Issue #164
February 1, 2008
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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]
Government of Canada Invests Up to $63 Million in R&D Projects in Atlantic Canada
Research and development in Atlantic Canada will receive a boost from a federal investment of up to $63 million under Round V of the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) for 29 innovative R&D projects across the region. The announcement was made recently in Halifax by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). With a total project value of approximately $126.8 million, proponents are expected to leverage an additional $63.8 million in funding from a variety of private and public sector sources.
World-Class Research in Ontario Boosts the Economy
Research at Queen’s University to reduce the amount of electricity used by computers is one of 19 cutting-edge research projects supported by the Ontario government, Minister of Research and Innovation John Wilkinson announced recently. The projects are part of the province’s plan to help Ontario’s top researchers develop new ideas and turn these ideas into products and services that can be marketed to the world. The research projects at universities, institutes and hospitals across the province include: Reducing the amount of electricity used by computers; developing the vehicles of the future and; providing better tools to diagnose and treat heart disease. Government funding of $115 million will be matched by 107 partners including industry.
EDITOR'S PICK [Table of Contents]
Research and Development: Essentials Foundations for US Competitiveness in a Global Economy
National Science Board (NSB)
A survey of 2008 indicators reinforces the Board’s concern with declining support for U.S. research and development (R&D), especially basic research, by U.S. industry and the Federal Government. The confluence of a range of indicators raises important questions about future U.S. high technology industry’s competitiveness in international markets and implications for highly skilled jobs at home. The importance of understanding the implications of these indicators underscores the need for new metrics to guide Federal Government investment strategies for R&D to more effectively enhance international competitiveness of the U.S. in high technology. This report examines currently available data and recommends the following: The Federal Government should take action to enhance the level of funding for, and the transformational nature of, basic research. Industry, government, the academic sector, and professional organizations should take action to encourage greater intellectual interchange between industry and academia, with industry researchers encouraged to also participate as authors and reviewers for articles in open, peer-reviewed publications. New data is also critically needed, and this need should be addressed expeditiously by relevant Federal agencies, to track the implications for the U.S. economy of the globalization of manufacturing and services in high technology industry.
INNOVATION & RELATED POLICY [Table of Contents]
Bridging and Bonding: A Multi-Dimensional Approach to Regional Social Capital
Brian Knudsen, Richard Florida and Denise Rousseau, The Martin Prosperity Institute
The operationalization of social capital has proven difficult and elusive. This study advances the operationalization of social capital by (1) employing an existing dataset – the Social Capital Benchmark Survey (SCBS) – to empirically probe the “dimensionality” of social capital for American sub-national regions, and (2) explicating this dimensional structure by examining the relationship of multi-dimensional social capital with regional economic growth. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses reveal SCBS’s multi-dimensional structure is consistent with Putnam’s (2000) dimensions of “bridging” and “bonding.” Regression of regional growth on
these dimensions supports the validity of these dimensions. With respect to indices of regional growth, bridging social capital yields positive relationships while bonding social capital produces negative relationships. Implications are developed for future operationalization of social capital.
The Alberta Health Industries Innovation System
The Centre for Innovation Studies (THECIS)
This study is about Alberta’s health industries, an exciting and volatile sector. The sector opens the opportunity for Alberta to participate actively in a growing industry that is projected by knowledgeable observers to generate revenues of more than $10 billion in Canada alone. The health industries that operate at the level of support to the institutions of care delivery form a diverse group in Alberta. The study below is based on a database of 300 firms, institutions, and government agencies. This report divides the industry into nine groups that reflect both the character of products or services and the place in the value chain. These groups are: biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, neutraceuticals, health services, suppliers, information technology (IT), consulting, and development. Biotechnology and pharmaceuticals overlap extensively. In depth interviews were conducted with a 10% sample distributed similarly to the numbers of members of each group. Activity in Alberta is not intensive and is distributed widely among these groups. This study found no strong sense of community and that strong industry associations are lacking, with the exception of bio-Alberta, which covers part of this sector and activity in some related sectors.
Illuminate - Asset Mapping Roadmap: A Guide to Assessing Regional Development Resources
The Council of Competitiveness
This guide by the Council of Competitiveness is a tool designed to help regional leaders support innovation-based growth. Developed with the support of the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) of the U.S. Department of Labor, this guide is focused on helping regions build strategies that align education, workforce development and economic development programs. It lays out a step-by-step process to implement an asset mapping effort in any community.
