The IPL newsletter: Volume 2, Issue 19

Sustainable Development and the New Economy 
A wide selection of speeches and presentations are now available from the OECD forum on Sustainable Development and the New Economy, May 2001.  Topics of interest include “Fostering Knowledge Based Enterprises”, “New Economy, New Enterprises and Dot.coms” and “Reaping the Full Benefits of ICT in the New Economy”. 

The Future Challenges of Economic Development : Bricks and/or Clicks ?
Presentations from the 5th European Congress of Development Agencies held in April 2001, are now available for downloading.  Topics include “The challenges of e-economy for the Regional Development Agencies and regions”, “The needs in infrastructure of the new economy”, and “E-marketing of a region”.

Forthcoming book –  Innovation and Social Learning: Institutional Adaptation in an Era of Technological Change 
M. Gertler & D. Wolfe (Eds.) 
This forthcoming book, to be published by Macmillan/Palgrave, 2001, explores the challenge of how social learning occurs in the context of organizations and institutional frameworks.  The collection of essays address such questions as how well – or ill– suited are the institutions of a region, nation or international regime to the task of coping with the challenge of technological change underway in the global economy and, how social learning actually occurs in an institutional context.  Available for downloading is theIntroduction, Chapter 6 ‘Technology, Culture and Social Learning: regional and national institutions of governance‘ (Meric Gertler), and Chapter 11, ‘Negotiating Order: Sectoral Policies and Social Learning in Ontario‘ (David Wolfe).

Services Innovation: A Reconfiguration of Innovation Studies
I. Miles, PREST
This paper examines some major trends in, and results of, the burgeoning literature on services innovation. The author finds that services do indeed innovate, technologically and organizationally, though there are substantial and intelligible differences in innovation propensity and style across different classes of service firm and sector.  Large-scale service firms in many service branches play important roles in orchestrating innovation (mainly through their supply chains) as do Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS) which play important roles in facilitating innovation across the economy. 

Overview of Canada’s Service Economy
Here are the latest figures on Canada’s service economy.  The briefing, prepared by Industry Canada, looks at technology, innovation and R&D in service industries as well as human resources, investment and trade.

Growth and the territorial configuration of economic activity.
P. Maskell, DRUID
This paper, prepared for the upcoming Nelson and Winter conference, investigates the nature of the geographical agglomeration (or cluster) when knowledge creation becomes key. The author suggests a way of structuring our understanding of how the cluster partakes in knowledge creation, arguing for the need to establish a specific theory of the clusters that places learning on center stage and is based on the competitive advantages of co-localization in an emerging knowledge-based economy.  For a complete listing of  conference papers, please visit the DRUID website.

The Shape of Things to Come
Prepared by the Toronto Dominion Bank, this report assesses Canada’s overall growth prospects up to 2010.   Among the findings is that the upward trend in the relative size of the service sector has occurred in spite of the slipping prominence of the public sector over the past decade, a trend attributable to the burgeoning IT industries.  As to the slump in the IT sector observed in recent months, it is likely to run its course by the end of 2001 as the long-term (or structural) shift in demand towards these “new economy” industries remains intact during the 2002-10 period.

How variations of economic activity can push or pull innovative activity
C. le Bas, Universite Lyons
Building on the idea that economic  activity can ‘push’ or ‘pull’ innovative activities, this paper identifies the channels by which the variations of economic activity acts on innovative activities.  The links between the business cycle and both innovative activity and firm creation are examined along with the relationship between demand growth and the persistence of innovative behaviour.

European Union – Canada Science & Technology Cooperation
Toronto, June 5, 2001
The European Commission, in association with federal and provincial R&D funding agencies, is convening a series of seminars to inform Canadians about the procedures for partnering with consortia involved in the European Union’s (EU) five-year Framework Programs on Research and Development. Technical experts and program officers from the European Commission will present cooperation opportunities for the 2002/2006 Sixth EU Framework R&D Program. The partner identification process, matchmaking and technical cooperation procedures will be described. Canadians who have participated in the EU Framework Programs will provide testimonials of their experience. 

CITO Toronto TechTalk Workshop: The Interactive Digital Technologies Shaping What We See, How We See It & Where We See It
Toronto, June 6, 2001
This talk takes a look at interactive digital media technologies, exploring how they will shape what we see in the future, where we see it and how we see it.  The impact of advances in digital media technology and techniques will be examined in three application areas: industry, education and entertainment offering broad overview of the influence that digital media technologies are now having.

IASP World Conference: Science and Technology Parks in the Knowledge and Digital Economy
Bilbao, Spain June 10-13th, 2001
The main objective of this conference is to make an overall assessment of the role to be played by Science Parks, incubators and universities faced with the challenges and opportunities of the Knowledge Society and Digital Economy.  Speakers include Stephen Denning, Programme Director of Knowledge Management at the World Bank, Manuel Castells, Professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of California-Berkeley and, Jill R. Felix, President and CEO of the University City Science Center of Philadelphia.

Bridging the Investment Gap Conference
Montreal, June 13-14, 2001
The Bridging the Investment Gap Conference will explore the new ideas, best practices and lessons learned by 22 pilot projects established under the Canada Community Investment Plan (CCIP) of Industry Canada. CCIP has created bridges between entrepreneurs and angel investors, facilitating a reported $150 million in risk capital for 250 businesses outside the main financial centres. 

Nelson and Winter Conference
Aalborg, Denmark,  June 12-15, 2001
To commemorate the 20 years since Dick Nelson and Sid Winter published their seminal book An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change DRUID (Danish Research Unit of Industrial Dynamics), in collaboration with the journals Research Policy and Industrial and Corporate has organized this conference to address six main themes.  These include, 
‘Growth, Development and Structural Change’, ‘National Systems of Innovation, Institutions and Public Policies’ and, the ‘Production and Use of Knowledge.’

The 5th International Conference on Technology, Policy and Innovation
The Hague, Netherlands Congress Centre, June 26-29, 2001
Theme: Critical Infrastructures
The conference focuses on how infrastructures such as those enabling transportation of goods and people, telecommunications, and the supply and distribution of energy and water have become vital to the daily functioning and security of society.  Proposals are invited for workshops or presentations dealing with vulnerability, institutional management, historical lessons, innovation, and methodologies for interdisciplinary analysis and design, all related to critical infrastructures.

Canadian eBusiness Leadership Forum: Canada’s Internet Future
Toronto, June 26-28
At this Forrester two-day Event, industry leaders and Forrester analysts will focus on what is needed to: compete in the new arena of Canadian eBusiness; build strong and collaborative B2B relationships; and deliver products and services to online Canadians.  Speakers include: Jean C. Monty, Chairman and CEO, BCE, Marty Lippert, Vice Chairman and CIO, Royal Bank of Canada, and John D. Wetmore, President and CEO, IBM Canada.

Knowledge: the New Wealth of Nations?
Amsterdam, June 28 – July 1, 2001
The 13th Annual Meeting on Socio-Economics will focus on the role of scientific knowledge in the economy and in innovation and, the role of social scientific knowledge in social and economic policy.

The Future of Innovation Studies
Eindhoven , September 20-23, 2001
The Center for Innovation Studies (ECIS) at Eindhoven University has organized a conference on ‘The Future of Innovation Studies’ which will host a number of plenary sessions featuring some of the key contributors to the field of innovation studies. Invited speakers include Giovanni Dosi, Ranjay Gulati and Bengt-Åke Lundvall.  The conference will include topics in all areas of the social sciences perspective on the innovation process. Special emphasis will be placed on contributions in the area of the economics of technological change, innovation management, and sociology of innovation processes.