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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]
The Innovation System Research Network's Fifth Publication Now Available
Global Networks and Local Linkages: The Paradox
of Cluster Development in an Open Economy, edited by David A
Wolfe and Matthew Lucas, presents the final case studies in the Innovation
Systems Research Network’s five-year investigation of 26 industry
clusters across Canada. It offers a preliminary cluster typology that
accounts for fundamental differences in institutional linkages, knowledge
dimensions, and stages of cluster growth. It describes clusters in
regions as diverse as Toronto, Sudbury, and the Okanagan Valley and
in industries as varied as biotechnology, took and die making, and
mining services. The case studies exhibit an important similarity
in their detailed attention to the role of early historical events
in shaping each cluster’s mix of public/private actors, internal/external
linkages, and its ability to adjust to internal and external market
challenges.
EDITOR'S PICK
[Table of Contents]
Proceedings from the 7th Annual Innovation System Research Network Conference
The three day conference took place in Toronto and included presentations by ISRN members, visiting academics and public sector stakeholders. Agenda highlights include sessions on cluster development, Ontario ICT clusters, mapping and measuring clusters, life science clusters and more. The final day consisted of graduate student papers and took place on the Toronto Island.
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
Networking and Innovation: A Systematic Review of the Evidence
Luke Pittaway et al.
Porter and Ketels’ (2003) study of British
competitiveness emphasised the importance of
business networking for innovativeness. Until recently insights into
the dynamics of this
relationship have been fragmented. This paper presents a systematic
review of research
linking the networking behaviour of firms with their innovative capacity.
At an institutional level, national systems of innovation play an
important role in the diffusion of innovations in terms of the way
in which they shape networking activity. The paper provides evidence
suggesting that network relationships with suppliers, customers, and
intermediaries such as professional and trade associations are important
factors affecting innovation performance and productivity. Where networks
fail it is due to interfirm conflict, displacement, lack of scale,
external disruption and lack of infrastructure. The review identifies
several gaps in the literature that need to be filled. For instance,
there is a need for further exploration of the relationship between
networking and different forms of innovation, such as, process and
organisational innovation. Similarly, we need better understanding
of network dynamics and network configurations, as well as the role
of third parties such as professional and trade associations.
CLUSTERS & REGIONS [Table ofContents]
The Role of Clustering in the Growth (and Survival) of Fast-Growing U.S. High Tech Firms
Elicia Maine, et al. Simon Fraser University
Although there is a large existing literature
on clustering, no clear argument has been made in
the literature that disentangles the various agglomeration effects
from the firm, strategic
perspective. This paper develops a framework to explain the differential
benefits accruing
to firms that locate in or near a relevant cluster. Hypotheses about
the role of clustering in the
growth of technology firms are drawn from this framework and tested
on a cohort of 457 fastgrowing
U.S. high technology firms. The locational determinants of growth
of these firms between 1995 and 1999 are examined, as is the relationship
between location and survival over the period 1999 to 2002. The
results indicate that distance from a relevant cluster is negatively
related to growth for all firms in the sample, but clustering has
a greater impact on firms that rely heavily on tacit knowledge spillovers
(biotech firms). In addition, location within a diversified metropolitan
area only enhances growth performance for firms that rely heavily
on broad, downstream supply chain effects (information and communications
technology firms).
Toronto, 17-19 May, 2005
BioFinance 2005 is a gathering of some of the most innovative minds in the life science industries and will feature presentations by senior management from over 100 life science companies from across Canada, the US and Europe. The range of participating firms includes large publicly traded and smaller listed companies and a wide range of private companies from larger and established to early-stage opportunities. The presenting companies will be developing new medicines, devices, diagnostics, medical technologies, research tools and health care systems.
Turin-Milan, 18-21 May, 2005
The 5th Triple Helix Conference will bring together researchers interested in the interaction between University, Government and Industry. The conference program will include 10 Track Sessions per day, made up of paper sessions dedicated to individual scientific contributions, workshops on selected specific themes and panels intended for industrial experts and policy makers. Theorganizers invite contributions on issues related to the conference theme: economics of innovation, organizational sociology, regional policy, business & management, cognitive economics,finance, law & economics, industrial economics, scientific and technology policy, and political science.
R&D Evaluation: Assessing Results from Research and Technology
Atlanta, 23-26 May, 2005
Many organizations are requiring programs to produce performance indicators, but these are only part of the evaluation process. The course will help you choose key performance indicators as well as design other information-gathering activities to produce a richer understanding of how well your program is working. The course is designed for managers of research or technological innovation programs, in government or non-profit funding organizations or laboratories, planning and evaluation staff who are new to the research context, and scientists and engineers who have recently moved into strategic planning or assessment. The course combines lectures with small group and individual exercises, along with team-based exercises using common case studies with opportunities to apply the concepts and techniques to your own organizations
EECO Environment and Energy Conference
Toronto, 25-27 May, 2005
EECO is a biennial 'platform' where business leaders, elected officials, public policy makers and NGOs meet to examine priority business and environment risks/opportunities. This series fosters dialogue and debate on building a future of increased competitiveness coupled with environmental protection. The dynamic and strategically focused program highly targeted and interactiveexposition, and engaging social events deliver outstanding value to delegates, sponsors and partners. Inaddressing the region's critical business and competitiveness challenges head on, thisconference will feature the EECO Forum and four informative and exciting tracks.
Benevento and Napoli, Italy, 5-9 June, 2005
This conference will explore themes associated with information technology, the knowledge economy, technology policy, and the significance of place in cyberspace. The conference locations have been selected because both cities "represent more then 2,000 years of development and exemplify the ability of places to constantly change in response to social, economic and technological forces". Local authorities will look at the changes ICTs have made in the region.
