Ontario's Regional Economic Development and Innovation Newsletter



Issue #159                                                           November 1, 2007

  Studies & Publications: Announcements | Editor's Pick | Innovation Policy |Cities and Regions | Statistics and Indicators| Policy Digest | Events
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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 Research and Innovation. The views and ideas expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Ontario Government.

ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                          [Table of Contents]


Minister of Industry Appoints Members of Science and Innovation Council

The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, recently announced the appointment of 17 members to the new Science, Technology and Innovation Council. Canada's Science and Technology Strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada's Advantage, committed the Government of Canada to consolidate external science and technology advisory bodies and launch the Science, Technology and Innovation Council. The Council will provide the government with policy advice on science and technology issues and will produce regular national reports that measure Canada's science and technology performance against international standards of excellence. It will play a vital role in providing science and technology advice on issues, identified by government, which are critical to Canada's economic development and social well-being.

Canadian Government Funds Seven Centres of Excellence

The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, and the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, recently announced $105 million to seven centres of excellence focused on priority areas in research and commercialization for Canada. The seven centres of excellence focusing on research and commercialization are as follows: the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's Hospital, affiliated with the University of Toronto; the Brain Research Centre at the University of British Columbia; the Canada School of Energy and the Environment at the University of Alberta, the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge; the Heart and Stroke Foundation Centre for Stroke Recovery, affiliated with the University of Toronto and the University of Ottawa; the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University; the National Optics Institute in Québec; and the Life Sciences Research Institute in Halifax, affiliated with Dalhousie University

EU Blue Card to Attrach Highly Skilled Workers to the European Union

Europe is experiencing an increasing shortage of highly-skilled workers, especially in the field of engineering and informatics. At the same time, the European Union's population is ageing rapidly. The EU Blue Card proposal aims at attracting these immigrants to the EU and is supposed to make the EU more attractive as a destination in the global competition for talent and skills. On October 23rd the European Commission adopted two long-awaited legislative proposals on economic migration: A draft Framework Directive on the admission of highly-qualified migrants to the EU (the so-called EU Blue Card proposal); and A draft Directive establishing a single application procedure for a single residency and work permit and a common set of rights for third-country workers legally residing in the EU.

EDITOR'S PICK                                                             [Table of Contents]


The Global Challenges of the Knowledge Economy: China and the EU

Can Huang and Luc Soete, UNU-MERIT
This paper addresses some of the challenges confronting the European Union and China as they build their knowledge economies, and their on-going and possible future actions to address such challenges. The authors argue that there is an urgent need to develop a new European Lisbon Agenda, preparing the EU for globalization. A new and "outward-looking" Lisbon strategy would focus on three key areas: international trade in services, internationalization of research networking, and access to brains and talent. The paper shows that the success of the Chinese economy over the past three decades can be partially attributed to its ability to absorb globally advanced technology and huge flows of foreign investment, its large pool of knowledge and talent, and its enactment of a policy framework that provides incentives to domestic and foreign firms to innovate - a strategy very much reminiscent of Europe's own internal Lisbon agenda. To move further, China needs to overcome the obstacles of regional disparities, transform its industry and deepen industry-academy linkages, which are also unavoidable tasks for the sustainable development of Europe. This paper contends that the scope for comparative studies of the EU and China, for mutual learning from each other's experience - even for joint initiatives - is substantial.

INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY                                  [Table of Contents]



Social Capital and Institutional Quality as Factors of Innovation: Evidence From Europe

Anneli Kaasa et al.
This paper investigates how different dimensions of social capital and institutional quality are related to innovation activity and its
utilization. For reasons of data availability, previous studies have included mainly patenting data. This study complements the previous studies by analyzing a smaller sample, but including more indicators of innovation. Data for 29 European countries are analyzed. As an alternative to usual methods of analysis, a cluster analysis is conducted to examine the similarities and differences in various aspects of innovation activity and utilization of innovations. Next, the social capital and institutional quality are considered as possible factors of innovation next to the R&D and human capital. The findings support the idea that different dimensions of social capital have different impacts on innovation activity; the results concerning the utilization of innovations were mixed.

