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
Ontario Funds Skills Development for Next-Generation Jobs
Ontario is investing $9 million to help the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) train the next generation of digital media designers and entrepreneurs. OCAD will use the funds for its Digital Futures Initiative, a digital media and interactive design lab that will bring together students and private sector partners from a cross-section of industries. The lab will graduate students who have business and computer science knowledge, as well as industrial design and artistic content creation skills.
Queen’s to Convert Novelis Property into Research Park
Queen’s University has sealed a deal to buy a huge swath of Novelis property to establish a research park. The university announced recently that it plans to launch what it will call Innovation Park at Queen’s University on about 20 hectares of land next to the Novelis research and development centre at Princess and Concession streets. The plan is to bring academic and industry researchers together to do research in fields such as alternative energy and environmental technologies. They will focus on technologies such as bioprocessing and bioenergy-related research.
Editor's Pick
David A Wolfe and Allison Bramwell, PROGRIS
The pressure towards a globalizing, knowledge-based economy raises questions about the determinants of economic performance in industrial economies. Although innovation processes are strongly shaped by national institutions and global knowledge flows, recent analyses of innovation and creativity underline the relevance of urban regions as sites for determining economic performance. The issue of industrial concentration versus diversification has implications for the ability of city regions to cope with the changing competitive dynamics flowing from the globalization of knowledge-based industries. While there is agreement on the advantages that accrue to the largest city-regions as centres of innovative activity, there is less consensus on the prospects for mid-size and smaller urban regions. Small and medium-sized cities often operate from a narrower industrial base and have fewer linkages into global economic networks, suggesting there may be a connection between the scale economies enjoyed by various urban regions and the benefits derived from specialization or diversity. The social dimension appears critical for understanding the economic performance of city regions. Yet many of treatments have been silent on what constitutes the social dimensions. Institutions are often depicted as an essential element that underpins the social aspects of urban life because of their ability to shape common values of diversity, tolerance and equality that are important factors influencing the quality of place. This paper explores these issues in a more systematic fashion and link the conceptual issues outlined above to the rapidly growing body of empirical research on the economic performance of city regions.
Innovation Policy
Entrepreneurial Architecture in UK Higher Education Institutions: Consolidating the Third Mission
Jen Nelles and Tim Vorley
Within the UK the so called ‘Third Mission’ has become synonymous with commercializing academic research as universities attempt to realise their potential – an approach which has been engineered through Government policy. Despite the emphasis placed on the knowledge/technology transfer agenda by the Government, and the funding stream made available through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Third Mission has at best been varied in its success. This paper critically considers how such an entrepreneurial architecture has only comparatively recently been established within the University of Oxford despite its apparent former third stream success. By coordinating and consolidating third stream activities with adjacent functions across the university the Third Mission has become embedded at its core alongside excellence in teaching and research.
If the Alliance Fits…: Innovation and Network Dynamics
Robin Cowan and Nicolas Jonard, UNU-MERIT
Network formation is often said to be driven by social capital considerations. A typical pattern observed in the empirical data on strategic alliances is that of small world networks: dense subgroups of firms interconnected by (few) clique-spanning ties. The typical argument is that there is social capital value both to being embedded in a dense cluster, and to bridging disconnected clusters. This paper develops and analyzes a simple model of joint innovation where we are able to reproduce these features, based solely on the assumption that successful partnering demands some intermediate amount of similarity between the partners.
More Than Just Jobs: Workforce Development in a Skills-Based Economy
OECD
“Job placement” has been the traditional goal of labour and employment policies, but this report argues otherwise. To stay competitive in a globalised economy, governments must also strive to enhance the skills of workers, increase their productivity and provide upward mobility to immigrants and the disadvantaged. This report provides valuable insights into how labour policies can be expanded to meet economic development and social cohesion goals, while also reconciling national and local concerns. Studies from seven OECD countries are presented (Australia, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States), each analyzing attempts to expand workforce development policies and bridge the gap between national and local initiatives. Included are various types of government/private sector partnerships in the United States, regional training in France and Australia’s efforts to customize policies to local needs. Based on the country studies, the report then makes specific recommendations and suggestions on how workforce development policies can be expanded and improved.
