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
Special event: Lord Sainsbury of Turville, UK Science and Innovation Minister
Toronto, 10 June, 1:45pm, 2002
This talk on Science and Innovation in the UK is sponsored by the British Consulate-General and the Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, and will be held in the Vivian and David Campbell Conference Facility at the Munk Centre for International Studies. For reservations, please call 416 946 8194 or email events.munk@utoronto.ca.
Ontario ranked as one the best e-government jurisdictions
A study by Bertelsmann Foundation and Booz Allen Hamilton has ranked Ontario third behind UK Online and Seattle as the best example of e-government, following an examination of 60 government websites worldwide. The study, which sought to investigate the extent to which electronic services bring citizens and their governments closer together, found that even in countries at the forefront of digital services the potential in eGovernment that remains unexploited is significant, particularly in the area of electronic participation.
Industry Minister Allan Rock Seeks Input from Canadians on Canada’s Innovation Strategy
On May 9th, 2002 Industry Minister Allan Rock called on business, labour, academia, the volunteer sector and all Canadians to work together to define an action plan to achieve Canada’s Innovation Strategy. The strategy, launched earlier this year by Minister Rock and Human Resources Development Minister Jane Stewart, included a plan for comprehensive and focused discussions that would help refine and implement the strategy.
Fuel Cells Increasingly on States’ Radar
With the growing need to identify cleaner sources of power, coupled with recent advances in alternative energy technologies, many states are targeting science and technology investments toward fuel cells. California, Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York all have made investments in fuel cell research demonstration or commercialization projects through energy related research funds. [State Science & Technology Institute]
Editor's Pick
A wide range of papers to be presented at DRUID’s June 2002 New Economy conference is now available for downloading. Papers of interest include ‘Old Economy’ Inputs for the ‘New Economy’: Cluster Formation in the New Silicon Valleys by T. Bresnahan, A. Gambardella, A. Saxenian, “The Performance of the IPR System in the New Economy” by B. Anderson, ” Venture Capital – Start up Co-evolution and the Emergence & Development of Israel’s new High Tech Cluster” by G. Anvimelech, M. Teubal, and “Buzz: The Economic Force of the City” by M. Storper and A. Venables.
Innovation Policy
Financing innovation in successful small firms: New evidence from Canada
J. Baldwin, Statistics Canada
This paper finds that for small firms certain financial strategies are more advantageous than others when it comes to supporting their investments in research and development and innovation. Small firms that use more long-term debt channel fewer of their investment resources into research and development, which are investments strongly related to growth and innovation. More debt-intensive financial structures act to constrain such investments. The businesses this study profiles are “successful entrants”, the elite 20% of new businesses that have survived their first decade of life. These firms come from many different sectors of the economy, representing a broad range of goods and service industries.
Investing in Excellence 1996-2001: A report on Federal Science and Technology – 2001
This report provides a five-year retrospective on the implementation of the Government of Canada’s science and technology strategy, Science and Technology for the New Century. This fourth in a series of science and technology reports demonstrates that the federal science and technology program has fundamentally changed since the strategy was released in 1996. New models of partnership and collaboration have been developed to enhance and expand the federal science capacity and bring together key players in science and technology, be they in government, universities or the private sector. These will make use of the considerable pool of expertise that rests outside of government.
The Role Of Computer Technology In The Growth Of Productivity
Congressional Budget Office
This report argue that the contribution of computers to overall total factor productivity growth depends not just on the speed of technological advances in computer hardware manufacturing but also on the share of computers in total output. The central issues addressed include: what contribution recent advances in computer hardware manufacturing have made to its acceleration during the late 1990s; what the nature of technological progress is in the computer industry; and whether it is reasonable to expect that technological progress to continue generating the potential total factor productivity gains as large as those experienced in the recent past.
Regional Innovation & Clusters
Local Partnerships for Better Governance
OECD
This book proposes a strategy that governments can implement to improve governance through partnerships. Applying this strategy will enforce local capacities in a globalising economy, and contribute to reconcile economic competitiveness, social cohesion and environmental progress. Country case studies include: — Innovation in Local Governance: the Irish Partnership Model — Fighting Unemployment and Social Exclusion with Partnerships in Finland — A New Approach to Economic Development in Sicily: Planning in Partnership — The Role of Partnerships in Economic Development and Labour Markets in the United States — Partnerships in Austria: Enhancing Regional Co-operation in a Decentralised Policy Framework — Broadening Social Dialogue: the Experience of the Flemish Region of Belgium — Tripartism, Partnership and Regional Integration of Policies in Denmark.
Innovation and Commercialization in Atlantic Canada
Prepared for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
With the goal of assist the Atlantic Provinces in identifying ways to improve the economic benefits to the Atlantic region via well-focused R&D, innovation and commercialization programs, this report presents a region-wide analysis of the innovation and commercialization landscape across Atlantic Canada with particular emphasis on the links to research facilities and post-secondary institutes in the region. This study builds upon recent research on R&D competencies in Atlantic Canada, and examines the current situation in the region with respect to innovation and commercialization practices. It addresses areas of strength and weaknesses, identifies opportunities for improvements and identifies lessons learned from other jurisdictions that may be applicable to Atlantic Canada.
