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Issue #20 June 15, 2001
Studies
& Publications: Announcements | Editor's Pick | Innovation
Policy | Clusters and Local Dev.
Events
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Regional Reporter!
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& Comments
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: July 3, 2001
ANNOUNCEMENTS [Table of Contents]
Quebec
Commits $250 Million for Biotech 'city'
A new biotech-opolis in Quebec soon
may serve as one of the best organized business centers for biotech, biopharmaceutical,
and biocomputer companies in the world, government leaders hope. The Quebec
government, Investissement Quebec, the City of Laval, Laval Technopole
and Institute national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), are investing
$250 million over five years in cash, in-kind donations, and forgone tax
revenues to support the massive cluster project. Additional partners include
various academic, economic and scientific communities in metropolitan Montreal
and Laval.
Ontario
provides launching pad for new media students
OnTarget, Ontario's training and human
resource initiative for the new media sector, has launched the first of
its online resources to help young people investigating new media as a
possible career. Funded by the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology,
OnTarget guides subscribers through successful training and career management.
Students and employers can register free of charge at the organization's
web site. Benefits include assistance with co-op placements, internships
and job placements, descriptions of postsecondary training institutions
and their new media programs and courses; new media job descriptions to
give students a broad understanding of potential fields within the industry;
and access to OnTarget research papers about the new media career landscape
and industry trends. OnTarget partners are SMART Toronto, MultiMediator
Strategy Group (MMSG), IMAT, and The New Media Trainers Alliance. For information,
or to arrange an interview, contact Mark Jones, Program Director, at mjones@getontarget.ca
or by phone at 416-926-8908.
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
The
State of E-Learning in the States
Also from NGA, this
survey finds that States and their postsecondary education institutions
are keeping abreast of technological change by facilitating new e-learning
delivery systems, expanding capacity, upgrading infrastructure and instructor
skills, promoting access, and shaping the regulatory environment.
Included in the report are several descriptions of various initiatives
from across the US that employ new e-learning technologies for adult work-related
education and training.
Using
Research and Development to Grow State Economies
D. Berglund and M. Clarke,
SSTI
This report provides a nice
overview of the role of government in supporting economic development.
Along with expounding upon the elements needed for a technology-based economy,
including intellectual infrastructure, spillovers of knowledge, and physical
infrastructure, the report gives several specific examples throughout of
successful state level policies and initiatives.
CLUSTERS AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT [Table of Contents]
Technology
and Tolerance: The Importance of Diversity to High-Technology Growth
R. Florida, Carnegie
Mellon University, and G. Gates, The Urban Institute
The leading indicator of
a metropolitan area's high technology success is a large gay population,
according to this latest study. Nine of the top ten cities as ranked
by a Gay Index developed by the authors were in the top 15 “Tech-Pole”
Rankings conceived by Ross DeVol of the Milken Institute. The analysis
finds that other indications of diversity, such as a high concentration
of artists or foreign-born residents, are also significant indicators of
successful technology centers. "Gays, note the authors, "can be thought
of as canaries of the knowledge economy because they signal a diverse and
progressive environment that fosters the creativity and innovation necessary
for success in high-tech industries.”
Software
and Computer Services in Canada
Here is an analysis by Industry
Canada of the state of software and computer services in Canada.
The pamphlet includes analysis of Canadian strengths in both industries,
technological trends, and discussion of regional distribution of firms
throughout the country.
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
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.
Knowledge:
the New Wealth of Nations?
Amsterdam, June 28 -
July 1, 2001
The 13th Annual Meeting
on Socio-Economics will focus on the role of scientific knowledge in the
economy and in innovation and, the role of social scientific knowledge
in social and economic policy.
Technology
Management in the Knowledge Era: Life in the e-World
Portland, July 29 - August
3, 2001
Organized by the Portland
International Conference on Management of
Engineering and Technology, this conference will focus on the strategic
directions in regard to Information Technology. Topics include I.T.
investments, applications, key issues, strategies and challenges in the
Internet-driven economy as well as discussions on global cooperation among
companies at a time when the reduction in product development cycle is
a key competitive requirement. Randy Steck, Vice President of Intel,
Seiichi Watanabe, Corporate Executive Vice President of Sony, Kwan
Rim, Chairman of Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, are among the
conference speakers.
The
Future of Innovation Studies
Eindhoven , September
20-23, 2001
The Center for Innovation
Studies (ECIS) at Eindhoven University has organized a conference on 'The
Future of Innovation Studies' which will host a number of plenary sessions
featuring some of the key contributors to the field of innovation studies.
Invited speakers include Giovanni Dosi, Ranjay Gulati and Bengt-Åke
Lundvall. The conference will include topics in all areas of the
social sciences perspective on the innovation process. Special emphasis
will be placed on contributions in the area of the economics of technological
change, innovation management, and sociology of innovation processes.
Innovations
for an e-Society- Challenges for Technology Assessment
Berlin, October 17-20,
2001
This conference, organized
by the Institute for Technology Assessment and Systems Analysis at the
Research Centre Karlsruhe, is concerned with all aspects of society making
better and increased use of information and communication technologies,
with special emphasis on the roles of knowledge and information. There
will be sessions on the following topics: e-Commerce, New Media and Culture,
Electronic Governance, e-Health Services and New Approaches of Technology
Assessment and Forecasting.
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.