What Hampers Innovation? Evidence from the UK CIS4
Pablo D’Este et al, SPRU
A large proportion of firms do not manage to introduce new products to the market, or are simply indifferent to innovative activities altogether. Despite that, little is known about firms that do not innovate, and in particular, about the role of barriers to innovation. In this paper it is argued that, by looking in more detail at non-innovative firms, we are likely to gain a richer picture that helps to uncover the heterogeneous nature of non-innovators, and the distinct factors that affect their assessment of barriers to innovation. In particular, by using data from the UK Community Innovation Survey (CIS4), the paper sheds light on two issues: the characteristics and behaviour that distinguish different groups of non-innovative firms, and whether differences among groups of firms exist in relation to their assessment of how important barriers are.
Cities, Clusters & Regions
Creating an Entrepreneurial Region: Two Waves of Spin-Offs from Halmstead University
Eva Berggren and Åsa Lindholm Dahlstrand
This paper presents a first Swedish case study of the regional effects of academic spinoffs. It is based on empirical data from Halmstad University and the Halmstad region, on the west coast of Sweden. Spill-over effects of university research (directly as well as indirectly) in the form of academic spin-offs have been traced over time. In doing so the authors are able to identify two waves of academic entrepreneurship with direct and indirect regional effects. These waves are contributing to the strengthening of the regional entrepreneurship and the attractiveness of the region. The establishment and (early) actions of the university can be seen as a stone that was thrown in the water, causing several waves to appear in the region. Whether these waves will be reinforced enough to create an entrepreneurial region, or just slowly disappear as rings on the water, is also depending on the creation of an absorptive capacity and construction of the regional innovation system.
Are Local Milieus the Key to Innovation Performance
Hanna L. Binz and Dirk Czarnitzki, ZEW
This study investigates how local milieus foster innovation success of firms. The authors complement the common practice of linking firm performance indicators to regional characteristics with survey evidence on the perceived importance of locational factors They assume that agglomeration economies may play an important role for this transfer process. As suggested by the literature on regional innovation systems, some locational factors seem to be of special importance for firms’ innovation activities. In particular, locational factors facilitating intended knowledge transfer and knowledge spillovers. Sources of knowledge spillovers may not only be universities and research institutions, but also qualified personnel in an industry, customers, suppliers or competitors, as well as collaboration partners that generate positive knowledge externalities. The objective is to identify the most important factors of the firms’ local milieus for successful innovation activities.
An Economic Plan for the Commonwealth: Unleashing the Assets of Metropolitan Pennsylvania
The Brookings Institution
In Pennsylvania concerns about the economy loom large. A true federal economic agenda for the Commonwealth must empower state and local innovators to leverage the core assets of the nation’s economy–innovation, infrastructure, human capital and quality places–where those assets are located: Pennsylvania’s many small and large metropolitan areas. In short, this brief finds that: To help Pennsylvania prosper, federal leaders must leverage four key assets that matter today—innovation, human capital, infrastructure, and quality places; These four assets are highly concentrated in the state’s economic engines, its metropolitan areas; Despite these assets, Pennsylvania’s metro areas have yet to achieve their full economic potential; and federal leaders must advance an economic agenda that empowers states and metro areas to leverage their assets and help the nation prosper;
Statistics & Indicators
Montreal International
The Trend Chart – in both on-line and printed versions – is the economic information tool of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. The Trend Chart aims to provide complete, accessible information on the metropolitan economic situation to assist Board of Trade members and the greater business community in their thinking and decision making. More specifically, in its on-line version, the Trend Chart aims to make accessible the progress of the major economic indicators for the Montreal metropolitan area through regular updates of the data presented. Ad hoc analyses will serve to place this information in context and help users to assess their impact on the economic development of Montreal. Finally, the On-line Trend Chart assembles a wealth of relevant information about Montreal and links to other resources of interest.