CITIES, CLUSTERS & REGIONS [Table of Contents]
Multi-Level Governance: Challenges and Opportunities for the Toronto City-Region
Neil Bradford, CPRN
This presentation and commentary that looks specifically at Toronto's challenges in relation to the current OECD Metropolitan Review of the city. This presentation discusses the governance theme of "vertical collaboration." The presentation provides an overview of multi-level collaboration in Canada, and considers new partnership strategies for Toronto, which are relevant for other Canadian municipal governments.
Cluster Policy in Europe: A Brief Summary of Cluster Policies in 31 European Countries
Oxford Research AS
This study was conducted as part of the INNOVA Cluster Mapping Project. The purpose of the report is to give various stakeholders an overview of cluster policies and cluster organizations in Europe, both at a national and a regional level. Therefore, this report presents a comprehensive mapping of cluster policies, cluster institutions and cluster programmes in 31 European Countries.
Life Sciences in the Greater Philadelphia Region
Special Supplement to TheScientist.com
This special supplement provides an analysis of the life sciences cluster in the Greater Philadelphia region. The issue includes a survey of regional assets including established firms, research institutions, available resources to support innovation and commercialization, and statistical analyses of innovative output. A second section contains case studies of firms and their successful strategies. The third section lists case studies of key innovations that have emerged from the cluster. Finally, the report asks where the region can grow next and discusses strategies for future development.
STATISTICS & INDICATORS [Table of Contents]
Innovation Measurement: Tracking the State of Innovation in the American Economy
The Advisory Committee on Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economy
To achieve the long-term goal of measuring the impact of innovation on the economy, the Advisory Committee recommends in this report that the US government create a coordinated emphasis on innovation measurement. The effort will require structural refinements of existing government data sets, the collection of new and better data, improved linkages among statistical agency data sets, and expanded data sharing/synchronization authority. This report summarizes these and other recommendations of the Committee.
Canadian ICT Sector Regional Report 1997-2005
Industry Canada
This Regional Report monitors regional growth and regional distribution of employment, revenues, research and development spending and goods exports for the ICT sector.
Science and Engineering Indicators 2008
National Science Foundation (NSF)
This is a comprehensive biennial analysis of the U.S. and international science and technology landscape. This version provides thorough details about the features of a rapidly-changing global economy, as countries continue to make investments in their knowledge-based capacity and industries. The report provides some of the most current and succinct illustrations of how, over a relatively short period of time, China and other Asian countries have quickly ascended in economic size and international science and technology prominence. The U.S., due to its large and diversified science and technology infrastructure and industry, is holding its own when compared to the rest of the world. Japan and the E.U., however, are beginning to slip in a variety of comparative metrics. As the entire world is realizing the benefits of knowledge-intensive economies, the bar is continually rising as countries push to improve education, high-tech industrial development, and R&D advancement.
POLICY DIGEST [Table of Contents]
Toronto: An Agenda for Prosperity
Mayor's Economic Competitiveness Advisory Committee (MECAC)
This plan presents an achievable vision for growing the city's long-term prosperity and position Toronto as a leading global city of the 21st century. In their focus on prosperity the committee has developed a plan to forge a culture of partnership, achieve sustainable economic growth and enhance the livability and social well-being, environmental stewardship and opportunity through a strong economy and employment growth.
A City on the Cusp
Toronto is at the core of one of the fastest growing economic regions in North America. It has nurtured a broad range of economic clusters that characterize a global city region, home to specialized financial and business services, high-value design and manufacturing, entertainment and tourism services, and innovative cultural and creative content producers. Clearly, Toronto's advantages as a location of choice for business have not gone unnoticed in the world marketplace.
Much of the success that Toronto enjoys today is the result of investment decisions made 30 to 50 years ago, and even earlier. Much of Toronto's infrastructure is now at, or beyond, the end of its useful life and in urgent need of rehabilitation, replacement and expansion. Gridlock is a daily grind on our productivity and livability. In addition to the cost and risk of breakdowns, road closures and delays, older infrastructure is inherently more expensive to maintain and even more expensive to repair.
