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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 Economic Development and Trade. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.
ANNOUNCEMENTS [Table of Contents]
Canada Completes Reports on First-ever Federal-wide Foresight Exercise
Canada's first-ever Foresight exercise, involving 13 federal government departments and agencies, has yielded a set of eight reports that could ultimately influence new directions in S&T governance, cross-agency collaboration, and large-scale R&D programs. Coordinated by the National Research Council (NRC)'s Office of Technology Foresight, the pilot project involved a combination of Foresight practices and tools, ultimately culminating in a candidate list of 12 R&D projects under the umbrella themes of Geo-Strategics and Bio-Systemics.
Sterling Heights, Michigan based TransForm Automotive will invest $15 million USD to construct its first Canadian automotive manufacturing plant. The facility will be located on 10.6 acres in the Forest City Industrial Park, London, Ontario, and will manufacture transmission components for the global automotive industry. London was selected as a result of its geographic location, the highly educated workforce, and the proper existing infrastructure to support the company's needs.
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
Community Participation and Multilevel Governance in Economic Development Policy
David A Wolfe and Tijs Creutzberg, PROGRIS
This paper surveys alternative mechanisms for governance at the local and community level in order to best formulate economic development and business attraction strategies. New theoretical insights in economic development theory include a greater emphasis on the role of innovation, the influence of regions and localities in knowledge creation and learning, and a greater emphasis on governance as opposed to government. The gradual diffusion of these and other ideas has contributed to a new policy paradigm for economic development that, far from calling for more state intervention, supports a change in the mode of intervention. Rather than a national top down approach this new paradigm is regionally and locally focussed, depends on the cooperation and collaboration of all levels of government as well as the involvement of non-state organizations.
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
Technology Transfer and Commercialization: Their Role in Economic Development
Andrew Reamer with Larry Icerman and Jan Youtiem, EDC-US Department of Commerce
As states deal with the economic and structural consequences of globalization more and more are turning to technology transfer and commercialization as a tool to stimulate high value-added development. This report provides an overview of these strategies, a typology of approaches, and a geographic analysis of the primary locations of program implementation. The authors draw several lessons from the data a present some suggestions for consideration in the development of tech transfer programs in the future.
Searching Low and High: What Types of Firms Use Universities as a Source of Innovation?
Keld Laursen Ammon Salter, DRUID
This paper examines the factors that influence
whether firms draw from universities in their
innovative activities. The authors explore the effect of “structural”
variables, such as firm size, age and R&D expenditures, on the
propensity of firms to draw knowledge from universities. as well as
the role of search strategies. Results suggest that firm size and
R&D expenditures are positively associated with university linkages.
Firms that use many other external sources of knowledge also tend
to use university research more intensively. The findings suggest
that firms with more "open" search strategies will tend
to draw on the resources of universities more often.
Competing in the Global Economy: The Innovation Challenge
DTI
The Report looks at the contribution that innovation
can make to driving up UK productivity and to achieving the vision
of the UK as a key knowledge hub in the global economy. Building on
progress made in previous innovation-focussed white papers it proposes
action on those policies that will encourage UK businesses to increase
their investment in new products and services with the aim of continuously
increasing the value added.
Extending Access to SR&ED Tax Credits: an International Comparative Analysis
ITAC
A comparative analysis of the research and development
tax credit programs of 13 countries illustrates that Canada's Scientific
Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program may be in
need of reform. This paper shows that more recently created programs,
such as those in the Netherlands and Norway, may do a better job of
providing incentives for R&D.
REGIONAL INNOVATION & CLUSTERS [Table of Contents]
Research Funding: Key to Clusters
J Adam Holbrook and Bruce P Clayman, CPROST
This paper examines the conditions for successful cluster development in the context of the Canadian government's Innovation Strategy. They conclude that clusters develop where creative individuals "cluster" themselves and, as a group, provide the synergy to develop an economic and social entity that is greater than the sum of its parts. A key to attracting this type of talent is investment in R&D. However, though such investment is necessary it is not, in itself, sufficient for a city to develop a knowledge-based economy.
Conference Highlights - Clusters 2003
Manon Bourgeois and Mireille Brouchu
This Conference was about best practices and the experience of regions and cities that have been working and are still working towards the design, implementation and nurturing of technology clusters. To this end, the conference brought together university and civic leaders who are working with other institutional leaders and industry executives to shape a common vision and mobilize their communities. Representatives from more than 60 clusters from 18 countries came to share their experience and exchange ideas. This report briefly presents the highlights of this conference, followed by a summary of each presentation.
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
Ottawa, 5 February, 2004
Publicly funded science and technology can provide Canadian firms with significant competitive advantage. Once again Federal Partners in Technology Transfer has joined forces with the National Research Council's Industrial Research Assistance Program, the Canadian Technology Network, Communications and Information Technology Ontario and others, to present TechExpo 2004. Take the opportunity to discover technologies and collaborative projects in universities and government labs, hear from government departments, meet organizations that provide services in support of tech transfer and IP, and more.
Licensing Converging Technologies - Bridging the Gap
San Francisco, 11-13 February, 2004
This meeting will address the convergence of three technologies and how they will affect numerous industries, from electronics and new materials science to pharmaceuticals and patient specific therapies. What are these technologies? How are they converging? How will it affect the future of our business endeavors? What are the implications for licensing and intellectual property? The conference will examine the impacts of nanotechnology, biotechnology and information and communication technologies on a variety of industries and across a range of applications.