Policy Digest
Council on Competitiveness
While many universities and regional developers are attempting to form stronger partnerships, they have found significant
challenges in collaboration. Three barriers commonly get in the way:
– Differences in culture between higher education and regional developers;
– Differing incentives that inhibit collaboration;
– Unrealistic expectations that have been created by highly publicized success stories.
The first step in overcoming these barriers is for both regional developers and university leaders to evaluate their own operations in terms of their capacity to encourage and support collaboration. As they recognize the importance of partnership, a growing number of higher education institutions and regional developers are changing the way they engage – finding new ways to reach out and to allow others to reach in.
Recommendations for Higher Education
There is a growing trend among colleges and universities to expand their involvement in regional development. To achieve this
goal, academic institutions have adopted a number of structural and strategic changes that make them more flexible and accessible, aiming to:
– Make regional development an institutional priority;
– Facilitate access to university resources;
– Build long-term partnerships;
– Support regional engagement.
1. Make regional development an institutional priority:
Historically, many higher education institutions have seen regional development as a relatively low priority, but a growing number of colleges and universities are raising regional development to a first-tier priority. Three approaches, often found in combination, illustrate this trend:
Embed regional development in the institution’s core mission. The university staff consulted for this guide emphasized that the more closely regional development activities are linked to the core missions of teaching and research, the more fully all elements of the institution will embrace a regional development mission and the more likely it is that collaboration will occur.
Make regional development part of the president’s personal mission. Even though higher education is known for decentralized
governance and the strength of the faculty in decision making, the president of each institution plays a crucial role in setting
university priorities. The active commitment of the president of the institution to regional development is a necessary though not sufficient condition for collaboration.
Elevate the status of administrators responsible for regional development. Historically, regional development functions in universities have been assigned variously to the vice president for research and development or to the technology transfer office. As many of the university personnel interviewed suggested, it is only when a function is led by a university officer (usually a vice president) that it gets the attention needed both from the administration and the faculty to make it a serious priority.
2. Facilitate Access to Higher Education Resources
As one developer said, “If you think the public sector is difficult to understand and access, try universities!” Not only are university resources widely dispersed among different academic departments, research institutes, degree programs and schools, they are rarely structured to provide information to the outside world. Potential collaborators struggle to understand what the university has to offer or how to make contact with the right resource. A number of strategies have evolved to address this problem.
Establish a single point of contact. Appointing a single individual who can direct outsiders to the most relevant resources eases the difficulty of accessing a university’s faculty and resources. MIT’sIndustrial Liaison program is one of the oldest examples. Industrial Liaison Officers with deep industry expertise coordinate access to MIT experts, research facilities, and information resources.
Offer access to resources through a web portal. The Greater Rochester Area Colleges & Universities have banded together to offer Biz2Edu to provide access to programs at 19 area institutions. The University of South Carolina (USC) has developed USC businessLINK to bring together five USC economic development and research resources important to the business and economic development communities, and to provide immediate access to these services.
Bring industry experts inside the university. The University of Akron has created positions for senior fellows who are experienced entrepreneurs who help link the resources of the university with startups and growth companies in the region.
Share facilities. Access to university facilities like labs, clean rooms, super computers and state-of-the art manufacturing equipment can be the difference between success and failure for startups and other undercapitalized small firms.
3. Build Long-term Partnerships
One way to institutionalize collaboration is to create long-term partnerships with other organizations in the region. Building such partnerships forces each institution to carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of collaboration, and, once formed, they can
create a strong foundation for future joint activities.
Partner with other higher education institutions in the region. Different educational institutions in a region typically have different – and often complementary – strengths. Identifying those areas where joint action makes sense and formalizing the relationship opens up new opportunities that institutions could never address on their own and may not even have recognized.
Co-invest with regional developers. Collaborations between higher education and regional developers can also benefit from a focus on long-term relationships. Committing to collaboration, particularly with shared financial responsibility, encourages all partners to overcome their own institutional barriers in order to ensure the success of the partnership.