CITIES, CLUSTERS & REGIONS                                          [Table of Contents]


Knowledge Flows Through Social Networks in a Cluster: Interfirm Vesus University-Industry Contacts

Christian R Ostergaard, DRUID
Knowledge spillovers from a university to the local industry play an important role in clusters, but we know little about these spillovers. This paper examines empirically the extent of university-industry informal contacts. Furthermore, it analyzes the characteristics of an engineer that acquires knowledge from informal contacts with university researchers. The university-industry contacts are compared with results for interfirm contacts. The research shows that the interfirm informal contacts are more numerous than university informal contacts. Likewise, knowledge is more frequently acquired from other firms than through university-industry contacts. Engineers that have participated in formal projects with university researchers and engineers that are educated at the university have a higher likelihood of acquiring knowledge from informal contacts with university researchers.

Developing Photonics Clusters: Commonalities, Contrasts and Contradictions

Jorg Sydow et al., AIM Research
This paper reports a comparative case study of four major photonics clusters in the United States, Great Britain and Germany, focusing on how they have emerged and have been deliberately developed. The authors look more deeply into governmental issues and micro-processes of clusters that are not usually the focus of attention in studies based upon industrial economics or regional sciences perspectives.

STATISTICS & INDICATORS                                                 [Table of Contents]


Measuring Regional Innovativeness: A Methodological Discussion

Tom Broekel and Thomas Brenner
What is the contribution of a region to innovation output? The usual approaches implicitly assume that higher innovation outputs per inhabitant, employee, or R&D employee can be assigned to a region. This paper argues that more insights are gained if we distinguish between various mechanisms that influence the innovation activities in a region. Different analyses need to be conducted, using different variables and including different local factors. Furthermore, there is no justification for using a linear dependence of innovation activity on the number of inhabitants or employees as a benchmark for performance. This paper uses a method that takes into account these arguments and apply it to the Electrics & Electronics industry in Germany.

OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2007

OECD
Published every two years, the OECD Science, Technology and Industry (STI) Scoreboard brings together over 200 internationally comparable quality indicators to explore the progress of national innovation strategies and recent developments in science, technology and industry.

POLICY DIGEST                                                                  [Table of Contents]


A Race to the Top: A Review of Government's Science and Innovation Policies

Lord Sainsbury of Turville
A country’s innovation rate depends on inter-linked activities which include: industrial research; publicly funded basic research; user-driven research; knowledge transfer; institutions governing intellectual property and standards; supply of venture capital; education and training of scientists and engineers; innovation policies of government departments; science and innovation policies of Regional Development Agencies (RDAs); and international scientific and technological collaboration. The two most commonly used measures of innovation performance are the quantity of industrial research and the volume of patenting. The UK’s performance is unimpressive on both counts. However, performance is greatly affected by the structure of industry. UK companies spend similar proportions of their sales on R&D as their competitors within a sector, but have a stronger presence in successful sectors where little, if any, R&D investment as a percentage of sales (e.g. oil and gas, financial services) is reported. This suggests that rather than seeking to raise the amount of research performed by all industries policies should focus on the four major goals developed by the TSB:
• to help leading sectors and businesses to maintain their position in the face of global competition;
• to stimulate those sectors and businesses with the capacity to be among the best in the world to fulfil their potential;
• to ensure that the emerging technologies of today become the growth sectors of tomorrow;
• to combine all these elements in such a way that the UK becomes a centre for investment by world-leading companies.

Trends in publicly funded R&D show that there has been a steady increase in the amount of money spent by the Research Councils, but a decline in government department funding of R&D as a percentage of GDP, mainly accounted for by a decline in MOD spending. This is of concern for the quality of public policy-making, and the stimulation of innovation in the companies with which government departments interact. Research outputs from publicly funded R&D remain, however, of a very high standard. On the
latest data (2004), the UK was ranked second in the world to the USA in its share of world publications (9 per cent) and world citations (12 per cent). The UK is a more consistent performer across the range of research disciplines than most other countries, ranking second in the world in seven of the ten disciplines.

