The IPL newsletter: Volume 2, Issue 36

Premier’s Research Excellence Awards honour western Ontario researchers

Twenty-three researchers representing four Ontario universities have received Premier’s Research Excellence Awards (PREA) for which they will receive up to $100,000 from the Ontario government and $50,000 from their university. “By celebrating research excellence”, announced Energy, Science and Technology Minister Wilson, “the Awards encourage the innovation and discoveries that will generate jobs and economic prosperity and create a better quality of life for us all. The Awards also contribute to Ontario’s ‘brain gain’ – by providing our younger scientists with the support they need to undertake leading-edge research right here in Ontario.”

A.T. Kearney/Joint Venture Study Finds That Many Silicon Valley Young People “Just Say No” To High-Tech Careers

Two-thirds of Silicon Valley students in grades 8 and 11 do not plan to pursue high-technology careers, according to a survey of 2,500 local students that is part of a study by global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney and Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. Of students not planning on technology careers, a substantial number have negative perceptions of these professions: 39 percent said that high-tech careers are uninteresting; 25 percent said these jobs are intimidating. The student-survey conducted in late 2000 is part of the 2002 Workforce Study: Connecting Today’s Youth with Tomorrow’s Technology Careers, which calls for stronger linkages between students and high-tech career opportunities, especially among Hispanic students and female students.

The role of information and communications technology in business sector growth –1981 to 2000

According to Statistics Canada, heavy investment in information and communications technology (ICT) by Canadian businesses during the past two decades was a major factor in the accelerating growth in the business sector’s economic output in last half of the 1990s. From 1981 to 2000, real business investment in ICT grew at an annual average rate of 16.2%, far outpacing investment in most other types of assets. ICT includes computer hardware, computer software and telecommunications equipment. Despite this rapid growth, however, ICT equipment remains a small share of the business sector’s aggregate capital.

Benchmarking studies: Business Incubators & Administration of Business Start-ups

Here are two comprehensive reports, commissioned by the European Commission and prepared by the Centre for Strategy and Evaluation Services, comparing national practices in business incubators and administrative processes related to business start-ups. The first report identifies best practices and key business incubator functions and concludes with an evaluation of their services and impacts. The second report compares the administrative effectiveness among member states in registering a new business in the interest of improving and simplifying the business environment for start-ups.  Benchmarks include the time, cost and capital needed to complete mandatory procedures, the number of administrative processes, and qualifications and licenses that an entrepreneur must obtain whilst setting up an enterprise.

The Future of Science and Technology in the States

This series of studies on the prospects of science and technology in various US states and regions is intended to help lawmakers and the research community better understand the current state of federal support for R&D and the impacts of federal R&D spending. Each state study gives overviews of federal funding to state firms, universities and colleges, federal laboratories and other science and technology organizations. Also included is a summary of science and technology initiatives at the state level.

Innovating Firms and Aggregate Innovation

TJ Klette, S. Kortum, NBER

In this paper, the authors develop a model of innovating firms that captures the dynamic behavior of individual heterogeneous firms, describes the evolution of an industry with simultaneous entry and exit, and delivers a general equilibrium model of technological change. While unifying the theoretical analysis of firms, industries, and the aggregate economy, the model yields insights into empirical work on innovating firms. It accounts for the persistence over time of firms’ R&D investment, the concentration of R&D among incumbent firms, and the link between R&D and patenting. Furthermore, it explains why R&D as a fraction of revenues is strongly related to firm productivity yet largely unrelated to firm size or growth.

Benchmarking National Research and Technology Development policies.

Here are some preliminary results from a benchmarking study by the European Commission on national research and technology development (RTD) policies among member states. The indicators highlight an RTD expenditure that is lower than that of the USA and Japan- and increasingly so – largely due to under-investment in the private sector. Analysis of RTD policies yields several common trends including substantial cuts in direct public funding to large companies, continued direct public support to SMEs, support for the creation of new-technology-based firms and targeted funding for science-enterprise and enterprise-enterprise collaborations. The report notes that these trends reflect a more general change of attitude, dictated by the need for more efficient spending. “Public authorities now see their role in providing not just funds but also the framework conditions.”

Inventory of economic and labour force development projects in the city of Toronto

The ICE Committee (the Intergovernmental Committee on Economic and Labour Force Development in Toronto) has released a new inventory of economic and labour force development projects in the City of Toronto. An on-going project of the ICE Committee, the inventory has been expanded to include not only intergovernmental projects but also government programs related to economic and labour force development.  The first part of the inventory includes programs of all three levels of government with a connection to economic or labour force development in the City of Toronto. The second part of the inventory includes projects or initiatives in the City of Toronto that have a direct impact on economic or labour force development and that have the current support of two or more levels of government.

