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
Waterloo Region Most Cost-Effective in Canada
Waterloo Region, known around the world as Canada’s Technology Triangle, has been chosen as the “Most Cost Effective” area in Canada according to fDi Magazine’s Canadian Cities and Provinces of the Future 2005-06 issue. fDi magazine is part of the well-known Financial Times Group of London publishing group. This area also picked up a second place ranking for “Best IT and Telecommunications” and third place for “Best Transport”. The CTT Inc team receives recognition for the “Best FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) Promotion” for exceptional work in foreign direct investment attraction.
A Minority of Ontario SMEs View Funding as their Biggest Challenge to Growth
Only 25 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ontario report funding to be their biggest challenge to growth, according to the results of a study released today by the Innovation Synergy Centre in Markham (ISCM). Sales and marketing issues are of greater concern, with 53 per cent of SMEs identifying those areas as their major growth obstacles. The ISCM study polled 200 SMEs across the province about their main business issues. The results showed that whereas a quarter of respondents reported “funding and financial management” to be their biggest challenge, a larger portion of SMEs cited sales and marketing issues–including “sales” (13 per cent), “marketing” (12 per cent), “branding” (11 per cent), “competitive intelligence” (seven per cent), “market research” (five per cent) and “export strategy” (five per cent)–as their main growth hurdle.
Editor's Pick
Community Governance and Economic Development Strategy
This joint session of the Canadian Political Science Association and Canadian Association of Geographers held at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences in London, ON, June 2-4, 2005 contains four papers on the topic of governance and economic development. Selections cover the role of the University of Waterloo in regional economic development, civic capital and regional development, governance in Toronto’s microelectronics industry, and community participation for economic governance.
Innovation Policy
New Forms of Governance for Economic Development
OECD
Government, business and civil society are increasingly seeking ways to develop and pursue economic development strategies and solve socio-economic problems jointly. Each with a specific function, these new models complement each other to foster endogenous development and draw on every opportunity to apply local assets, skills and knowledge to promote competitiveness. Regional strategic platforms, partnerships, open governments and other agents of change help release the potential of their area thanks to better co-ordination, and adaptation to local conditions. From government to governance: the new forms imply a radical shift in ways of working. This book examines how the new forms of governance overcome administrative, political and financial obstacles and their impact on local prosperity and the quality of life. The new approach is illustrated with the results of some of the ambitious initiatives taken by Belgium, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Norway, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden. The book highlights both their strengths but also their weaknesses to make the lessons applicable to other countries.
Innovating Regions in Europe (IRE) 4th Annual Plenary Conference Proceedings
IRE
These conference proceedings include presentations on networking between industrial clusters, regional strategies for the promotion of start-ups (the PAXIS experience), financing innnovation, and on new projects and initiatives.
Cities, Clusters & Regions
Jean Sebastien Beaucage and Catherine Beaudry, École Polytechnique de Montréal
The paper studies the size and structure of collaboration networks within biotechnology clusters in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Using the information contained in specific biotechnology patents of Canadian scientists, 743 networks of collaborators were identified, the largest involving 183 researchers. The best network has a ratio of 11.7 collaborations per researchers which implies that on average scientists affiliated to that network have worked almost 12 times with one another. Other general findings include the fact that Montreal has a greater number of networks more concentrated within its boundaries but that Toronto with a smaller number of scientists benefits more decentralized knowledges networks.
Research & Development
Factors Affecting University-Industry R&D Collaboration: The Importance of Screening and Signaling
Roberto Fontana, Aldo Geuna, Mireille Matt, Bureau d’economie theorique et appliquee (BETA)
This paper presents an empirical analysis of the determinants of research cooperation between
firms and Public Research Organisations (PROs) for a sample of innovating small and mediumsized enterprises. In contrast to earlier works that provide information about the importance of PROs’ research, the auhors know how many collaborative projects a firm has had with
PROs. This enables them to study the determinants of firms’ collaboration with PROs in terms of both the propensity of a firm to cooperate with a university (do they cooperate or not) and the extent of this cooperation (the number of collaborations). The results of the analysis point to two major phenomena. First, the propensity to forge an agreement with an academic partner depends on the ‘absolute size’ of the industrial partner. Second the openness of firms to the external environment, as measured by their willingness to search, screen and signal, significantly affects the development of cooperations with PROs. The findings suggest that acquiring knowledge through the screening of publications and involvement in public policies positively affects the probability of signing an agreement with a PRO, but not the level of collaboration developed. In fact, firms that outsource research and development (R&D), and patent to protect innovation and to signal competencies show higher levels of collaboration.
