisciplinary analysis and design, all related to critical infrastructures.
WILL YOU BE ONE OF OUR REGIONAL REPORTERS? [Table of Contents]
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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of Contents]
This Newsletter is prepared
by Tijs Creutzberg and Matthew Lucas.
Project manager is David
A. Wolfe.
