The IPL newsletter: Volume 3, Issue 54

Government Industry Partnerships for Development of New Technologies

Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy

This review of public-private partnerships in the U.S. is comprehensive in scope, identifying best practices that can guide future policymaking.  Partnerships, it is argued, provide an important role in accelerating the development of new technologies from ideas to market and give an institutional structure for linking the various participants of the U.S. innovation system. Moreover, because they are flexible, partnerships are found to be an effective means to rapidly focus diverse expertise and innovative technologies to counter new threats. The report highlights the need to provide support for basic and applied research across a broad range of disciplines, especially in relatively neglected disciplines such as physics, chemistry, mechanical and electrical engineering.

Organizational Learning in Multinationals: R&D Networks of Japanese and U.S. MNEs in the U.K.

A. Lam Brunei University

This paper examines the ways in which national patterns of organization and innovation affect Japanese and U.S. MNEs’ global R&D networks and transnational learning. In particular, it focuses on how these MNEs tap into a foreign academic knowledge base and scientific labour through collaborative links with higher education institutions. Relative to many Japanese MNEs, the author finds that U.S. firms have developed a greater organizational capacity for coordinating globally dispersed learning and embedding themselves in local innovation networks largely because of their liberal institutional environment. By contrast, Japanese MNEs appear to be more limited in their transnational learning because of the much more tightly integrated organizational and business system within which they are embedded.

Survey of Innovation: Statistical tables, manufacturing industries, Canada

A series of statistical tables based on results of the 1999 Survey of Innovation is now available. This document includes a description of survey methodology and statistical tables for manufacturing industries at the national level for all non write-in questions. Survey data are compiled in the following categories: competitive environment, percentage of innovative firms, sources of information, objectives, problems and obstacles, impact, cooperative and collaborative arrangements, research and development, intellectual property, and government support programs.

17th CEIES seminar: The new economy — Key measurement issues

Eurostat

Here is a complete summary, papers included, from the 2002 CEIES Seminar looking at measurement issues of the new economy. Papers pertain to definitional and statistical aspects of the new economy as well as international and macroeconomic issues. Titles include: ‘The Rise And Fall Of The U. S. New Economy’; ‘Eurostat’s Recent Work On The Measurement Of The Information Society’; and ‘The New Economy – Key Measurement Issues In International Comparisons’.

CITO InnoTalk – Securing Venture Capital For Your Early-Stage Technology Based Business

Waterloo, 4 February, 2003

This InnoTalk will explore the early-stage venture capital process. Topics will include: developing a business concept that venture capitalists will be interested in financing, what to include in your pitch to venture capitalists, tips for obtaining venture capital in this market, understanding venture capital deal structures (term sheets, due diligence), and what to expect after you get venture capital.

Talk: Making a Difference: Canada’s Influence on International Science 

Ottawa, 10 February

As guest speaker for the Canada Foundation For Innovation’s 5th annual public meeting, Michael Gibbons, Secretary General, Association of Commonwealth Universities, will be discussing Canada’s impact on the international science community.

Technology Clusters – By Accident or Design?

Ottawa, 19 February, 2003

Organized by Re$earch Money, this conference will bring together some of Canada’s most experienced practitioners in creating economic activity around technology in different regions of the country. These include investors, community leaders, industry leaders and representatives from different levels of government. The one-day program includes 5 sessions that will look at the concept of clusters and their development as well as the investor and government perspectives on clusters.

Tech~Expo: The Discovery Marketplace

Toronto, 26 February 2003

This event brings together promising advanced research from university, community college and government laboratories, businesses looking for commercialization opportunities, and technology and business advisors. The focus will be on information technology, software, microelectronics and communications. The one-day program features short, information packed presentations, networking, partnering and technology transfer opportunities that can drive product and manufacturing innovation.

Jump-Starting Innovation: Government, Universities and Entrepreneurs

Raleigh, NC 10 & 11 February, 2003

This 2003 Emerging Issues Forum at North Carolina State University will assess traditional means of economic development and analyze new strategies for fostering high-growth entrepreneurial firms and applying new technologies to traditional firms. At the center of these discussions will be the proper and most effective roles for research universities in a knowledge-driven economy. Panels include: Innovation and an Entrepreneurial Culture; Innovation and Rural Economy; States and Technology-Led Economic Development National Perspectives; States and Technology-Led Economic Development State Perspective; New Roles for Universities and Community Colleges in Economic Development; and University Research Alliances.

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.

The Knowledge-based Economy: New Challenges in Methodology, Theory and Policy

Augsburg, Germany 9-12 April 2003

This 3rd European Meeting of Applied Evolutionary Economics focuses on the most important aspects of knowledge-based economies within the framework of evolutionary economics. Conference themes include: knowledge and learning; dynamics of technological and qualitative change; industrial organization in a knowledge-based economy; evolution of institutions financial markets in knowledge-based economies; and policy in a knowledge-based economy. Deadline for submission of extended abstracts: October 18, 2002.

Evaluation of Government Funded R&D Activities

Vienna, 15-16 May, 2003

The aim of this conference is to discuss recent scientific contributions to the understanding of the effects and implications of government funded R&D activities. It will focus on recent theoretical, qualitative and quantitative studies and the exploration of different approaches to evaluate their effects. An applied workshop with policy makers will be organized on “What we know and what we should know about evaluation of technology policy” at the end of the conference. Deadline for submission of abstracts: February 2003, 15th.

Innovation through Collaboration: Clusters, Networks, Alliances

Manchester, 8-11 June, 2003

This conference aims to address the issues associated with collaboration in the context of recent research which suggests that as many as 50-70% of strategic alliances will fail within four years due to a vast array of cultural, political, technological and commercial factors. It will provide a forum for academics, business people and consultants to discuss these issues in depth by presenting the latest academic papers, delivering company presentations on the subject and running interactive workshops. Selected proceedings will be published in a special edition of The Journal of Enterprising Culture.  The conference is organized by the International Society for Professional Innovation Management.

Creating, Sharing And Transferring Knowledge: The role of Geography, Institutions, Organizations

Copenhagen, 12-14 June, 2002

The conference has four main objectives: to contribute to a more satisfactory understanding of the mechanisms underlying the way in which knowledge is created, shared and transferred; to examine the promoting or inhibiting effect of particular circumstances of organizational context, institutional setting or geographical configuration, such as cities and agglomerations or clusters; to investigate arrangements particularly capable of enhancing, capturing and utilizing end consumer knowledge; and to consider the implications for managerial strategy and public policy. Both senior and junior scholars are invited to participate and contribute with a paper to the conference.

Communities and technologies (C&T 2003)

Amsterdam or Bonn, 19-21 September, 2003

This international conference is a forum for stimulating and disseminating research into all facets of communities and information technology. Attendees represent multidisciplinary research efforts from applied computer science and social science. The 2003 conference will focus on presentations and discussion of empirical and conceptual research on a wide range of topics including (Virtual) Community formation and development; Virtual communities vs. location-based communities; Digital cities, and Design methods for communityware. The deadline for submission of full research papers is March 14, 2003.

What Do We Know About Innovation? A Conference in Honour of Keith Pavitt

Brighton, 13-15 November, 2003

This conference is in recognition of the lifetime contribution of Professor Keith Pavitt to the study of innovation. Keith’s work was based on a deep empirical understanding of innovation and firm behaviour, and he placed particular emphasis on the development of new data, methods, and taxonomies. His contributions spanned economics, management and science and technology policy. The conference is organized around the major themes of his work, including the structure, dynamics and management of innovation processes, the relationship between basic research and technical change, knowledge and the theory of the firm, the globalization of R&D, and science and technology policy.