The Austin/San Antonio Corridor: The Dynamics of a Developing Technopolis
R. W. Smilor, et al., The University of Texas at Austin
This chapter of a book titled “The U.S. Experience” examines a number of critical components in the development of the Austin/San Antonio Corridor as a technopolis. The research traces the most important events in a number of sectors from 1945 through the end of 1986, a period when the Corridor moved from being an essentially small university town within a state capital on the north and a military dependent town on the south to a developing technopolis within a region of relative general economic slowdown. This research seeks to describe the most important environmental forces, organizational issues, key individuals, and public/private sector relationships that contributed to the growth and downturn of this technopolis.
Urban Development
Canada’s Urban Strategy A Vision for the21st Century
Here is the interim report from The Prime Minister’s Caucus Task Force on Urban Issues, which was announced on May 9, 2001. Based on regional consultations, presentations, and written submissions, from provincial ministers and officials, civic politicians and administrators, community leaders, business people, and volunteer groups, the report identifies key themes that could help strengthen the quality of life in urban regions. These include the need for the Federal Government to show leadership on urban issues, for the Federal Government to be more strategic in program and service delivery, for long term, sustainable funding of programs and services and for new municipal fiscal powers to deal with increased service delivery and for horizontal initiatives from government to address cross-sectoral issues such crime prevention, poverty and homelessness.
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA): Canada’s Primary Economic Locomotive in Need of Repairs
TD Economics
Despite the GTA’s prominence in the Canadian economy, the region, according to this report from TD Bank Financial Group, suffers from a number of weaknesses including a lack of investment in infrastructure and education, low labour productivity and a hollowing out of the downtown core to the suburbs. The report focuses on what is required to address these issues, outlining the roles that need to be played by the federal, provincial and local governments.
B. Katz and A. Berube, Brookings Institution’s Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy
Despite US 2000 census results showing a general population increase in cities, the authors argue that, in fact, the dominant U.S. population trend continues to be a decentralization of economic and residential life and not a return to core cities. While many cities have recovered from their nadirs, most continue to lose ground to their suburbs, and rapidly developing new communities on the far fringes of metro areas are capturing the lion’s share of the nation’s new employment and population growth. The paper concludes with the point that given these trends, urban policy cannot be just about cities but also about forging new alliances with their surrounding suburbs, on issues from infrastructure spending and regional governance to reinvestment and affordable housing, cities.
Statistics
Canada’s ICT trade performance: 1993-2000
Statistics Canada
Here is the latest analysis from Statistics Canada on Canada’s IT trends. Over the 1993-2000 period, the ICT sector’s contribution to GDP has grown at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 11.5% compared to 3.5% for the Canadian economy. By 2000, the sector accounted for some 542,000 employees with total revenues of $132.6 billion. As of 2001, R&D in ICT accounted for 45.8% of total Canadian private sector R&D. For the most recent ICT statistics (July to December of 2001), please see Statistics Canada’s mid-year review of ICT export.
Events
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.
The KANSAI´2002 Conference – Integrating Regional and Global Initiatives in the Learning Society
Kansai (Japan), 12-15 August, 2002
This 6th International Conference on Technology Policy and Innovation will focus on economic, political, technological, ethical, and social transformations associated with the emerging global issue of knowledge for development. Participants are encouraged to present original research and to share best practices. Conference topics will include: emerging issues in science and technology government policy, the management of knowledge socioeconomic development, the geography of innovation shared prosperity and sustainability, and the tools, methods and institutions regional and global systems of knowledge creation.
From Industry to Advanced Services – Perspectives of European Metropolitan Regions
Dortmund, 27-31 August, 2002
This year’s Congress of the European Regional Science Association focuses on broadly on regional economic issues. Themed sessions include regional competitiveness, innovation and new technologies, regional and urban planning, sectoral changes and new markets, demographic trends and regional policy.
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.
Cities And Regions In The 21st Century
Newcastle upon Tyne, 17-18 September 2002
To mark their 25th year, the Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) has organized this conference to critically examines current debates in urban and regional development studies and the prospects for cities and regions over the next quarter century. Issues to be discussed include: the way in which cities and regions shape – and are shaped by – the activities and experiences of their citizens; territorial differentiation of life chances and access to services within, and between, cities and regions; the application of theories of clusters, innovation systems and knowledge-based development to the understanding of regional dynamics and their translation into policy and the revived interest in cities as motors of their regional economies.
International Conference on Quality and Innovation 
Waterloo, 22-23 October, 2002
Sponsored in part by the University of Waterloo and the American the Society for Quality, this conference brings together academic researchers, government and business leaders, and professionals to discuss and promote ideas in the areas of quality and innovation. Topics include innovation management, leadership for innovation, quality management and continuous improvement, quality culture and business ethics, creativity and e-business. Deadline for paper submittals is June 28, 2002.
Knowledge And Economic And Social Change: New Challenges To Innovation Studies
Manchester, 7-9 April, 2003
The purpose of this conference is to bring together the innovation studies community to focus on the current developments in the global economy, in technologies, and in political systems that are continuing to pose new challenges to analysis. Topics include: the increasing importance of the role of knowledge in the operation of the global economy; and the qualitative change in the conditions under which knowledge is exploited to create wealth, to improve the quality of life, and to move towards a sustainable ecosystem, economy and society. The conference is organized by Advances in the Economic and Social Analysis of Technology and the Institute of Innovation Research.
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This newsletter is prepared by Jen Nelles.
Project manager is David A. Wolfe.