Events
Be a Regional
Reporter!
Subscriptions
& Comments
Next issue: November 15, 2002
ANNOUNCEMENTS [Table of Contents]
Canadian firms as entrepreneurial and growth oriented as American small business
Canada's small business entrepreneurs are just as prepared as their counterparts in the United States to take new risks and to aggressively grow their businesses. Such is the finding of a major new study by RBC Financial Group, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The study is based on existing data and a survey of 1,200 owner/managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on both sides of the border. It challenges the popular myth that Canadian companies don't grow as rapidly as American firms because their owners are more risk averse and less interested in aggressive growth. In fact, the study shows there are significantly more external factors that create barriers to growth for small business, than internal ones.
The CFI’s Board of Directors has approved an allocation of $450 million for its fourth competition open to all eligible universities, colleges, hospitals and not-for-profit research institutions. The Innovation Fund enables institutions, alone or in groups, to strengthen their research infrastructure in all areas, including the social sciences and humanities. Over the past four years, the CFI has invested close to $2 billion in research infrastructure at universities and research institutions across the country. It builds on the $1.32 billion investment provided in the first three competitions
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
OECD Science Technology and Industry Outlook
Here is the OECD’s annual compilation of S&T statistics and trend analysis. This year’s issue, in addition to its usual review of major policy changes and trends, includes special chapters examining changing strategies for business R&D, the relationship between competition and co-operation in the innovation process, reforms in the governance of national science systems, and the management of IP in public research institutions.
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
P. Criscuolo et al. MERIT
This paper examines the phenomenon of home base augmenting (HBA) R&D and home base exploiting (HBE) R&D. The authors argue that any given R&D facility’s capacity to exploit and/or augment technological competences is a function not just of its own resources, but the efficiency with which it can utilize complementary resources associated with the relevant local innovation system. Just as HBA activities require proximity to the economic units from which they seek to learn, HBE activities draw from the parent’s technological resources as well as from other assets of home location’s innovation system. Results indicate that both EU affiliates in the US, and vice versa (US affiliates in the EU), rely extensively on home region knowledge sources, although they appear to exploit the host country knowledge base as well.
The Irish Economic Boom: Facts, Causes and Lessons
P. Fortin, Université du Québec à Montréal and Canadian Institute
for Advanced Research
Here is a study of Ireland’s remarkable economic turnaround. The author
finds that for several decades, Ireland has been very supportive of long-term
productivity growth through its openness to free international trade and
investment, its business-friendly industrial and tax policies, and its free
secondary and low-cost higher education – all policies that can be widely
imitated or emulated by other countries, including Canada. In general,
countries will achieve the lowest sustainable national unemployment rate if
they avoid premature monetary tightening and if they adopt supply-friendly
tax, expenditure and regulatory policies that keep unit labour costs low and
foster high rates of saving and investment.
REGIONAL INNOVATION & CLUSTERS [Table of Contents]
Just Clusters: Economic development strategies that reach more people and places
S. A. Rosenfeld, Regional Technology Strategies, Inc.
This report examines the potential of cluster-based economic development strategies to reach people and places that have been on the fringes. It suggests ways to infuse cluster efforts with the means to extend the benefits of these policies to places and firms that have been marginalized in the race to the “new economy” and, by more effectively and extensively developing and using their skills and creativity, to people that have been underutilized and underemployed.
Silicon Valley North: The Formation of the Ottawa Innovation Cluster
J. Ghent Mallett, prepared for Information Technology Association of
Canada
This paper gives a historical overview of the development of Ottawa’s technology cluster, highlighting the role of public and private sector institutions, the availability of highly qualified people, as well as of the entrepreneur community. The paper concludes with the observation that Ottawa’s success was some 20-50 years in the making and that the cluster developed because the fundamentals were right: top research institutions with their innovative capacities and a ‘magnetic attraction’ for highly talented people, including visionary entrepreneurs.
KNOWLEDGE & UNIVERSITIES [Table of Contents]
Y. Todo and K. Miyamoto, OECD Development Centre
This paper addresses the question of whether or not multinational enterprises (MNEs) facilitate knowledge diffusion to domestic firms and, if so, under what conditions. The approach takes into account enterprise activities that mobilise technology transfers to domestic firms — knowledge-enhancing activities — such as research and development (R&D) and human resource development by both MNEs and domestic firms. The authors find that, contrary to the conclusions of a number of recent works on technology transfers, MNEs do have a positive and significant contribution to knowledge diffusion to domestic firms. However, this does not happen automatically. It is only when MNEs and domestic firms make efforts to invest in R&D and/or human resource development that knowledge diffusion occurs.
