The IPL newsletter: Volume 1, Issue 3

News from the IPL

INTRODUCTION

This newsletter is published by The Innovation Policy Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, 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

Ontario Budget, May 2, 2000

The Ontario contained a substantial increase in Science and Technology investments. They include: a tripling of the Ontario Innovation Trust by providing an additional endowment of $500 million for research infrastructure; doubling the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund in 2000-02 to $100 million; doubling annual funding to $10 million for the Premier’s Research Excellence Awards; an annual investment of $30 million for a new Ontario Research and Performance Fund; and $5 million for science and technology awareness and innovation over five years. There were also some tax incentives measures in the budget such as reduction in Corporate Income Tax for certain industries and the Ontario Research Employee Stock Option Deduction and the Educational Technology Tax incentive. Full details can found at the budget website:

http://www.gov.on.ca/FIN/bud00/index.htm

Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network

MEST announced on the 23rd of May in Ottawa a $57 million investment to create ORION (Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network). ORION is a high speed, state-of-the art network to be used by researchers, educators and scientists to conduct advanced research and to develop and test new technologies.

Further information: http://www.est.gov.on.ca/english/ar/nr_intro.cfm?news_id=175&body=yes

Ontario Centre for Genomic Computing

MEST announced the Ontario Research and Development Challenge Fund investment to expand the Ontario Centre for Genomic Computing at The Hospital for Sick Children (HSC) and thereby the Fund’s commitment to genetic research has reached $75 million.

For more information contact:http://www.ontariochallengefund.com/english/news/04052000.shtml

U.S. Council on Competitiveness

On March 22,  forty seven members of the Council on Competitiveness, including CEOs of some of America’s largest corporations, presidents of major U.S. universities, and prominent labor leaders, signed a letter to Congressional leaders advocating long-term investments in America’s science and technology enterprise that will strengthen U.S. competitiveness and assure future economic prosperity. The letter was delivered to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle, Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert and House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt.

http://www.compete.org/bookstore/boost_index.html

Legislation Proposed to Bring Ontario into the World of E-Commerce

John Hastings, M.P.P. Etobicoke North, has initiated legislation to put Ontario on the cutting edge of the electronic age with the introduction of his Private Member’s Bill, The E-Commerce Act, 2000.  This proposed legislation creates a legal framework for e-commerce. This legislation will have a positive impact on the demand for Ontario products and services on-line and will work to encourage the growth of e-commerce in Ontario’s communities. If passed, this legislation will help ensure that Ontario is on the forefront of the electronic age. The legislation is based on a model developed by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada, which builds on the United Nations Model Law on Electronic Commerce.
For more information on this initiative, contact Eve Horvath, in M.P.P. John Hasting’s office, at 416-325-6001.

Research Initiatives / Publications

Innovation analysis bulletin – Statistics Canada

The Innovation analysis bulletin focuses on trends in science, technology, and the information society. It includes updates on government science and technology activities, industrial research and development, intellectual property commercialization, advanced technologies and innovation, biotechnology, connectedness, telecommunications and broadcasting, and electronic commerce. The May 2000 issue contains articles on innovation in service industries, the deployment of science and technology skills, and research and development tax incentives.

The Innovation analysis bulletin (88-003-XIE, free) is now available at www.statcan.ca under Products and services, Downloadable publications
(free).

http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/88-003-XIE/0020088-003-XIE.pdf

Brain Drain and Brain Gain: The Migration of Knowledge Workers from and to Canada.

This article in the Education Quarterly Review presents the latest evidence from Statistics Canada on the extent and nature of the emigration from and immigration to Canada of highly skilled workers.

For further information contact: http://www.statcan.ca/english/indepth/81-003/feature/eq2000_v06n3_spr_a01_hi.htm

Survey of Intellectual Property Commercialization in the Higher Education Sector, 99.

The second annual survey of Intellectual Property Commercialization designed to illuminate the overall process of IP management in the higher education sector. Over 100 universities, colleges and affiliated research hospitals participated in the voluntary survey.

It is available at: http://www.statcan.ca/english/research/88F0006XIB/00001.pdf

Regional Economic Observer – Industry Canada

A quarterly publication providing an overview of the recent economic performance of Canada’s provinces and territories. (PDF format)

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_ecnmy/mera/engdoc/09.html?he=y

Forestindustry.com: A Case Study.

Part of a series of case studies by Price Waterhouse Coopers on how e-marketplaces are affecting the Canadian forest, metal and building products sectors.

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/mm01779e.html?he=y

A Shift in the Landscape: A Comparison of Third-party Intermediary Portals to Industry-backed Portals in the Global Forest and Paper Industry.

Part of a series of case studies by Price Waterhouse Coopers on how e-marketplaces are affecting the Canadian forest, metal and building
products sectors.

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/mm01781e.html?he=y

Dofasco: An e-Business Case Study.