The policy response to the UK’s innovation performance needs to consider two crosscutting issues:

1. The different requirements of manufacturing and services: we need to build up skills in the management of fragmented manufacturing chains, and to focus research efforts and skills development on the complex, high-value production activities likely to be successful in high-cost economies. A better understanding of how innovation takes place in the very different industries which make up the services sector is required, so that the Departments for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) can apply their current policy initiatives more effectively.

2. The role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the knowledge economy: HEIs play an increasing role in the economy and the UK, with its world-class universities, is well placed. A diversity of excellence is required, with research universities focusing on curiosity-driven research, teaching and knowledge transfer, and business-facing universities focusing on the equally important economic mission of professional teaching, user-driven research and problem-solving with local and regional companies. Research, teaching and knowledge transfer are fundamental roles for any HEI. But the way these are done will be very different and some students will be attracted by one type of educational experience and some by the other.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

A new leadership role for the TSB. The TSB has a key role to play in addressing the fragmented technology and innovation landscape in the UK. Chapter 3 describes how its transformation into a business-driven Executive Non-Departmental Public Body in July 2007 has the potential substantially to improve the UK’s innovation performance. The Review recommends that the TSB
be given a new leadership role, working with the RDAs, the Research Councils, government departments and the economic regulators to co-ordinate public sector technological innovation activity, leverage public sector resources and simplify access to funds for business. With increased resources the TSB should extend into new areas, such as the services sectors (including the creative industries) in which technological innovation is important. It should develop an international strategy, and it should work more closely with UK Trade and Industry (UKTI) to enhance the UK’s position as a centre for investment by world-leading companies.

Building on success in knowledge transfer. The translation of university research into commercial goods and services has significantly increased in the past decade. The number of spinoff companies, the number of patents, the income from licensing agreements and the income from business consultancy have all increased (see Chapter 4). The performance of universities in this
area is now comparable with US universities. There are also significant clusters of high technology businesses growing up around these world-class research universities (see Chapter 9). Chapter 4 outlines the four main areas in which the UK can strengthen its knowledge transfer.

Using intellectual property rights, standards and metrology to improve knowledge transfer. Effective knowledge transfer requires specific institutional arrangements to pass knowledge from research establishments into wealth-creation and public policy-making, and an infrastructure of intellectual property rights, standards and metrology. Historically, the information contained in patent databases has not been fully exploited, with estimates that up to 30 per cent of worldwide R&D projects are merely a duplication of existing technology. Chapter 5 recommends that more effective use be made of the UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) patent registration database, through open access and electronic searching.

Targeted support for early-stage high-technology companies. Venture capital forms an integral part of the innovation system by providing a vital early-stage source of finance and management and market experience. However, Chapter 6 shows that early-stage high-technology start-ups have experienced some difficulties in attracting equity finance, due to the specific risks involved in these investments. The Review recommends that, subject to the BSSP, a nationally-agreed specification for proof-of-concept funding should be developed to provide initial funding to entrepreneurs. Together with other recommendations, such as reforms to the Small Business Research Initiative, the new formula for HEIF and the support of RDAs for incubators, high-technology clusters and business-readiness services, this should provide a significant boost for investment in early-stage high-technology companies.

A major campaign to enhance the teaching of science and technology. Demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills will continue to grow. The UK has a reasonable stock of STEM graduates, but potential problems lie ahead. There has been a 20-year decline in the number of pupils taking A-level physics. The Review recommends a major campaign to address the STEM issues in schools. This will raise the numbers of qualified STEM teachers by introducing, for example, new sources of recruitment, financial incentives for conversion courses, and mentoring for newly qualified teachers.

