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Issue #17 April 15, 2001
Studies
& Publications:Announcements | Editor's
Pick | Innovation Policy | Clusters | E-commerce | Universities 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: May 15, 2001
ANNOUNCEMENTS [Table of Contents]
Canada-wide
cluster study now underway
The five year, $2.5 million
study "The Role of Local and Regional Clusters in Canada" is now underway.
Funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada,
the study will examine the impact and importance of cluster-driven innovation
by investigating how local networks of firms and supporting infrastructure
of institutions, businesses and people in communities across Canada interact
to spark economic growth. The study will be conducted through a collaborative
effort of ISRN researchers drawn from five regional nodes based in Atlantic
Canada (ACISN), Quebec (RQSI), Ontario (ONRIS and PROMIS), and western
Canada (Innocom).
New
"Innovation in Canada" portal
This site provides comprehensive
listings and links to information, expertise and tools to help firms become
more innovative. The categories of information provided include technology
transfer, intellectual property, research services and product development.
Influencing
the future of higher education
The National Governors Association
has launched its first-ever major initiative on higher education, "Influencing
the Future of Higher Education." The four-year initiative, co-chaired by
Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, seeks
to elevate national and state dialogue on post secondary education and
to equip governors and their advisors with the ability to diagnose problems,
conceptualize issues, identify policy options and implement new public
policy.
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
Innovation,
Growth & Competition: Evolving Complexity or Complex Evolution
J. S. Metcalfe, M.D.,
F.& R Ramlogan, CRIC
This paper reports on the
initial investigation into an evolutionary adaptive account of economic
growth, innovation and competition. It starts from the premise that the
economy is a system comprising of multiple agents, diverse in abilities
and capabilities, interacting, adapting, reacting and constantly modifying
the patterns in structures that they help create. This paper provides
a critical assessment of the knowledge foundations of endogenous growth
theory, a clear statement of the core elements in an evolutionary adaptive
theory of growth and the analysis of economic growth through the use of
replicator dynamic processes.
US
R&D Budget FY 2002: Bush Administration Proposes Cuts to Most R&D
Agencies
On April 9, President Bush
released a FY 2002 budget request containing overall increases for the
federal investment in R&D, but cuts in most of the major R&D funding
agencies. Because DOD and NIH are the two largest funding sources
of federal R&D, the special treatment given to them in the budget would
allow overall federal R&D to increase in FY 2002. But the other R&D
funding agencies would fare slightly worse than other, non-priority discretionary
programs and would decline in funding.
CLUSTERS AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT [Table of Contents]
Containing
the Sprawl
Silicon Valley North
With companies on massive
hiring binges and headquarters being built around the clock, the tech sector
may be pushing the limits of environmental sustainability. Is there something
tech can do to stem urban sprawl?
E-COMMERCE AND IT [Table of Contents]
Profile
of the Canadian multimedia industry
Interactive Multimedia
Producers Association of Canada
Prepared for Industry Canada,
this study profiles the multimedia industry bringing together available
information about the industry including key studies, surveys and investigations
into the multimedia phenomenon and its economic implications for Canada.
According to the study, multimedia sector sales appear to average
between $80,000 and $100,000 per employee. A combination of the studies
providing estimates of the industry's national revenue suggests revenues
in the order of $2 billion. A recent survey by Multimediator Strategy Group
estimated the industry's national revenue at $3.5 billion. The sector is
undergoing rapid expansion, estimated at 20% per year with some 2,300 companies
now operating in the Canadian multimedia industry.
UNIVERSITIES [Table of Contents]
Higher
Expectations
Here are 5 papers commissioned
by the NGA's Center for Best Practices examining the economic, demographic,
and technological forces that are driving the need for governors to focus
on improving higher education systems. Among the titles are: "Creating
High-Performance Postsecondary Education", "Economics,
Demography and the Future of Higher Education Policy" and "Assessing
the Quality of Student Learning".
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
- The Implications of State
Universities' Claims to Immunity from Current Patent Law;
- Comparing Academic and
Industrial Perspectives on University Patenting and Licensing;
- Effects of Patenting and Technology Transfer on Commercialization; and
- Effects of Patenting and
Licensing on Research.
CITO/OCRI
Techtalk Workshop: On Enhanced Services for Voice-over-IP
Ottawa, April 17, 2001
This TechTalk offers a selection
of experts from industry and academia who will explore how to get the most
out of Voice-over-IP by examining the issues surrounding the creation and
deployment of enhanced services. Shifting to Voice-over-IP (VoIP)
holds the promise of enhanced services that combine voice, data and even
video in ways that we have never been able to build easily. The potential
of "all IP, all the time" simplifies the management of media, but not necessarily
applications. The range of issues to consider runs the gamut from signaling
the VoIP network, to managing application features, user configurations,
and the impact on people and privacy.
