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
Michigan’s Jobs Fund Commits $200million for Commercialization, VC
Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm has announced the first round of awards from the states new 21st Century Jobs Fund initiative. Totaling more than $100 million, these awards will support applied research and later-stage commercialization of promising new technologies developed at Michigan’s public and private research centers. The inaugural round of 61 awards is expected to create more than 3,000 new in-state jobs and to fuel new business development in the life sciences, alternative energy, homeland security, and advanced automotive technologies. The Fund is managed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), which operates as a partnership between the state, private companies and local communities. Approximately $800 million of the $2 billion fund overseen by MEDC will directly support the commercialization of new technologies over the next 10 years.
$20 million in Funding Supports 126 Research/Innovation Projects in Ontario
The Ontario government says it is providing $20 million to support 126 projects under the Ontario Research Fund. The funding will help to finance much-needed equipment for the researchers, including lab equipment, specimens and computer software. The provincial investment matches funding commitments made by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Project funding is shared among the CFI (up to 40%), the province (up to 40%), and the research institutions (at least 20%). Under the Ontario Research Fund, the government has committed $550 million to provide operating, overhead and capital funding for R&D in the provinces universities and hospitals, and to leverage support from the federal government and private industry.
Editor's Pick
R&D Satellite Accounts: Preliminary Estimates
Sumiye Okubo et al. NSF
According to this report investment in research and development accounted for 4.5 percent of the growth of inflation-adjusted U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) between 1959 and 2002. This value has increased in recent years, with R&D contributing to 6.5 percent of GDP growth from 1995 to 2002. These statistics are a result of a recent effort to chart how intangible assets, which are not normally used in GDP calculations, affect economic growth. According to BEA Director Steve Landefeld, some 40 percent of U.S. productivity and growth is unaccounted for in the annual GDP calculations. Research and development is one of those intangible assets that are not currently incorporated in BEA calculations. With the assistance of the National Science Foundation, R&D expenditure data was collected and then used to create separate estimates to calculate these economic measurements. Besides the contributions to GDP, the estimates stated that if R&D was included as an investment and not as an expense, business investment would be 11 percent higher and the national savings rate would be 2 percent higher.
Innovation Policy
EUROPA
Earlier this month, the European Commission laid out a broad-based innovation strategy to improve the Community’s ability to compete effectively in the global economy. Each of the 10 action items listed include several recommendations for the member states to implement individually, as well as select items at the Union level. Regional innovation strategies comprise a central element of the planning and budgetary allocation of the action plan, and the list includes several components with relevance to the 50 states and the U.S. federal government. The top priority is for member states and universities to establish innovation-friendly education systems to promote creativity and to focus curricula on skills consistent with a knowledge-based society. In addition, they should provide incentives for structured partnerships of universities with the business community. Finally, member states and universities should ensure that entrepreneurial, management and innovation skills development become an integral part of graduate education, research training and lifelong learning strategies for university staff.
The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent
Richard Florida
Richard Florida, author of The Flight of the Creative Class speaks to Association of American Colleges and Universities 2006 Annual Meeting on the United States as a global giant on the verge of a tough economic battle to stay at the cutting edge. He explores the location dynamics and flows of talent and innovation and concludes that a relatively few regions are net importers of talent. This is linked to the quality and dynamism of colleges, universities and research labs – these ‘hubs’ of creativity. Listen to a podcast of this talk.
Financial Innovations for Accelerating Medical Solutions
Milken Institute
This timely report offers innovative financial solutions to help solve the serious decline in funding for early-stage biomedical research. These ideas, which stem from Financial Innovations Labs hosted by the Institute, have the potential to accelerate the development of new medicines and treatments for people with life-threatening diseases. The report offers an overview of the issue: Despite the enormous potential of biomedical research to cure disease, public and private funding has declined – a trend that could jeopardize efforts to find improved treatments for people with life-threatening illnesses.
Cities, Clusters & Regions
Innovation Strategies for SMEs and Clusters: The Challenge of a Globalized Europe
Massimo Florio and Emanuele Ozzimo, University of Milan
This paper discusses the the challenges for the European SMEs facing increased global competition, and how it is possible to design innovative strategies through the new Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective. First, the paper offers an assessment of the importance of SMEs in the EU context and particularly in the regions concerned by the new objective. Secondly, the paper will discuss how globalization poses a serious threat to this development pattern. Thirdly, it briefly explains why further labour market and product liberalization policies probably have a limited potential. Fourth, there is a wide empirical literature, and a lot of practical experience, on innovation strategies for SMEs and clusters in Europe. The paper will offer a critical assessment of these findings and will suggest how to make the best use of the limited, but critical, resources available under the new Regional Competitiveness Objective.