STATISTICS [Table of Contents]
Investing
In Canada’s Information And Communications Technology Industry
Industry Canada
Here is a slide deck giving a
range of statistics on the status of Canada’s ICT industry, overall business
climate and the state of the country’s ICT infrastructure. It identifies Canada’s dominant ICT
firms by market strength as well as geographic location, providing general
facts and numbers on various ICT regions in Canada.
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
BioNorth 2002 9th Annual Ottawa Life Sciences International Conference and Exhibition
Ottawa 4-6 November, 2002
BioNorth 2002 is Canada's premier biotechnology and life sciences conference. This year, the focus is on new developments such as genomics, proteomics, bioproducts and convergent technologies and their impact on the global business of discovery, development and commercialization. Special Programs Canada's Top 10 Investment Prospects Canada-U.K. Business Forum National Merit and OLSC Achievement Awards Dinner Student Poster Awards.
Symposium 2002- Canada: A Partner In Global Science And Technology
Ottawa, 5 November, 2002
Symposium 2002 will focus on Canada's participation and leadership in international science and technology projects. Speakers in discussing a broad spectrum of Canadian international activities from space and ocean sciences, to subatomic and transportation research, will highlight the importance and benefits of Canadian participation in international science and technology development projects.
Who's Who in IT in Ontario: ITAC’s Third Business Cluster Development Session
Toronto,
7 November, 2002
This
breakfast session aims to provide an opportunity for Ontario’s IT companies,
which total some 4000, to tell each other what they are doing. Such interaction is important to the
Ontario IT industry for its potential to foster a strong and vital cluster of
cooperating companies. Keynote speaker is Michael Stumm, Co-Founder, Senior
Vice President, and Chief Technology Officer, SOMA Networks.
L'Aquila (Italy) 6-12 January, 2003
The conference attracts experts in computer/communications science and engineering, management and business administration, plus all others researching the e-business in interdisciplinary fashions. Topics include: B2B, B2C, E-Business Management. Workflow Technologies, Datamining, E-Banking, Virtual Marketplace, E-Marketing and E-Government. Keynote speakers include Peter Lyman (UC Berkeley) and Erich Neuhold, IPSI/Fraunhofer.
International
conference on territorial development: The key role of regions
Paris, 21-23 January, 2003
This international conference will explore the increasingly important role of regions in all European countries as a key player for territorial development. The regional level is essential especially for the promotion of co-operation and innovation at various levels of governance, from local to international. The aim of the conference is to provide public as well as private stakeholders the opportunity to exchange ideas. Themes to be covered include regions and economic development, regions and territorial cohesion, and regions and civil society.
Knowledge And Economic And Social Change: New Challenges To Innovation Studies
Manchester, 7-9 April, 2003
The purpose of this conference is to bring together the innovation studies community to focus on the current developments in the global economy, in technologies, and in political systems that are continuing to pose new challenges to analysis. Topics include: the increasing importance of the role of knowledge in the operation of the global economy; and the qualitative change in the conditions under which knowledge is exploited to create wealth, to improve the quality of life, and to move towards a sustainable ecosystem, economy and society. The conference is organized by Advances in the Economic and Social Analysis of Technology and the Institute of Innovation Research.
The Knowledge-based Economy: New Challenges in Methodology, Theory and Policy
Augsburg, Germany 9-12 April 2003
This 3rd European Meeting of Applied Evolutionary Economics focuses on the most important aspects of knowledge-based economies within the framework of evolutionary economics. Conference themes include: knowledge and learning; dynamics of technological and qualitative change; industrial organisation in a knowledge-based economy; evolution of institutions financial markets in knowledge-based economies; and policy in a knowledge-based economy. Deadline for submission of extended abstracts: October 18, 2002.
WILL YOU BE ONE OF OUR REGIONAL REPORTERS? [Table of Contents]
Yes, you! In an effort to improve our coverage of Ontario's regional economies in this newsletter, we are looking for a few people who are 'plugged in' to the latest local economic development and innovation happenings in their regions. All we ask is that you send us a short message once a month highlighting recent news and research initiatives from your region - please forward items that you would like to share with newsletter recipients, as well as other items of interest, to: onris.progris@utoronto.ca.
SUBSCRIPTIONS & COMMENTS [Table of Contents]
Please forward this newsletter to
anyone you think will find it of value. We look forward to collaborating with
you on this initiative. If you would like to comment on the content,
subscribe or unsubscribe, please contact us as onris.progris@utoronto.ca.
This newsletter is prepared by Tijs Creutzberg.
Project manager is David
A. Wolfe.