Regionalism
in the European Union
Atlanta, April 20, 2001
The Regionalism Policy Network
of the European Union Center of Georgia invites proposals for papers to
be given at a multidisciplinary conference in Atlanta. The conference
will examine the impact of EU integration on regional patterns of political,
economic, and cultural development. Organizers especially welcome
papers addressing one or more of the following themes: promotion and defense
of regional political and cultural identities, EU regional policy to combat
economic and social disparities and cross-border, inter-regional cooperation
(development, commerce, environment).
Half
A Century High! IT @2001
Toronto, April 23-24,
2001
Building on the premise
that Canadian society is only now beginning to reap the productivity improvements
made possible by advances in computer/communications, this conference will
focus on developing technologies and the alternative futures they may enable.
Internationally known industry leaders, technologists and analysts will
be invited to speculate on the further development of information technology
and its potential role in the solution of current social problems of concern
to Canadians.
CITO
InnoTalk - E-Commerce Executive Tutorial: Internet Business in a Post Dot-Com
World
Toronto, April 26, 2001
This CITO InnoTalk offers
an intensive one-day review of the theory and practice of electronic commerce,
covering Web and wireless technology, process and market forces. This workshop,
aimed at business and technical managers who need a hype-free overview
of the field, will include case studies and demonstrations of state-of-the-art
Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) e-commerce systems.
Partners
2001 : Linking Education and the Local Economy
Winnipeg, April 26 -
28, 2001
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.
The
Vital Role Played by Universities in Innovation
Toronto, May 8, 2001
In celebration of Canada's
IT Week (May 4-13, 2001), ITAC Ontario, in partnership the Office for Partnerships
for Advanced Skills (OPAS), is pleased to invite you to attend a breakfast
meeting with Dr. Robert Birgeneau, President of the University of Toronto,
who will be speaking on the vital role played by universities in innovation
and the enterprise generated by innovation. In addition to current
examples such as the MARS initiative, he will discuss current and possible
future initiatives and their potential impact.
CITO/ToRCHI
InnoTalk: Universal Principles of Humane Interface Design
Toronto, May 14
Jef Raskin, father of Apple's
Macintosh computer, and more recently, author of the best selling book,
"The Humane Interface" will be exposing the flaws of computer-human interfaces
in a day long seminar. "While we have been mucking about with questions
of tailoring interfaces for this or that group and making ever more exotic
hardware and software widgets, " remarks Raskin " the ugly fact remains
that almost every computer-human interface is fundamentally flawed. We
are trying to repair cracks in the foundation by painting over them. It
is time to do things right from the ground up."
21st
century policies for sustainable technological innovation: The role of
STS higher education
Oslo, Norway, May 20-21,
2001
Organised by the Centre
for Technology, Innovation and Culture (T.I.K.), University of Oslo, this
will be the fourth and final international conference organised as part
of the European POSTI project: "Policies for Sustainable Technological
Innovation in the 21st Century". The conference will deal with two different
concepts of innovation: sustainability-related objectives and measures
incorporated in innovation processes or outputs, and innovation processes
or outputs which aim directly at improving the present or future quality
of the environment, in a broad sense.
Strategic
Alliances 2001 Conference: Strategy and Partnering Tools
Ottawa, May 30-31, 2001
This conference will give
business leaders the unique opportunity to hear how to form alliances that
stimulate growth, and find out the value of having a clear view of what
kinds of alliances should be pursued to leverage specific strengths, execute
growth strategies or fill capability gaps. Also, case studies will
be discussed that explore the pitfalls and benefits of alliances
Nelson
and Winter Conference
Aalborg, Denmark,
June 12-15, 2001
To commemorate the 20 years
since Dick Nelson and Sid Winter published their seminal book An Evolutionary
Theory of Economic Change DRUID (Danish Research Unit of Industrial Dynamics),
in collaboration with the journals Research Policy and Industrial and Corporate
has organized this conference to address six main themes. These include,
'Growth, Development and
Structural Change', 'National Systems of Innovation, Institutions and Public
Policies' and, the 'Production and Use of Knowledge.'
The
5th International Conference on Technology, Policy and Innovation
The Hague, Netherlands
Congress Centre, June 26-29, 2001
Theme: Critical Infrastructures
The conference focuses on
how 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.
Canadian
eBusiness Leadership Forum: Canada's Internet Future
Toronto, June 26-28
At this Forrester two-day
Event, industry leaders and Forrester analysts will focus on what is needed
to: compete in the new arena of Canadian eBusiness; build strong and collaborative
B2B relationships; and deliver products and services to online Canadians.
Speakers include: Jean C. Monty, Chairman and CEO, BCE, Marty Lippert,
Vice Chairman and CIO, Royal Bank of Canada, and John D. Wetmore, President
and CEO, IBM Canada.
WILL YOU BE ONE OF OUR REGIONAL REPORTERS? [Table of Contents]
SUBSCRIPTIONS & COMMENTS [Table of Contents]
This newsletter is prepared
by Tijs Creutzberg.
Project manager is David
A. Wolfe.
