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This newsletter is published by ONRIS at the Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, and sponsored by the Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity & Innovation. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.
Next issue: April 15, 2003
ANNOUNCEMENTS [Table of Contents]
2003 Ontario Budget makes minor changes to economic development programs
In this year’s budget, the Ontario government has announced a relaxation of the rules for the Ontario Business-Research Institute Tax Credit as well as some changes to capital gains taxation. The new rules for the R&D tax credit of 20% widens the scope of eligible companies by allowing those with connections to their Eligible Research Institutes (ERI) to receive the credit. Also ERI’s will be given more flexibility in sub-contracting R&D work.
The proposed changes to capital gains taxation include: allowing Ontario investors to defer the tax owing on the capital gain from their investment in a small business if they reinvest it into another small business; amending the Labour Sponsored Investment Fund (LSIF) program to provide further support for companies that are having difficulty raising venture capital; and revising the Community Small Business Investment Funds program to bring new sources of capital for commercializing university and hospital research.
University Enrollment in technology related fields ‘soars’
The Daily, Statistics Canada
University enrolment in fields related to technology, such as engineering and mathematics, has soared during the past three years, and the gains have been particularly prominent among women. From 1997/98 to 2000/01, enrolment in mathematics and physical sciences rose 19%, the biggest jump among all fields of study. This was nearly twice the increase of 10% in engineering and applied sciences, the second fastest growing discipline.
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
Conference: Clusters, Industrial Districts And Firms: The Challenge Of Globalization
Modena, 12-13 September, 2003
Organized in memory of Professor Sebastiano Brusco, this conference focuses on the international competitiveness of industrial districts and clusters, and the effects that globalization has on SME’s and their interactions with markets and institutions. Questions to be raised relate to how clusters’ internal networks, productive patterns and specializations are changing; how the cluster firms themselves are changing; what factors determine the competitive advantage of industrial districts; and finally, how their international competitiveness can be enhanced. Invited speakers include Charles Sabel, AnnaLee Saxenian and Frank Wilkinson.
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
Knowledge Dynamics in a Network Industry
R. Cowan et al. MERIT
This paper models the impact of networks on knowledge growth in an innovating industry. Comparing two mediums of knowledge exchange, the authors investigate how such mediums contribute to knowledge growth under different scenarios related to the industry’s innovative potential. The results lend support to the conjecture that spatial clustering generates higher long run knowledge growth rates in industries characterized by highly tacit knowledge, while the opposite is true when the degree of codification is important.
Services and 'Systems of Innovation'
B. Tether & J.S. Metcalfe, CRIC
For understanding innovation in services, this paper argues for a more transient understanding of innovation systems, which evolves as the problems of the moment evolve. This argument is based on the understanding that there are in fact multiple 'systems' and that these systems of innovation often develop around identifiable sequences of problems (or opportunities), such that the problem sequence at the heart of the 'system of innovation' becomes the focusing device around which the system is developed. As the problem (or opportunity) changes, or is redefined, so the system can change, changing the agents involved and the relations between these agents. One important implication of this view is that firms can take a leading role in assembling innovation systems in the pursuit of their own competitive advantage.
REGIONAL INNOVATION & CLUSTERS [Table of Contents]
Evaluation of ACOA's Business Development Program
Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency
Here is an evaluation of one of the core programs of the Atlantic Canada Opportunity Agency whose objective is to support and promote new opportunities for economic development in Atlantic Canada, with particular emphasis on SMEs. Designed in part to directly assist SMEs and to increase the number of successful business start-ups, expansions and modernizations, the business development program has invested some $814 million in SMEs since its introduction in August 1995. The evaluation shows that the program has had a significant impact on business start-ups, notably in rural areas, with BDP clients having much better survival rates than unassisted firms. The results of 66 case studies revealed that 50% of firms had achieved desirable results in the longer term.
Appleseed Inc.
Commissioned by the eight research universities in the Boston area, this report assess their combined economic impact on the greater Boston area, showing that the universities not only have a large direct financial impact, but more importantly, they form much of the intellectual underpinning of the regional economy. Employing 50,750, and attracting some 118 000 students, the universities spend in the order of $3.9 billion in the area, of which $1.5 billion is spent of research. More than 80 percent of all research spending at the eight universities was financed by federal government agencies. In 2000, the universities assisted in the start-up of 41 new ventures commercializing technology developed within the universities, and granted 280 licenses generating $44.5 million in income.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY [Table of Contents]
OECD
Here is series of IT Policy Profiles for 21 OECD countries including Canada. The profiles contain the responses from OECD member countries to the IT Policy Questionnaire of the IT Outlook 2002. These questions relate to the overall policy environment, specific policies and programs supporting technology development and diffusion, and the building of ICT skills.