Knowledge Management: Turning Knowledge Into Profit

Toronto, 19 March, 2002

Moderated by Bruce Sellery, Host of Report on Business Television’s “On the Money”, this forum will examine the key issues that determine knowledge management success for enterprises of all sizes. A panel of experts will discuss the many facets of knowledge management and the key enabling technologies that maximize the ROI associated with its implementation. Panel members include Heidi Amponsem, Principal Consultant, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Doug McCuaig, VP, eBusiness Services, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Lisa Taylor, eBusiness Team Lead, Hewlett-Packard.

European forum on business incubation: Accelerating, Connecting, Enabling 

Paris, 21 & 22 March 2002

This first European forum on business incubation will provide leading edge insights on how business incubators can succeed at ‘Accelerating, Connecting and Enabling’ young entrepreneurs businesses. Speakers will include leading venture capitalists, business angels, seed fund managers, investment bankers, government officials and senior managers of business incubators who will share with attendees critical information on best practices.

Rethinking Science Policy: Analytical Frameworks for Evidence-based Policy

Brighton, 21-23 March, 2002

This conference focuses on new models for science policy, exploring the European context where traditional foundations for science policy have been increasingly questioned during the last few decades of science policy research as policymakers search for new methods of harnessing scientific investigation. Twenty-six new papers, including eight invited papers by leading authorities in the field of science policy, will be presented.

3rd European Forum for Innovative Enterprises

Stockholm, 8-9 April, 2002

This 3rd forum organized by the European Commission will continue the series of innovation forums looking at the latest trends in creation and development of innovative start-ups. The event is designed for PAXIS partners, decision makers at local, regional and national levels, business support representatives, financing organizations, participants in the technology transfer process and other players involved in the start-up development. The Forum will look at successful approaches for innovative start-up creation with discussions on related policy issues involving Commissioner Liikanen, Mayors of European cities and internationally renowned innovation specialists. Topics to be covered include academia as business generator, cities as business incubators and change as business opportunity.

The Regional Innovation Forum Roundtable VII

Ottawa 8-9 April, 2002

This year’s Roundtable will focus on building emerging technology clusters for economic growth with the understanding that new technology waves will continue to drive regional economics. For this premier Ottawa event, internationally recognized speakers and experts on key emerging technologies will present perspectives for cluster growth. The Regional Innovation Forum for Ottawa is a joint initiative of the National Research Council, the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation and the Ottawa Life Sciences Council.  See also the preprogram booklet andregistration form.

2002 Knowledge Management Conference: Driving Business Results through Knowledge Management

Toronto, 16-17 April, 2002

The Conference Board of Canada’s 2002 Knowledge Management Conference examines design, application and implementation with practical solutions, tools and techniques related knowledge management. Questions to be addressed will be how to organize for results, how to put business processes, technology and people together and how to make knowledge management relevant to, and a driver of, business results.

Fifth Annual Milken Institute Global Conference: Building Prosperity in an Interdependent World

Los Angeles, 22-24 April, 2002

For this year’s Global Conference, The Milken Institute is joined by Forbes in producing the Global Conference that will host more than 100 expert panelists in debates of top issues on some 30 panels. The world’s foremost business executives, financiers and money managers will join leading scientists, academics, Nobel laureates and the media in examining the events of the past year, putting them in historical perspective, and debating what lies ahead. Sub-themes include:Financial Capital, Business: “The Real Economy”, Global Issues, Regional Realities Human Capital, Social Capital.

The Smart City Summit 2002

Ottawa, 23-24 April, 2002

This two day conference and trade show will bring together Canadian and International leaders, experts and visionaries in “smart” community development to explore application development, infrastructure technology and the community partnership building that leads to smart services implementation. With 50 conference speakers and a trade show with an attendance of over 8,000, the summit aims to provide all the necessary contacts, information and learning to help communities move in the “smart” direction.  Keynote speakers include Dr Andrew Cohill, Director of the Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV) at Virginia Tech, Lynn Anderson, VP Marketing, Hewlett Packard and Brad Westpfahl, Director, Government Industry Programs, IBM.