Research and Development: How the “D” Got into R&D
Benoit Godin
This paper traces the history of the concept R&D through seventy years of work on taxonomies and statistics on research. It identifies three stages in the construction of development as a category. First, development was only a series or list of activities without a label, but identified for inclusion in questionnaire responses. Second, development came to be identified as such by way of creating a subcategory of research, alongside basic and applied research. Third, development became a separate category, alongside research. It gave us the acronym we now know and use: R&D. Although development is a category of industrial origins, three factors contributed to the inclusion of development in official definitions of research:
Biotechnology
The Dynamics of California’s Biotech Industry
Junfu Zhang and Nikesh Patel
This report on the state of biotech industry in California concludes that the state retains a sharp biotech edge, despite reports of firms leaving the state or establishing plants elsewhere. The authors note that the state generates more than half of U.S. biotech revenues and accounts for nearly half of national R&D spending. California biotech garnered 46 percent of the venture capital invested in biotech between 1992 and 2001 and accounts for 40 percent of the nation’s biotech jobs. Nonetheless, this report warns against assuming biotech will produce the same economic boom for California and the U.S. as produced by information technology during the last decade. It points to the longer time for biotech start-ups to reach profitability, the lack of network effects driving exponential growth, and no foundation technology promoting growth in other sectors. The lengthy report provides policymakers with an in-depth review of the California environment that nurtured the industry.
Start-Ups, Firm Growth and Consolidation of the French Biotech Industry
Eric Avenel, Frederic Corolleur, Caroline Gauthier, and Carole Rieu, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory
This study examines the biotech landscape from three location types: administrative regions, science genopoles, and clusters with more than 10 biotech firms within 20 kilometers. Administrative regions are comparable to states, while genopoles would be comparable to Metropolitan Statistical Areas in the U.S. with government established science parks. Based on regression analysis, the authors found that firm size made a difference in growth, with smaller firms experiencing less growth than larger firms during both time periods. They also found location has a significant impact on growth – and that these locations varied greatly for time periods before and after the new 1999 legislation was enacted. From 1999–2002, the authors identified the best soil for biotech growth was in Marseille and its surrounding region and Nonterre within the Ile de France region. These two cities may have benefited from new structures and relationships resulting from the 1999 Allegre Act. This law provided incentives to those participating in new firm creation and encouraged structures for technology transfer and valorization. At the same time, France established mechanisms for venture capital dedicated to biotechnology, created bio-incubators, and genopole science parks. Before France passed the Allegre Act, the biotech terrain from 1996–1999 favored Strasbourg within the Alsace area and the Rhone-Alpes region with growth in both Lyon and Grenoble. The authors note that the Alsace region may have benefited from German funding offered biotech companies before 1999.
Events
Digital Cities: The Augmented Public Sphere
Milano, Italy, 13-16 June, 2005
Participants in this workshop will discuss the opportunities and challenges resulting from the digitalization of public space. Among the issues to be addressed are the goals and the outcomes of prior virtual public spaces, difficulties encountered by civic and community networks, the limitations of digital cities, and the new frontiers of e-participation, e-consultation and e-democracy. The workshop will focus on any topics relevant to discuss how Information and Communication Technologies are reshaping the human relationships at the urban level and the public space of our cities.
Montreal, 15-17 June, 2005
This forum will provide a venue to present the latest achievements in nanoscience and nanotechnology in Canada, inform the community on recent enhancements in research facilities, and to address questions of funding and access to newest equipment.
Cooperation for Regional Innovation: Creating Regional, National and International Networks
Helsinki, 16-17 June, 2005
The Region is full of talents and possibilities for Innovation. However, cooperation is needed to make effective use of the research capacities, entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and local strengths in your region. In a dynamic field with many actors and rapid and constant change, scientifically proven and policy tested toolkits are hard to come by. What is needed is a structure that allows decision and policy makers to learn from each others experiences. The Technopolicy Network provides the platform to facilitate this inter-organisational learning. The main issues on the agenda include the organization of regional innovation, success and failures of policy instruments, leadership and the role of the policy maker, organizing cooperation, entrepreneurship and innovative regions – between cooperation and competition.
UK eLearning Regions and Cities Conference
Oxford, UK, 21-22 June, 2005
The 2005 UK eLearning Regions and Cities Conference will bring together the most up to date information in eLearning for regional authorities. The 2005 conference will also work with groupings of regional stakeholders (e.g. the RDA, representatives from LEAs and from HE and FE institutions, local LSCs, employers and workforce representatives, as well as locally based technology providers) to work on regional strategy and tactics. Policy is all very well, but what is needed is a sense of mutually aware action: more than just talk.
Dynamics of Industry and Innovation: Organizations, Networks and Systems
Copenhagen, Denmark, 27-29 June, 2005
The DRUID Ten Year Anniversary Summer Conference will be held at the Copenhagen Business School. The conference’s scientific committee will consider all papers in the order in which they arrive with respect to novelty, academic quality and the proposed paper’s relation to the theme of the conference.
Beyond Clusters: Current Practices and Future Research Strategies
Ballarat, Australia, 30 June – 1 July, 2005
The cluster conference is hosted by the Centre for Regional Innovation & Competitiveness (CRIC) at the University of Ballarat. CRIC is inviting scholars and practitioners to submit papers for presentation at the conference. The conference will address a range of critically important themes relating to clustering. Papers are welcomed on the following topics: Cluster Policy, Clustering Tools, Cluster Measurement and Benchmarking, Skills and training, Cluster investment and attraction and Beyond Clusters. The conference will result in two refereed publications: a special journal edition on clustering and refereed conference proceedings. If you are interested in contributing to one of these refereed publications, please submit an abstract of up to 400 words no later than April 29, 2005. Full papers will be due by May 27th, 2005.