4. Support Regional Engagement
In addition to reaching out at the institutional level, colleges and universities are increasingly supporting student and faculty engagement with regional initiatives. Promoting entrepreneurship by both faculty and students is one key aspect, others include:
Help students find positions in local organizations. Internships and other programs that place students in local businesses and nonprofit organizations do more than simply offer opportunities to students. They build relationships between the college or university and the region, relationships that facilitate the exchange of knowledge.
Provide research services to the region. Many higher education institutions offer support that ranges from data collection, analysis and provision to direct strategic assistance to regional initiatives and local businesses.
Recommendations for Regional Developers
Traditionally, interaction between regional economic developers and higher education institutions has been limited. Generally,
developers have sought collaboration with higher education institutions for physical projects like research parks and dormitories; cooperation on a particular deal in which a target company needs access to specific training programs or technology; or more general work to support technology transfer efforts. In response to the demands of the increasingly competitive global knowledge
economy, a new development-higher education paradigm is emerging. Regional developers have begun to recognize the myriad ways in which a strong higher education sector can contribute to economic growth. It is not just about touting graduation rates, doing one-off deals and hoping for spin-outs based on university technology. To fully leverage the assets of higher education, regional developers are recognizing that they must actively reach into the universities to access their intellectual, cultural and human capital. In successful regions, the higher educationregional development relationship is becoming increasingly dynamic and supported by a rich network of contacts at various levels. To build the deep partnerships necessary to support optimal economic growth, regional
development leaders should pursue four strategies:
– Understand the higher education landscape;
– Be proactive;
– Focus on relationships, not transactions;
– Support higher education assets.
1. Understand the Higher Education Landscape
Regional developers need to invest time in understanding the characteristics of their regional higher education landscape. At a basic level, this means identifying the number and type of institutions and the specific research, educational and operational specialties of each college or university. Development leaders should make a point of personally reaching out to the presidents of each higher education institution, both to learn more about the specific goals of each institution and to invite the academic leaders to participate in development efforts.
Actively Engage in the Knowledge Exchange Process. Knowledge exchange is a broader category than technology transfer. It implies interactions across the spectrum of university resources and includes the use of university facilities, entrepreneurship
programs, research parks, individual faculty members and departments, as well as the countless opportunities to participate
in expert panels, lectures, courses and conversations where knowledge exchange takes place both formally and informally.
2. Be Proactive
While many academic institutions are increasingly reaching out to the community, developers should not wait to connect. Developing collaborative relations with higher education typically will require that the regional developers take the initiative. Even those academic institutions that are committed to regional development or that perform regional research will need assistance
understanding what is happening in the region and how they might contribute. It is the job of the regional developer to understand the needs of the region – its strengths and weaknesses, its history and its current trends.14 It is important for the regional developer to be able to talk about the strategic issues the region faces, to suggest potential synergies with the university and to have an idea of what the value proposition of collaboration might be for the institution.
Understand the trends in the region’s industries. It is up to the regional developer to familiarize him/herself with how the region’s industries operate and what challenges their technologies face in commercialization, what the special characteristics of their technologies are, what unique requirements they may have, and how they might link to existing or potential regional resources.
Fill the gaps. !e basic building block of higher education’s engagement in the region is ties to local firms. Regional developers are uniquely qualified to serve as go-betweens in creating those direct linkages. In regions served by more than one academic institution, regional developers can either serve as intermediaries or support existing intermediaries.
3. Focus on Relationships, not transactions
Many of the higher education representatives who were interviewed emphasized that they are far more receptive to the new breed of regional developers who seek to optimize the intellectual advantages the university offers and who emphasize ongoing relationships rather than transactions.
Engage the institution at multiple levels. “Mine the Gold” is Richard Lester’s term for diving deeply into the institution to uncover nuggets of information that have countless opportunities contained within them. To mine the gold, the local business and development community needs to link to higher education on many levels. Industry associations can benefit by working with deans and program administrators to develop internship programs, recruiting fairs and research projects. Companies may want to interact with specific professors or grad students that are focused on a relevant technology. Alumni offices can offer developers access to skilled graduates who are no longer living in the region but wish to return. Student groups often volunteer time to support regional development initiatives.