While policy makers deliberate, other regions around the world - regions with lesser attributes - are making significant investments. We must be equally confident and raise our rate of investment to sustain our future success.
Vision
The 21st century will be the century of cities and their role in shaping a global economy. Within that context, Toronto is ideally poised for success.
Toronto can be:
Priority Actions
The Committee has recommended 40 priority actions based on the visions outlined above. These can be roughly divided into city-led, partnter-led, and jointly-led actions.
City-Led Actions
These actions include changes to leadership and organizational structure of the city and the establishment of an economic development agency and visioning teams. The report also advocates changes to investment in economic development and fostering pro-active policy development.
Partner-Led Actions
These actions centre on growing and sustaining investment in key sectors, global outreach and new market development, and labour-force development.
Jointly-Led actions
These include joint advocacy on issues of urban competitiveness, fiscal sustainability, transportation, and credential assessment and recognition processes. Partnerships are also required in areas such as marketing.
Conclusion
Toronto in 2008 is in an enviable position. The makeup of its economy, the size and quality of its labour force, and its reputation as both a creative and livable city, make it an attractive choice to highly mobile talent and investment. The hard work, imagination and entrepreneurial spirit of residents, workforce, educators and the business community have contributed to the city’s success. Despite the competitive advantages Toronto offers, continued success is not guaranteed. A better job must be done of promoting, integrating and aligning our competitive advantages into a unified whole. Renewed public and private investment is essential to fuel growth in Toronto’s economy, improve the health and vitality of the community, and position Toronto as a leading global city.
EVENTS [Table of Contents]
Regions for Economic Change - Sharing Excellence 
Brussels, 25-26 February, 2008
More than 500 participants from regions all over Europe are expected to discuss how European regional policy and its instruments can help regions to learn from one another and translate network outputs into action through mainstream policy and programs. Through nine workshops, the event will showcase strategies, experiences and projects intended to provide learning and networking opportunities for Structural Funds managing authorities.
Innovation for Renewal and Growth - Accelerating Innovation for Sustainable Growth
New York, 11-12 March, 2008
Sessions will deal with issues and questions including: Growth oriented leadership - Defining the qualities your leadership must incorporate to reach growth objectives. New Models - The customer dynamic has forever changed with the advent of the internet. Open source innovation and collaboration are happening at the organizations setting the pace of innovation and growth in their sectors. What insights can organizations reap from the new reality of virtualization, collaboration, community and the coming co-creation wave? Innovation and Risk - Historically, managers tasked with driving growth through innovation have faced a risky and unpredictable road. How can you create and manage an innovation portfolio? Driving your organization’s innovation initiatives by utilizing metrics. Fostering a culture of innovation and empowering employees to see and act on opportunities in new or mature markets. Talent - as an innovation driver and growth lever for mature organizations. What is the business case used to engage all stake holders for innovation strategy buy-in, its communication and sponsorship across the enterprise?
International Forum on the Creative Economy
Ottawa, 17-18 March, 2008
The Conference Board of Canada and The Department of Canadian Heritage, Government of Canada, are pleased to announce a Call for Papers for the International Forum on the Creative Economy. Papers are welcome in either of Canada's official languages, French or English. This International Forum will include keynote speakers, presentations, lectures, and other activities aimed at examining recent evidence on the arts and cultural sector as an important engine of economic growth. Papers must address one or more of the four Forum themes listed below. Descriptions and examples of these themes are attached: Creative Economy in Transition: Arts and Culture in Domestic and Global Markets; Measuring Arts and Culture as an Economic and Social Engine of a Country's Wealth; Consumption Dynamics: Consumers Driving Change; Innovation and Research: Mobilizing New Practices.
Tech Policy Summit: Collaborating to Drive Technology Innovation and Adoption
Hollywood, CA, 26-28 March, 2008
Tech Policy Summit is the only executive conference of its kind that brings together prominent leaders from the private and public sectors to examine critical policy issues impacting technology innovation and adoption in the United States and beyond. The nonpartisan gathering provides an independent, balanced forum for learning and networking among an exclusive group of industry insiders, government officials, nonprofit leaders and academic experts who may have different perspectives but who share a common goal of enabling innovation. The central mission is to bridge the gaps that sometimes exist – even between like-minded organizations with common goals – and to encourage more dialogue so that there is greater accord between what happens in D.C. and what matters within the technology industry. The theme for the 2008 Summit is Markets in Transition: Collaborating to Drive Technology Innovation and Adoption, and sessions will focus on America's competitiveness in the global economy and the growing impact of convergence on the high tech, digital entertainment and communications industries.