Part of a series of case studies by Price Waterhouse Coopers on how e-marketplaces are affecting the Canadian forest, metal and building products sectors.

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/mm01782e.html?he=y

NGA Releases Second Report in New Economy Series

“Growing New Businesses with Seed and Venture Capital: State Experiences and Options”

Calling upon states to adopt policies to nurture their entrepreneurial cultures, the National Governors’ Association (NGA) released a report, the second in their New Economy series, which focuses on the best state programs to increase the availability of seed and venture capital.

http://www.nga.org/Pubs/IssueBriefs/2000/VenCapital.asp

Talent, Not Technology: Publicly Funded Research and Innovation in the UK

This report presented on May 24, 2000 by the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex focuses on publicly funded research and the need to strengthen it if the UK is to remain a world leading innovator in the 21st. century. The report finds that research is becoming increasingly international in scope and that participation in networks of innovation requires substantial investment.

http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/news/talent.html
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/news/talent.pdf

SME Policy and the Regional Dimension of  Innovation: Towards a New Paradigm for Innovation Policy

This paper prepared by Claire Nauwelaers et René Winyjes for the Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT ) examines the experience with forty innovation policy instruments in eleven European regions and discusses the issue of how to build a coherent portfolio of policy instruments, taking into account both different regional situations and specific SME needs in terms of innovation.

http://meritbbs.unimaas.nl/publications/smes.pdf

Hyperlinks

Association of European Regions of Industrial Technology

RETI is an association of industrial regions in Europe. In 1984 these regions, having found themselves facing similar economic and social challenges, created a common forum to share experience, ideas and know-how; and to serve as a strong and coherent voice in the arena of European Community policy.

http://www.association-reti.org/

 

Events

Towards a Digital Media Institute
The University of Toronto’s Knowledge Media Design Institute, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Sheridan College, and the Canadian Film Centre are continuing their 10-week lecture series: Towards a Digital Media Institute. Sessions are held on Thursdays from 3:00-5:00 pm. For more information, please go to:

http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/dmi/

Brain Gain 2000: Meeting Ontario’s Innovation Challenge

Taking place on June 1, 2000 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This one day symposium will bring together some of Ontario’s leading thinkers from the worlds of science, business, media and government to discuss the keys to competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy. The symposium is sponsored by the Ontario Challenge Fund. For more information see:

http://www.ontariochallengefund.com/english/braingain_flyer.pdf

Forum on E-Business: Moving Forward

The purpose of the Forum On E-Business, June 7, 2000 in Montreal is to discuss the work of the Canadian E-Business Opportunities Roundtable, present the experiences of companies in major sectors of the economy and identify solutions to help companies embrace
this new way of doing business. For further information visit:

http://e-com.ic.gc.ca/eteam/quebec/?he=y

This event will be held at the Omni Mont-Royal Hotel, 1050 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal. For registration information, contact Nolie
Imprévert by phone at (514) 871-4000 extension 4020 or by e-mail at nimprevert@ccmm.qc.ca

Venture Fair 2000

Brought to you by Toronto Venture Group, a member of SMART Toronto, and York Technology Association (YTA), you are invited to attend Venture Fair 2000 to be held on Wednesday, June 14, 2000 from 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. at the Sheraton Centre Hotel, 123 Queen Street West.
Venturefair.com is a one-day Internet and e-business venture capital event. Venturefair.com is the first Canadian financing event to exclusively feature Internet and e-business companies looking for capital.

For more information on this event, please visit their Web site at http://www.venturefair.com.

Partnerships 2000

A networking event organized by Materials and Manufacturing Ontario in Toronto on 15th of June, 2000, aimed at industry, universities and the financial community. For further information contact:

http://www.mmo.on.ca/partnerships_2000.htm

Creativity 2000

The National Research Council, the Canada Council for the Arts and the National Arts Centre are co-organizing a conference in Ottawa on 21st of June, 2000 called “Creativity 2000” where special attention will be placed on promoting a new alliance between the arts and sciences communities and to celebrate creativity and the arrival of the new millennium.

Contact: http://www.nrc.ca/confserv/creative/ for further information.

ED-MEDIA 2000: World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & EducationalTelecommunications

The annual conference of the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) will take place in Montreal from June 26 to July 1, 2000. The conference is hosted by the Computer Research Institute of Montréal (CRIM) Concordia University, McGill University, LICEF Research Center (Tele_université), University of Montréal, and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. For a sampling of session by topic, see

http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/sampling.htm

The early registration date is May 16. For the Advance Program or to Register, see

http://www.aace.org/conf/edmedia/advprog.htm.

Subscriptions & Comments

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think will find it of value. We look forward to collaborating with you on this initiative. If you would like to comment on, or contribute to, the content, subscribe or unsubscribe, please contact us at ipl.munkschool@utoronto.ca.

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