Urban Impacts
of the Information society: Facts, Fiction and Policies
Telecities and MUTEIS conference
The Hague, 17-19 March, 2004
The "information revolution" and the emerging Information Society entail fundamental changes in social interaction and relationships, and modifications in the socio-economic and spatial organization of activities. The main driver in this process is the rapid development and application of Information Society Technologies (ISTs). The main inhibitors are the fictions that emerged from the discussion of the New Economy. Better knowing the drivers and inhibitors is crucial for contemporary urban management. This conference will explore the urban economic and social impacts of information society technologies (ISTs), as well as the way new technologies urge local governance in cities to change their policies. Academics and senior city managers, planners and researchers will discuss practical case studies, experiences and state of the art research under the following themes: urban policies for and patterns of IST adoption, spatial behaviour in the context of global IST developments, patterns of digital infrastructure and use, and the relationship between IST, productivity and competitiveness.
Washington D.C. 3-7 April, 2004
This Conference of the International Association for Management of Technology will discuss new directions in technology management and their influence on innovation and the creation of economic growth and prosperity. Special attention will be give to the necessary mechanisms of knowledge generation, science and technology policy, and the collaboration required to accomplish national and organizational objectives. Best practices in technology development and utilization will be presented. The academic institution’s role in preparing the needed human resources for the technological environment of the 21st century will also be addressed.
The Europe of Knowledge 2020: A Vision for University-based Research and Innovation
Liege (Belgium), 25-28 April, 2004
This conference will explore the issues raised by the Commission’s communication published in February 2003 on "the role of universities in the Europe of Knowledge". The conference will address in a series of parallel sessions that address the following issues: the creation and certification of knowledge, the changing nature of research teaching, P3s, the role of universities for research in the regions and the challenge of inter-disciplinary research. This conference aims to produce an agreed roadmap to help European universities to realize fully their ambitions in the 21st century.
Ottawa, 27-28 April, 2004
The Smart City Summit combines Ottawa's Business and Technology Trade Show with a major business and technology conference that draws international attention from business and government. It is also Ottawa's premier mega-networking and business development event, catering to technology and business decision-makers and federal, provincial and municipal government attendees from across Canada. In just three short years, the Summit has evolved into a dynamic local and international marketplace for business innovators encompassing a major conference, trade show, keynotes, networking, and innovation awards.
MERIT
Workshop on Information Technology, New Industry and Labour Market Dynamics 
Maastricht, 3-4 June, 2004
The aim of the workshop is twofold. First, to develop a perspective on the changing way in which goods are being produced, production processes are being organised and jobs are being occupied as a result of the adoption of IT. Second, it aims to investigate the consequences of IT diffusion and the determinants of adoption empirically at the firm level, its impact in the labour market both from a theoretical and empirical point of view and its macroeconomic consequences.
Regionalization of Innovation Policy - Options and Experiences
Berlin, 4-5 June, 2004
Globalization leads to a greater relevance of regional factors for innovation processes. There is a growing consensus in the academic field, as well as among politicians, that innovation policy should include this regional dimension, i.e. regional innovation systems. But it is still not quite clear how this could or should be done in practice. In general, there are two approaches to the regionalization of innovation policy. One strategy is attempting to improve the quality of the innovation system in certain regions. The main questions here concern appropriate instruments for such a strategy and the selection of regions. A second strategy that may be complementary to the above-mentioned one is to scale down national innovation policies in such a way that they take into account the various regions (for example, by focusing measures on certain clusters). In some countries, interesting attempts at such a policy that are worthy of investigation have been made (for example, the BioRegio or the InnoRegio program in Germany). This conference will bring together scholars working in the field of innovation systems and policy at the national and regional level.
DRUID Summer Conference on Industrial Dynamics, Innovation and Development
Copenhagen, Denmark, 14-16 June, 2004
This conference aims to promote the general understanding of the interplay between industrial dynamics, innovation and development; investigate arrangements organized at various scales to enhance and utilize knowledge geared towards economic development; examine the role of entrepreneurship and innovation at various stages of economic development; the geographical reach and development consequences of knowledge spillovers; and to consider the implications for managerial strategy and public policy. Participation in the conference is restricted. Potential participants must supply a detailed abstract of at least 2 pages to summer2004@druid.dk no later than January 30, 2004.
The 4th Congress on Proximity Economics Proximity, Networks and Co-ordination
Marseilles, 17-18 June, 2004
This conference is geared towards all of the scientific community interested in the proximity concept, as it relates to everything from industrial organization to networks of public health. The call for proposals, which is open until October 31st, 2003, will give priority to either theoretical or empirical communications likely to produce a better understanding of the conceptual links between proximity, networks and co-ordination.
Hydrogen
& Fuel Cells 2004 Conference and Trade Show
Toronto, 25-28 September, 2004
As society shifts towards the Greener World, it is increasingly important that the team-work necessary to achieve and meet our challenges and objectives be effectively integrated, shared and understood across disciplinary and business boundaries. In planning for the September 2004 Meeting in Toronto seven such inter-related themes have been identified: Hydrogen technology progress, fuel cells, economics & policy, renewable hydrogen, demonstrations, investment & marketing options, and climate change. We invite you to submit abstracts for oral and/or poster presentations to be presented to an international audience of hydrogen and fuel cell industry leaders. Submission deadline: March 17, 2004.
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