A key role for government departments. Government departments can play an important role in stimulating innovation in the companies with which they interact, but in the absence of a clear directive and adequate resources, they are failing to meet the challenge. Innovation should be embedded in Departmental Strategic Objectives and the Director of Innovation at DIUS should produce an annual Innovation Report on the innovation activities of the DIUS, including the TSB, other government departments and the RDAs. Chief Scientific Advisors should work more effectively with their departments and with the Treasury spending teams to agree and manage their R&D budgets, and together to identify and act on cross-cutting areas of research.

Increasing regional focus and resource on science and innovation. National policies create a framework for innovation but the locus of much innovation is at the regional level where employees, companies, universities, research institutions and government interface more directly. There is increasing recognition of the potential of RDA science and innovation polices to drive regional economic growth.

Linking up with centres of excellence around the world. International collaboration is important if the UK is to stay at the leading edge of world science and innovation and benefit from the 90 per cent of the world’s scientific output that is produced elsewhere. The UK needs to make this collaboration a core part of its strategy, and to improve co-ordination of the UK bodies involved. The Review recommends that a number of the Global Science and Innovation Forum (GSIF) proposals be put into immediate effect: Research Councils should focus resources into single points of contact in key countries; a new fellowship scheme and alumni network should be set up by the Royal Society, with support from the other academies; the TSB should develop an international strategy; the Science Bridges scheme, establishing formal links with universities overseas, should be extended; and the Director-General of Science and Innovation should work with the USA to solve “the double jeopardy” issue for scientists.

 

EVENTS                                                                               [Table of Contents]



3rd International Conference on Services and Innovation

Dublin, Ireland, 7-8 November, 2007
The objective of this conference is to increase awareness and understanding of services innovation in a business environment and to: provide businesses (large and small), with practical steps and examples to develop innovation in services; help inform investors, researchers and policy makers about services innovation and learn about national and global developments and share practical experiences through case studies from established businesses.

Beyond Bureaucracy: A Festival of Public Service, Creativity and the Public Good

Toronto, 15-16 November, 2007
A flexible and nimble public service is key to Canada’s competitiveness in the face of global transformation. But many see bureaucracy as an ineffective hierarchy tangled in a web of rules and losing its ability to make a difference. Beyond Bureaucracy will explode this stereotype, focusing on creativity as integral to public service and critical to the public good. Keynote speaker Stephen Lewis, renowned leader in human rights, an expert in economic development and social issues, former UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa and now a professor in global health at McMaster University, will speak on “The Public Good.” The conference also features Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, Toronto’s poet laureate, who will speak on “A Creative Public Service.” Communications specialist and hypnotist Christina Kaya, organizational development consultant Maureen McKenna and other visionary leaders will explore the creative capacity in the public sector.

Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Organizations of the Future

Cambridge, MA, 7-8 December, 2007
Creativity is an essential element of success in contemporary organizations, yet much remains to be discovered about how creativity happens in the minds of individuals, in group processes and in entrepreneurial organizations. The conference will draw on scholarly work from multiple disciplines to deepen our understanding of creativity and entrepreneurship, and the ways in which their intersection might impact organizations of the future.

DRUID-DIME Winter Conference - Economics and Management of Innovation and Organizational Change

Aalborg, Denmark, 17-19 January, 2008
The conference is open for all PhD students working within the broad field of economics and management of innovation and organizational change. The conference organizers invite papers aiming at enhancing our understanding of the dynamics of technological, structural and institutional change at the level of firms, industries, regions and nations. DRUID is the node for an open international network. Confirmed invited senior scholars are: Maryann Feldman, University of Georgia; Reinhilde Veugelers, Katholike Universiteit Leuven; Paula Criscuolo, Tanaka Business School; Alfonso Gambardella, Università Bocconi; Gerry George, London Business School.

>SUBSCRIPTIONS & COMMENTS                                                 [Table of Contents]

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This newsletter is prepared by Jen Nelles.
Project manager is David A. Wolfe.

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