The Process of Innovation and Learning in Dynamic City Regions
Bangalore, India, 13-15 July, 2005
The event will offer a unique exchange platform for policy-makers, academics, innovation practitioners and stakeholders about the governance systems of City-Regions to successfully create the conditions for industrial development to boost by building up local capabilities and, at the same time, linking to international networks.
Global Aspects of Technology Transfer: Biotechnology
London, UK, 4-9 September, 2005
The 2005 GRC offers opportunities to present and discuss biotechnology impacts on World economy and how it relates to scholarly research on technology transfer between government, industry, and universities/nonprofits. The meeting will have a distinctly global perspective, as the Chair and Vice-Chair believe that challenges in biotechnological technology transfer are increasingly universal in nature, and that addressing these challenges requires this perspective. Research being undertaken, for examples, by MMV, TB Alliance, the Pharmaceutical Industries, the World Bank, World Trade Organization, World Health Organization, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the Center for Management of IP in Health R&D, and others are leading to insights on this evolution. By examining in the Gordon Conference format new and innovative ideas emerging from such research, the organizers hope to continue to stimulate thoughtful discussion, engage the participants, and catalyze the dissemination of the fruits of biotechnology to the world community in a sustainable, economically viable and socially responsible manner.
Innovations and Entrepreneurship in Functional Regions
Uddevalla, Sweden, 15-17 September, 2005
The objectives of the symposium/conference are: i) to provide a unique opportunity for scholars and senior and junior researchers to discuss path-breaking concepts, ideas, frameworks and theory-essentials in plenary key-note sessions and parallel competitive paper sessions, and ii) to facilitate the development and synthesis of important contributions into cohesive and integrated collections for potential publication. The conference will focus on the themes of international entrepreneurship; innovation, entrepreneurship policy and regional development; entrepreneurship in the public andnon-profit sector; innovation, academic entrepreneurship and high tech firms in functionalregions; and SMEs, immigrant entrepreneurship and local economic development. Paper submissions will be considered until March 15, 2005.
Creative Places + Spaces 2: Risk Revolution
Toronto, 30 September – 1 October, 2005
This conference is dedicated to unlocking the creative potential of people and places through innovative social, educational, cultural, environmental and economic initiatives. In addition to onstage presentations, the conference will offer a Creativity Marketplace, which will provide organizations an opportunity to display materials and meet with delegates to exchange ideas and share information about their work in a less formal setting. We also invite the submission of feature articles and story ideas for the Creative Places + Spaces NewsJournal. The conference welcomessubmissions of dynamic presentations, demonstration projects and case studies from practitioners in the fields of arts, science, business, government, education and social services suitable for the conference.
Building a Brighter Future: Building Tech Based Economies
Atlanta, 19-21 October, 2005
The urgent need to focus public investment on the more distant horizon has been the recurring and underlying theme for all of the national discussion on unbalanced federal R&D budget priorities, the need for a national innovation strategy, and the challenge and opportunity presented by a “flat world” (to borrow a phrase from Thomas Friedman). SSTI’s 2005 conference in Atlanta provides a unique and timely forum to advance understanding of the states’ and regions’ evolving roles as leaders in fostering the continued competitiveness of the U.S. economy.
Belfast, UK, 24-26 October, 2005
This is the only annual international conference on policy for the creative industries. The growth of creative industries has been explosive – communities, cities, regions and nations are embracing this shift, leveraging their culture to build valuable assets that can transform their economies. In the UK creative industries are growing twice as fast as any other – at a rate of 8% per year. Creative Clusters are accepting presentation proposals on the following four conference themes: Investing in Creativity, Delivering Skills for Creativity, Inclusion through Creativity, and an open session.
Toulouse, France, 27-29 October, 2005
This conference will bring together academic and industrial decision makers and their municipal counterparts with a view to fostering debate and discussion about best practices with respect to the creation, management and development of technology clusters.
Pretoria, South Africa, 31 October – 4 November, 2005
Globelics (the Global Network for the Economics of Learning, Innovation and Competence Building Systems) is a framework for scholars who use the concepts of learning, innovation and competence building systems as part of their analytical framework. The network is especially focused on the strengthening of research on learning and innovation systems in developing countries. In the region most in need of human and economic development, Globelics Africa 2005 aims to further examine the links between innovation, development and growth. The conference also aims to build research capacity in Africa by establishing contact between researchers from Africa and from other regions of the world, both from leading academic centres, and from other developing contexts. In addition, the conference aims to rethink and reframe the challenges of the African continent in the light of insights from innovation systems research. Scholars from innovation studies will contribute a range of approaches and perspectives to guide research, policy formulation and action to bring about societal transformation through enhanced learning, innovation and knowledge competencies.
Calgary, 16-17 November, 2005
This conference provides a forum where the innovation community of Western Canada can gather annually to network, review the latest developments, solve problems and take specific industry recommendations forward for action. Among the topics to be discussed are applied research, the culture of innovation, innovation policy and innovation support.
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This newsletter is prepared by Jen Nelles.
Project manager is David A. Wolfe.