Identify potential joint ventures. Regional developers can be the catalysts for innovative joint ventures among universities, the public and private sectors, foundations, etc. !e developer’s tool kit of varied funding sources, relationships with private developers, and knowledge of federal and state bonding and other dedicated financing programs is equally as valuable to the university “customer.”
Measure impact. Higher education does not, as a rule, do a good job of collecting and disseminating information about its
collaborations with business and regional development organizations. In areas such as faculty-business consulting relationships,
the impact of corporate research and development grants and projects, and graduate hiring and retention by regional companies, data is typically not robust. Development leaders can play a valuable role by explaining the importance of this data – and serving as a partner in collecting and disseminating this information.
4. Support Higher Education Assets
Higher education assets are critical to the long-term success of any region. Developers should seek opportunities to support well designed efforts of colleges and universities to obtain more resources. This kind of support can range from serving on a university development board to sponsoring community forums to advocacy at the state and federal levels. University presidents and regional development organization directors can be powerful advocates for each other’s key issues. Together, they can rally significant community support for mutually beneficial initiatives. On a smaller scale, regional developers can help higher education navigate city and county zoning, permitting and land use issues. Regional development leaders are often persuasive participants in faculty and administrative recruitment. As members of the region who are not necessarily part of the university, they can provide a more objective, yet positive, perspective on community life for prospective faculty.
Events
European Perspectives on Innovation and Policy
Stockholm, Sweden, 16-17 April, 2008
This VISION Era-Net Workshop will focus on the following two themes: research strategies of open innovation in Europe and new innovation governance systems in Europe.
Science, Technology and Innovation Policy for Knowledge-based Economies
Ottawa, 17 April, 2008
The Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and the George Washington University present the D. Allan Bromley Lecture with speaker Nicholas S. Vonortas, Director, Center for International Science and Technology Policy at the George Washington University. This presentation focuses on the dramatic changes in our understanding of science, technology and innovation policy during the past few decades. Consideration is first given to the knowledge-based economy. Next, a focus on the fundamentals of contemporary policy and the need for a balanced supply-cum-demand approach is considered. Policy in the United States is followed with a discussion of the current major debates among policy analysts.
Alliances for Innovation: Techniques and Tools for Collaborative Growth
London, UK, 17-18 April, 2008
The masterclass “Alliances for Innovation” takes a broad view of the process of forming alliances. All aspects of innovative alliances will be addressed: from finding innovative partners to creating a collaborative culture.
Second Conference on Micro Evidence on Innovation and Development
Beijing, China, 21-23 April, 2008
The aim of the conference is to bring together researchers from around the world to discuss the importance and the different dimensions of innovation in relation with economic growth and development. Contributions based on micro data from firm or household surveys, case studies and cross country comparative analyses are particularly wanted. In this second Conference, a particular emphasis will be put on innovation in China and other BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa) countries. Contributions on other countries, in particular developing countries, are also welcome.
Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX)
Toronto, 29-30 April, 2008
CIX will showcase the best and brightest entrepreneurs and shine a spotlight on emerging technologies. The two-day event will feature an innovation marketplace, flash-forward presentations on the state of technology, and facilitated networking opportunities. Co-chairs of CIX are Robert Montgomery, a private investor and CEO of Achilles Media; Sean Wise, Managing Director of Wise Mentor Capital and former Chair of the Canadian Venture Forum; and Rick Nathan, Managing Director of Kensington Capital Partners Limited and President of CVCA, Canada’s Venture Capital and Private Equity Association. CIX is intended to fill a void in the marketplace for an efficient and cost-effective meeting place leading to the development of innovative companies. CIX is geared towards: CEOs, CIOs and CTOs of public and private companies interested in innovation; Founders of fast growing startups; Members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem including banks, lawyers and government officials; and sources of capital.