Knowledge in Space and Time: Economic and Policy Implications of Knowledge-Based Economy
Strasbourg, France, 7-9 April, 2008
Contemporary economic, social and geopolitical developments are strongly influenced by two trends: the increasing globalization of the economy and the rise of the knowledge society. This confronts Europe with major organizational challenges. The DIME (Dynamics of Institution and Markets in Europe) Network of Excellence aims to analyze the dynamic features of these processes. The “DIME-vision” is strongly rooted in the idea of multi-level governance as a way of solving many collective problems related to the generation and use of knowledge in the European society at large. Because of the localized and tacit character of knowledge, and its embodiment in specific communities of practice and networks of practitioners, it is essential to take into account the spatial nature of knowledge generation and exchange activities as well as sectoral industrial structure and the configuration of organizations. Indeed, proximity (both in a spatial and organizational sense) plays an essential role in the circulation of knowledge. In April 2008, DIME will be ending its 3rd year of existence. At this occasion, we aim to create an opportunity for the presentation of the most salient dimensions of DIME research, and to open a space for debating them with a broader community.
Second Conference on Micro Evidence on Innovation and Development
Beijing, China, 21-23 April, 2008
The aim of the conference is to bring together researchers from around the world to discuss the importance and the different dimensions of innovation in relation with economic growth and development. Contributions based on micro data from firm or household surveys, case studies and cross country comparative analyses are particularly wanted. In this second Conference, a particular emphasis will be put on innovation in China and other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa) countries. Contributions on other countries, in particular developing countries, are also welcome.
Toronto, 6-8 May, 2008
BioFinance 2008 is a gathering of some of the most innovative minds in the life science industries from Canada, US and Europe. Presenting Companies range from large publicly traded and major private companies to small early-stage opportunities. The companies will highlight their development plans for new medicines and technologies in the fields of cancer, cardiology, medical devices, neuroscience, immunology, genomics, diagnostics and new research tools.
9th International Digital Government Research Conference: Partnerships for Public Innovation
Montreal, 18-21 May, 2008
The 9th annual international conference is a forum for presentation and discussion of interdisciplinary digital government research and practice and its applications in diverse domains. The conference is presented by the Digital Government Society of North America (DGSNA), with major support from the US National Science Foundation. The conference theme, Partnerships for Public Innovation, focuses on information-intensive innovations in the public sector that involve linkages among government, universities, NGOs, and businesses. This theme emphasizes the importance of sharing practical issues, policy perspectives, research insights, and expert advice, in order to reach higher levels of performance in diverse public enterprises.
Photonics North 2008: Closing the Gap Between Theory, Development and Application
Montreal, 2-4 June, 2008
The Photonics North event is thus a unique opportunity to visit a beautiful city, participate in an outstanding international event and meet with representatives from numerous innovative photonics companies.
Advancing Small Business and Entrepreneurship: From Research to Results
Halifax, 22-25 June, 2008
Please join researchers, educators, policy makers and business service providers from around the world at the 53rd International Council for Small Business (ICSB) World Conference. The theme of the conference is "Advancing Small Business and Entrepreneurship: From Research to Results". A key aim of the conference is to bridge the gap between research and action.
Mexico City, 22-24 September, 2008
GLOBELICS (Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems) is an international network of scholars who apply the concept of "learning, innovation, and competence building system" (LICS) as their framework and are dedicated to the strengthening of LICS in developing countries, emerging economies and societies in transition. The research aims at locating unique systemic features as well as generic good practices to enlighten policy making relating to innovation, competence building, international competitiveness, regional development, labor market and human capital development. In an increasingly global and knowledge-based competition, management strategies need to be based upon an understanding of these framework conditions and the public policies which seek to regulate the environment. For the sixth conference to be held in Mexico City papers that contribute to the understanding of 'Styles' or modes of Development (or Political Economy of Development): paradigms of public policies, conflicts, trade-offs and choices among alternative public policies will be welcome.
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