Colorado Nanotechnology Roadmap
Colorado’s nanotechnology roadmap was designed with the purpose of leveraging existing nanotechnology investment, research and human capital in the state to facilitate the growth of an emerging nanotechnology cluster. Outcomes of the project include a nanotechnology roadmap, a condensed roadmap miniplan, a database of companies, labs and universities involved in nanotechnology, a database of 500 national nanptechnology companies, a capabilities inventory report for Colorado, a primary metrics report, a secondary metrics report, and web site content for the Colorado Nanotechnology Alliance (CNA).
Statistics & Indicators
A Composite Index of the Creative Economy with Application to Regional Best Practices
Harry P Bowen et al. Vlerick Leuven Ghent Management School
This paper develops a “Composite Index of the Creative Economy” (CICE) for the purpose of benchmarking an entity’s (e.g., country or region) creative capacity as reflected by it’s achievement in three dimensions: Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Openness. To determine the weight each sub-dimension should contribute to the total value of the CICE, we introduce a novel method – endogenous weighting – that allows each entity to have its own unique set of “best” weights. This method addresses the issue of whether an entity’s CICE score value reflects underlying capabilities (or lack thereof) or an “inappropriate” weighting of the underlying dimensions. Our endogenous weight method isolates achievement on the underlying dimensions as the source of a higher or lower CICE score value. This paper constructs a value of the CICE for each of nine regions: Baden-Württemberg, Catalonia, Flanders, Lombardy, Maryland, Nord-Pas-De-Calais,Quebec, Rhône-Alpes, Scotland. The results indicate that Baden-Württemberg ranks highest in terms of creative capacity while Nord-Pas-De-Calais ranks lowest among the nine regions. Flanders ranks 3rd behind 2nd ranked Maryland. However, Flanders’ rank masks that its CICE score value is 25% below that of Baden-Württemberg and 11% below that of Maryland, indicating a non-trivial gap in creative capacity between Flanders and “best practice.”
Survey of Intellectual Property Commercialization in the Canadian Higher Education Sector, 2004
Cathy Read, Statistics Canada
Universities and their affiliated research hospitals make an important contribution to innovation in Canada’s economy. Besides generating new knowledge and training highly qualified graduates, some of the technology they produce is patented and licensed to companies for incorporation into commercial products. This is the fifth survey of intellectual property commercialization in the higher education sector.
Events
Transforming Communities Through Culture: Creative City Network Conference 2006
Toronto, 18-21 October, 2006
This conference unites academics, planners and policy makers alike in a celebration and exploration of creative cities. The program contains a variety of presentations, including papers and dramatic performances. The themes covered this year include cultural diversity and inclusion, mobilizing citizens/engaging diverse communities, and shared/public spaces.
Universities and the Powering of Knowledge: Policy, Regulation and Innovation
Ottawa, 19-20 October, 2006
Intended for participants involved in or interested in higher education, S&T and innovation policies, the conference will examine ways in which Canadian Universities have been changed, willingly or unwillingly, by federal and other policies and regulation and by efforts to make universities into an innovation engine of the knowledge-based economy. The conference will also explore likely future issues and forces which will influence Canadian universities in the next few years, set in the context of other competitor countries, economies and societies
Paris, 25-27 October, 2006
As European economies seek new solutions for continuous and competitive growth, how will technology play? What does Europe’s future in Pharma, Agriculture, Food, and the Environment look like? Europe’s great bastions of life science are opening up: be there as it happens! Thousands of European and international participants will converge at EuroBiO. It’s where research and industry meet.
Toronto, 1 November, 2006
This is the fourth year for BioFinance Early Phase which will feature presentations by the CEOs from 30 emerging life science companies from across Canada. It will also highlight panel discussions on topics such as: early stage financing, aspects of the deal, insights from biotech entrepreneurs and access to US financing sources. The conference will aslo include presentations by Technology Transfer Offices from various Universities and Research Hospitals.The presenting companies will include those developing new medicines, devices, medical technologies and systems, new research tools including software and hardware and industry product and service providers. These companies will likely have some financing already in place and will be looking to raise up to $5 million. There is also a partnering program for the presenting companies and technology offices. BioFinance Early Phase attracts about 250 people who will include seed fund managers, angel investors, venture capitalists, private equity firms, legal and consulting industry leaders, pharmaceutical executives, biotechnology industry service providers, and media.
Convergent Medical Technologies: Innovation to Implementation 
Toronto, 2 November, 2006
Convergent Medical Technologies (CMT) 2006 is YORKbiotech’s 2nd annual conference aimed at bringing together stakeholders from industry, research institutions, health care organizations, financial institutions and government organizations to discover new opportunities for collaboration and innovation.The conference will attract over 200 leaders from companies (small, medium and large), hospitals, research institutions, financial institutions and government organizations who are interested in building networks, exploring and showcasing innovative ideas for products and services, and developing policies and marketing strategies.