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
SMART
Toronto Talk: Innovative Communities: Lessons Learned – the New Opportunities
Toronto, 12 May 2003
This talk, by Bill Hutchison, on Innovative Communities will be the keynote address for SMART Toronto Technology Alliance’s annual Innovator’s Dinner. Mr. Hutchison is an award-winning pioneer in information technology and telecommunications.
Evaluation of Government Funded R&D Activities
Vienna, 15-16 May, 2003
The aim of this conference is to discuss recent scientific contributions to the understanding of the effects and implications of government funded R&D activities. It will focus on recent theoretical, qualitative and quantitative studies and the exploration of different approaches to evaluate their effects. An applied workshop with policy makers will be organized on “What we know and what we should know about evaluation of technology policy” at the end of the conference.
Innovation through Collaboration: Clusters, Networks, Alliances
Manchester, 8-11 June, 2003
This conference aims to address the issues associated with collaboration in the context of recent research which suggests that as many as 50-70% of strategic alliances will fail within four years due to a vast array of cultural, political, technological and commercial factors. It will provide a forum for academics, business people and consultants to discuss these issues in depth by presenting the latest academic papers, delivering company presentations on the subject and running interactive workshops. Selected proceedings will be published in a special edition of The Journal of Enterprising Culture. The conference is organized by the International Society for Professional Innovation Management.
Creating, Sharing And Transferring Knowledge: The role of Geography, Institutions, Organizations
Copenhagen, 12-14
June, 2002
The conference has four main objectives: to contribute to a more satisfactory understanding of the mechanisms underlying the way in which knowledge is created, shared and transferred; to examine the promoting or inhibiting effect of particular circumstances of organizational context, institutional setting or geographical configuration, such as cities and agglomerations or clusters; to investigate arrangements particularly capable of enhancing, capturing and utilizing end consumer knowledge; and to consider the implications for managerial strategy and public policy. Both senior and junior scholars are invited to participate and contribute with a paper to the conference.
5th Berlecon Workshop on the Economics of IT
Berlin 13-14, June, 2003
This conference is focused on improving the understanding of the economic aspects of information technology and its role in our economy. The program not only covers IT in the strict sense, but it includes communication technologies that converge with traditional IT. Each year the workshop focuses on a single topic, which is analyzed in its different facets. This year’s workshop topic is “e-business: economic impact and policy implications”.
Clusters, Industrial Districts And Firms: The Challenge Of Globalization
Modena, 12-13 September, 2003
Organized in memory of Professor Sebastiano Brusco, this conference focuses on the international competitiveness of industrial districts and clusters, and the effects that globalization has on SME’s and their interactions with markets and institutions. Questions to be raised relate to how clusters’ internal networks, productive patterns and specializations are changing; how the cluster firms themselves are changing; what factors determine the competitive advantage of industrial districts; and finally, how their international competitiveness can be enhanced. Invited speakers include Charles Sabel, AnnaLee Saxenian and Frank Wilkinson.
Communities and technologies (C&T 2003)
Amsterdam or Bonn, 19-21 September, 2003
This international conference is a forum for stimulating and disseminating research into all facets of communities and information technology. Attendees represent multidisciplinary research efforts from applied computer science and social science. The 2003 conference will focus on presentations and discussion of empirical and conceptual research on a wide range of topics including (Virtual) Community formation and development; Virtual communities vs. location-based communities; Digital cities, and Design methods for communityware.
What Do We Know About Innovation? A Conference in Honour of Keith Pavitt
Brighton, 13-15 November, 2003
This conference is in recognition of the lifetime contribution of Professor Keith Pavitt to the study of innovation. Keith's work was based on a deep empirical understanding of innovation and firm behaviour, and he placed particular emphasis on the development of new data, methods, and taxonomies. His contributions spanned economics, management and science and technology policy. The conference is organized around the major themes of his work, including the structure, dynamics and management of innovation processes, the relationship between basic research and technical change, knowledge and the theory of the firm, the globalization of R&D, and science and technology policy.
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