Digital Cities: The Augmented Public Sphere
Milano, Italy, 13-16 June, 2005
Participants in this workshop will discuss the opportunities
and challenges resulting from the digitalization of public space. Among
the issues to be addressed are the goals and the outcomes of prior virtual
public spaces, difficulties encountered by civic and community networks,
the limitations
of digital cities, and the new frontiers of e-participation, e-consultation
and e-democracy. The workshop will focus on any topics relevant to discuss
how Information and Communication Technologies are reshaping the human
relationships at the urban level and the public space of our cities.
Cooperation for Regional Innovation: Creating Regional, National and International Networks
Helsinki, 16-17 June, 2005
The Region is full of talents and possibilities for Innovation. However, cooperation is needed to make effective use of the research capacities, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and local strengths in your region. In a dynamic field with many actors and rapid and constant change, scientifically proven and policy tested toolkits are hard to come by. What is needed is a structure that allows decision and policy makers to learn from each others experiences. The Technopolicy Network provides the platform to facilitate this inter-organisational learning. The main issues on the agenda include the organization of regional innovation, success and failures of policy instruments, leadership and the role of the policy maker, organizing cooperation, entrepreneurship and innovative regions - between cooperation and competition.
UK eLearning Regions and Cities Conference
Oxford, UK, 21-22 June, 2005
The 2005 UK eLearning Regions and Cities Conference will bring together the most up to date information in eLearning for regional authorities. The 2005 conference will also work with groupings of regional stakeholders (e.g. the RDA, representatives from LEAs and from HE and FE institutions, local LSCs, employers and workforce representatives, as well as locally based technology providers) to work on regional strategy and tactics. Policy is all very well, but what is needed is a sense of mutually aware action: more than just talk.
Dynamics of Industry and Innovation: Organizations, Networks and Systems
Copenhagen, Denmark, 27-29 June, 2005
The DRUID Ten Year Anniversary Summer Conference will be held at the Copenhagen Business School. The conference's scientific committee will consider all papers in the order in which theyarrive with respect to novelty, academic quality and the proposed paper's relation to the theme of the conference.
Beyond Clusters: Current Practices and Future Research Strategies
Ballarat, Australia, 30 June - 1 July, 2005
The cluster conference is hosted by the Centre for Regional Innovation & Competitiveness (CRIC) at the University of Ballarat. CRIC is inviting scholars and practitioners to submit papers for presentation at the conference. The conference will address a range of critically important themes relating to clustering. Papers are welcomed on the following topics: Cluster Policy, Clustering Tools, Cluster Measurement and Benchmarking, Skills and training, Cluster investment and attraction and Beyond Clusters. The conference will result in two refereed publications: a special journal edition on clustering and refereed conference proceedings. If you are interested in contributing to one of these refereed publications, please submit an abstract of up to 400 words no later than April 29, 2005. Full papers will be due by May 27th, 2005.Innovations and Entrepreneurship in Functional Regions
Uddevalla, Sweden, 15-17 September, 2005
The objectives of the symposium/conference are: i) to provide a unique opportunity for scholars and senior and junior researchers to discuss path-breaking concepts, ideas, frameworks and theory-essentials in plenary key-note sessions and parallel competitive paper sessions, and ii) to facilitate the development and synthesis of important contributions into cohesive and integrated collections for potential publication. The conference will focus on the themes of international entrepreneurship; innovation, entrepreneurship policy and regional development; entrepreneurship in the public andnon-profit sector; innovation, academic entrepreneurship and high tech firms in functional regions; and SMEs, immigrant entrepreneurship and local economic development. Paper submissions will be considered until March 15, 2005.
Creative Places + Spaces 2: Risk Revolution
Toronto, 30 September - 1 October, 2005
This conference is dedicated to unlocking the creative potential of people and places through innovative social, educational, cultural, environmental and economic initiatives. In addition to onstage presentations, the conference will offer a Creativity Marketplace, which will provide organizations an opportunity to display materials and meet with delegates to exchange ideas and share information about their work in a less formal setting. We also invite the submission of feature articles and story ideas for the Creative Places + Spaces NewsJournal. The conference welcomes submissions of dynamic presentations, demostration projects and case studies from practitioners in the fields of arts, science, business, government, education and social services suitable for the conference.
Toulouse, France, 27-29 October, 2005
This conference will bring together academic and industrial decision makers and their municipal counterparts with a view to fostering debate and discussion about best practices with respect to the creation, management and development of technology clusters.
Pretoria, South Africa, 31 October - 4 November, 2005
Globelics (the Global Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems) is a framework for scholars who use the concepts of learning, innovation and competence building systems as part of their analytical framework. The network is especially focused on the strengthening of research on learning and innovation systems in developing countries. In the region most in need of human and economic development, Globelics Africa 2005 aims to further examine the links between innovation, development and growth. The conference also aims to build research capacity in Africa by establishing contact between researchers from Africa and from other regions of the world, both from leading academic centres, and from other developing contexts. In addition, the conference aims to rethink and reframe the challenges of the African continent in the light of insights from innovation systems research. Scholars from innovation studies will contribute a range of approaches and perspectives to guide research, policy formulation and action to bring about societal transformation through enhanced learning, innovation and knowledge competencies.
Calgary, 16-17 November, 2005
This conference provides a forum where the innovation community of Western Canada can gather annually to network, review the latest developments, solve problems and take specific industry recommendations forward for action. Among the topics to be discussed are applied research, the culture of innovation, innovation policy and innovation support.
SUBSCRIPTIONS & COMMENTS [Table of Contents]
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This newsletter is prepared by Jen
Nelles.
Project manager is David
A. Wolfe.