Creative Clusters Conference 2006
NewCastleGateshead, UK, 5-8 November, 2006
As the creative industries collectively become major employers, exporters and sources of wealth, are they ready to take on the responsibilities of holding up the economy? It’s one thing for the creative industries to demand serious attention as economic players, and quite another for them actually to take on the role in society of the manufacturing, engineering and extraction industries it is claimed they are replacing. Or is what we are witnessing a different approach to yesterday’s economy? When Bob Lutz, Head of Product Development at GM says ‘we are in the arts and entertainment business’, and the UK Arts Council’s Chief Executive demands ‘arts in the core script’ of policy – education, foreign policy, health and the economy – who is invading whose territory? ‘Creativity’ is increasingly being seen as the strategy that all businesses must adopt to take on the challenges of globalization. But are globalization and the opportunities of creativity really the zero-sum games that these positions imply? And if creativity is a driving force in economic development, are the values hitherto championed by culture, or by commerce, driving change? Or is there another future, a third way, in which people, places and profit reach a new accommodation? These are just a few of the issues to be addressed at this years conference.
Research Incentives: Maximizing Performance in the Knowledge Economy
Ottawa, 15 November, 2006
As Canada continues to cope with the globalization of the knowledge economy, Canadian firms are facing stiff competition from an increasing number of players. They also have more opportunities for global sales, marketing and distribution; and global collaboration, partnerships and outsourcing. For Canada to remain competitive, we need a policy environment that is attractive to entrepreneurs and firms in knowledge-based sectors. What kinds of research and innovation incentives will effectively support the growth of knowledge-based firms in Canada? There are clear choices, including tax measures, the programmatic approach, grants (like the US model), technology transfer from publicly-funded institutions, improving the general business environment. What mix of incentives will the new government in Ottawa choose? How will these choices affect existing programs and policies? What role do different levels of governments have to play and how can they coordinate and focus their efforts? How are other countries using research and other incentives to grow their knowledge-based sectors? This one-day event will explore these and other issues related to research and innovation incentives. Business leaders and other experts will elaborate how Canadian policy makers can utilize incentives to support a vital and growing private sector capable of winning globally.
DRUID-DIME Academy 2007 PhD Winter Conference on Geography, Innovation and Industrial Dynamics
Aalborg, Denmark, 25-27 January, 2007
The conference is open for all PhD students working within the broad field of “industrial dynamics”. The conference is organized by the DRUID Academy for doctoral education and training in collaboration with the EU 6th Framework Network of Excellence DIME Consortium. The event will take place in Denmark on January 25-27, 2007. All doctoral students who wish to present a paper at the DRUID-DIME Academy Winter 2007 Conference must submit an extended abstract (minimum 1000 words; maximum 2000 words) before the deadline of November 6, 2006 through the conference website.
Hydrogen Fuel & Fuel Cells 2007: International Conference and Trade Show
Vancouver, 29 April – 2 May, 2007
Today’s energy challenges have no boundaries. Energy security, climate change, and clean air concerns challenge communities around the world. International research, business and policy collaborations are ensuring that technologies, such as hydrogen and fuel cells, will provide a sustainable future for generations. This conference and trade show will highlight these global activities and developments. Canada, and particularly Vancouver, boasts unrivalled hydrogen and fuel cell expertise. Don’t miss out on the chance to explore BC’s Hydrogen Highway, experience the latest in hydrogen and fuel cell innovations and visit the most advanced hydrogen and fuel cell research facility… the National Research Council’s cutting-edge Institute for Fuel Cell Innovation.
Miami Beach, Florida, 13-17 May, 2007
IAMOT 2007 will provide an international technical forum for experts from industry and academia to exchange ideas and present results of ongoing research in the following tracks: Knowledge Management, Green Technologies, Social impact of technology development . MOT Education and Research / Corporate Universities . New Product/Service Development . National and Regional Systems of Innovation . Small and Medium Enterprises . Emerging Technologies . Technology Transfer, Marketing and Commercialization . Technology Foresight and Forecasting . Information and Communication Technology Management . The Integration of Technology and Business Strategies . R&D Management . Project and Program Management . Industrial and Manufacturing System Technologies / Supply Chain Management . New Forms of Organizations . Management of Technology in Developing Countries . Technological Alliances, Mergers and Acquisitions . Theory of Technology . Technology Incubation . Management of Technology for the Service Economy . Innovation/technological development and productivity
Singapore, 16-18 May, 2007
Organized for the first time in Asia, Triple Helix VI 2007 will provide a global forum for academic scholars from different disciplinary perspectives as well as policy makers, university administrators and private sector leaders from different countries to exchange and share new learning about the diverse emerging models of the entrepreneurial university, the changing dynamics of University- Industry-Government interactions around the world and the complex roles of the university in local, regional and national economic development.
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This newsletter is prepared by Jen Nelles.
Project manager is David A. Wolfe.