16th International Conference on Business Incubation: Explore Your World, Enrich Your Community

Toronto, 28 April – 1 May, 2002

Sponsored by the National Business Incubation Association and the Toronto Business Development Centre this international conference brings together industry leaders from around the world for four days of knowledge sharing and networking.  Along with pre-conference workshops, the conference includes three days of educational sessions and roundtable discussions covering incubation’s latest topics.

CABI’s 11^th Annual Conference on Business Incubation

Toronto, 1-3 May, 2002

This year’s Canadian Association of Business Incubators conference features wide range of plenary sessions on most aspects of business incubators.  These include best models for incubation, best practices in program development, incubators and their role in cluster creation, marketing, financing and impact measurement.

Innovation in an Evolving Economy

Ottawa, 6-7 May, 2002

Statistics Canada’s Economic Conference 2002 will be focusing on the investments required to meet the challenges of rapidly changing economic and social realities. The event will include several plenary sessions featuring invited guest speakers who are leading authorities in their fields. It will also include presentations in which participants will discuss research providing new perspectives on topics related to one of the following sub-themes: ‘Investing in a competitive Canada’, ‘Investing in the global context’, ‘Investing in infrastructure’ and, ‘Investing in an innovative work force’.

2002 International Symposium on Technology and Society: Social Implications of Information and Communication Technology

Raleigh, (North Carolina), 6-8 June, 2002

In an effort to establish a critical dialogue on the social and ethical dimensions of ICT, ISTAS’02 will bring together ICT professionals, computer science and engineering educators, scholars in the humanities and social sciences, students and policymakers to discuss several important and topical themes. These include electronic publishing, ICT and democratic processes, intellectual property rights in the digital era, social implications of wireless technology and gender issues in ICT.

Industrial Dynamics of the New and Old Economy – who is embracing whom?

Copenhagen, 6-8 June, 2002

DRUID’s Summer Conference for 2002 aims to contribute to a more satisfactory understanding of the economic and organizational mechanisms underlying the current ICT-based technological and entrepreneurial growth dynamics and to examine the interface and spillovers between the new and old sectors of the economy.  Plenary sessions will be organized along four themes: Technical Change, Corporate Dynamics & Innovation, Production and Use of Knowledge in the Old & New Economy, New Competition Policies and Intellectual Property Rights, and Organisation of Internet Industry Dynamics.  Both senior and junior scholars are invited to participate and contribute with a paper to one of the parallel sessions, which will be part of the conference.

Beyond The Boundaries: Challenges Of Leadership, Innovation, Integration, And Technology

Rome, 25-29 June, 2002

Co-hosted by St. John’s University and the Russian Academy of Sciences, this conference seeks to focus on unique perspectives on the critical issues related to multi-cultural, economic, technological, social, legal, and regulatory challenges public and private industries and organizations encounter. The Conference will include contributed paper sessions, invited and plenary presentations, case studies, round tables, panels, workshops and forums.

The International Conference on Management Best Practices

Singapore, 4-6 September, 2002

The International Conference on Management Best Practices (ICOMB) is the first in a planned series of conferences addressing important and emerging issues in management practices. Organized by NUS-PSB Centre for Best Practices and Manchester School of Management, this first conference will theme comparative perspectives on best practices.  The organizers invite practitioners and academics in the areas of management, economics, technology and science to present key aspects of their work or research to an international professional audience. Sub-themes for papers include ‘Systems and Processes’, ‘Responding to Change and External Developments’ and ‘National Issues and the Role of Best Practices’.  Deadline for receipt of abstracts or papers: March 31, 2002.

Seventh International S&T Indicators Conference

Karlsruhe, 25-28 September 2002

This conference, organized by The Fraunhofer ISI and the University of Karlsruhe, will look at whether appropriate indicators can clarify the debate on knowledge societies and the broad, radical conversion of modes of knowledge production that are claimed to accompany the shift. The main themes to be addressed include: trends and challenges in the development of novel, advanced S&T Indicators; validity and adequacy of S&T indicators; indicators reflecting modes of knowledge production; combination and integration of quantitative and qualitative approaches; and S&T Indicators for the assessment of policy effects. Deadline for submission of abstracts is April 30, 2002.

SIGDOC 2002: CONNECT

Toronto, 20-23 October, 2002

SIGDOC is the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group in Documentation, a professional organization dedicated to advancing discussion in documentation for and with computers. This year’s SIGDOC conference will include invited talks, panel discussions, posters, demonstrations, and tutorials on the following subjects: connecting theory and practice; connecting education and experience; connecting technical communications; and other disciplines, such as human factors, information retrieval, and software engineering. Deadline for submission of proposals is April 6^th.