Provincial and Federal Governments Invest in Innovation and Skills for a Strong Economy

The Honourable David L. Emerson, federal Minister of Industry, and the Honourable Joseph Cordiano, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade, recently announced support to DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc. (DCCI) as part of the company's planned investments in its Windsor and Brampton, Ontario operations. The Government of Canada has committed a $46 million investment, and the Government of Ontario has committed $76.8 million through the Ontario Automotive Investment Strategy to support DaimlerChrysler's $768 million investment. The investments are critical to ensuring the industry's competitiveness in a global market place.

NRC Links Photonic Partners to Create an International Commercialization Alliance

The International Photonics Commercialization Alliance (IPCA) was officially announced recently in Boston at the 9th Annual Executive Symposium on Emerging Business Opportunities in Photonics. This North American alliance was created to provide links between Canadian and American photonic organizations. Dr. Pierre Coulombe, President of the National Research Council Canada, Mr. David R. Smith, CEO of Infotonics Technology Center in New York state and Dr. Donald Fraser, Director of Boston University's Photonics Center, made the announcement. The mission of the IPCA is to provide leadership and support internationally for the commercialization of photonic technologies. The IPCA will offer its members assistance in all aspects of commercialization and will cultivate an environment where entrepreneurs, investors and researchers can exchange ideas.

EDITOR'S PICK                                                                        [Table of Contents]

Rebalancing Priorities for Prosperity

The Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity

This report concludes that Ontarians need to rebalance economic priorities and policies by investing more today to achieve full economic potential and prosperity in the future. Ontario has built one of the most successful economies in the world, but the Task Force’s report demonstrates that Ontario has a widening prosperity gap with its peer group of North American jurisdictions. The key to closing this prosperity gap, the report argues, is higher productivity – the increased capability of Ontarians to add more value to the physical, human, and capital resources in the province. But to achieve this Ontarians need to choose a different path and focus on rebalancing priorities to increase investment for the future and decrease current consumption.

Looking Forward: S&T for the 21st Century

NRC

It is possible for Canada to become the most influential mid-sized nation in the world by understanding the drivers and dynamics drifts of the new world order, by building on its strengths and transforming into a leading society and economy. This report begins to explore some of those drivers and dynamics, illustrate Canada 's situation and advantage, and highlight how science and technology (S&T) will make a difference.

Engaging Innovation

Toronto Region Research Alliance, TRRA

This report examines the state of innovation in the Toronto region. While it identifies many strengths in the local economy - it is home to one of the leading biomedical research complexes in North America, world-beating strength in software, wireless and other information and communication technology fields, and cutting-edge capabilities in materials science and advanced manufacturing - there are still challenges to be met. The TRRA calls on business, finance, research, and political leaders to move to a new level of collaboration within the region to compete more effectively with the rest of the world.

How Next Generation Networks are Producing a "Techcom" Revolution

Information Technology Association of America, ITAA

For years, there has been talk about the coming convergence of key information technology sectors. This whilte paper says that convergence is finally here, and that it will have profound effects on business. The study focused on key technology trends such as the emergence of always-on multi-use devices, and the delegation of network control away from the center and toward a network’s edges. The emergence of this next-generation internet protocol network means it is going to trigger a revolutionary boom in new products, services, and technologies. This should trigger tremendous productivity gains, but it will also challenge incumbent industries, such as cable, telecommunications and information technology. These shifts will in turn create major public policy debates over privacy, spectrum use, and market competition.

CLUSTERS & REGIONS                                                  [Table ofContents]

Entrepreneurial Founder Effects in the Growth of Regional Clusters: How Early Success is a Key Determinant

Michael S. Dahl, Christian Ø.R. Pedersen and Bent Dalum, DRUID
How can the growth of regional clusters be explained? This paper studies in great detail the growth of the wireless communication cluster in Northern Denmark. Unlike the dominant theories, this paper argues that initial success of the first firms are the main driving force behind the generation of new firms that eventually lead to the formation of clusters. The success of the first firms tends to generate spin-offs, which become successful themselves due to the background of the founders.

Cluster Dynamics and Innovation in SMEs: The Role of Culture

Callegati Enrico and Silvia Grandi

The importance of the cultural element in the concepts of cluster, milieu, and district is undeniable. This is evident also when observing the phenomenon from a historical perspective. Evidence shows that the strength of a local economic system, and its capacity to grow and to innovate, are closely related to the pattern of knowledge (thus cultural) stratification, to the territory itself and to learning capacity. Moreover, one can observe that cultural socioeconomic elements are embedded in technology, thus they play a key role when considering the dynamics of innovation process and growth opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In this respect, the paper presents some relevant case studies of technical assistance carried out in the field of industrial cooperation with several non-EU Mediterranean countries. In particular, the paper examines those case studies where initiatives were set up with a view to encourage cluster dynamics in regions (i.e. Aleppo, Syria or Yazd, Iran), where the main sector of activity (textile and clothing industry) is historically and culturally based. In particular, several factors were involved, such as the cohesion of stakeholders for the creation of innovation, the development of
new products, and the competitive advantages for the local productive system.

STATISTICS                                                 [Table ofContents]