Montreal, 30 April, 2008
The tenth annual meeting of the Innovation Systems Research Network (ISRN) will be attended by co-investigators, domestic collaborators and the distinguished members of the Research Advisory Committee. Federal, provincial and municipal officials who have a stake in the outcomes of our current major collaborative research initiative entitled: Social Dynamics of Economic Performance in City-Regions will also participate. The Policy Day (April 30) explores the implications of ISRN cluster studies, economic strategies in metropolitan regions, and the role of civic organizations in urban economic development. Presenters will include members of the ISRN and economic development officials from the cities of Toronto and Montreal. Interested government and industry members are also invited to register for the 10th annual meeting of the ISRN (May 1 – 2). Approximately 80 members of the current research project will be meeting to discuss the progress of the City-Region Initiative. During the sessions, project researchers will disseminate results from their current research and discuss issues related to the national research initiative.
Creative Construct: Building for Culture and Creativity
Ottawa, 29 April to 1 May, 2008
This symposium will bring together participants from around the world to exchange the latest ideas and practices on the development of cultural and creative spaces; cultural planning and investment strategies for cultural infrastructure and cultural districts; and collaborative approaches to enhancing the cultural vitality, creative potential, and competitiveness of cities and communities. The international symposium includes keynote speakers, presentations, panels, and various styles of workshops to examine the role and importance of cultural infrastructure in furthering culture and creativity in cities and communities. The symposium will bring together diverse resources and expertise, and foster an exchange of knowledge and experience extending from grassroots opportunities to international issues.
Toronto, 6-8 May, 2008
BioFinance 2008 is a gathering of some of the most innovative minds in the life science industries from Canada, US and Europe. Presenting Companies range from large publicly traded and major private companies to small early-stage opportunities. The companies will highlight their development plans for new medicines and technologies in the fields of cancer, cardiology, medical devices, neuroscience, immunology, genomics, diagnostics and new research tools.
9th International Digital Government Research Conference: Partnerships for Public Innovation
Montreal, 18-21 May, 2008
The 9th annual international conference is a forum for presentation and discussion of interdisciplinary digital government research and practice and its applications in diverse domains. The conference is presented by the Digital Government Society of North America (DGSNA), with major support from the US National Science Foundation. The conference theme, Partnerships for Public Innovation, focuses on information-intensive innovations in the public sector that involve linkages among government, universities, NGOs, and businesses. This theme emphasizes the importance of sharing practical issues, policy perspectives, research insights, and expert advice, in order to reach higher levels of performance in diverse public enterprises.
Discovery 2008 Conference: Challenging the Formulas for Commercial Success 
Toronto, 12-14 May, 2008
Experience the evolution of Discovery with all-new events and features. Try your business pitch on some of Canada’s leading venture capitalists, angel investors and business people at The Elevator Pitch. Tackle real-world problems alongside your innovative peers at the Ontario Science Centre Innovation Challenge. Take part in Sector Forums to engage in the latest issues around Ontario’s critical sectors such as Cleantech, Energy, Life Sciences, Digital Media and Manufacturing. Rethink today’s models of achieving success at our keynote sessions, featuring some of the world’s leading business authors and thinkers. Make vital connections at our expanded networking environment. It’s the new you can’t afford to miss.
Toronto, 20-21 May, 2008
Does Canada have what it takes to grow domestic multinationals in knowledge-based industry sectors such as ICT, biotech and cleantech? What is the nature of Canada’s entrepreneurial culture? Are Canadian entrepreneurs able or willing to grow multinational firms? Does Canada have the executive talent to run tech multinationals from a Canadian base? Is such behaviour encouraged and recognized positively in Canada? Do we train our young people for these kinds of entrepreneurial and executive roles? Leading tech entrepreneurs and executives in Canada, the U.S. and abroad share their own experiences and perceptions on Canada’s entrepreneurial culture, and explore ways to improve Canada’s performance in knowledge-based commerce.
STI Indicators for Policy: Addressing New Demands from Stakeholders
Oslo, Norway, 28-30 May, 2008
The recent years have witnessed an extraordinary diversification of the demands for Science and Technology Indicators for policymaking and strategic decision of the actors involved in S&T policies. New demands have emerged as a consequence of the growing complexity of innovation systems at the regional, national and international level and of the needs of new indicators types to characterize the position and the linkages of individual actors (so-called positioning indicators). Whole new fields of indicators have emerged, like collaboration indicators, web indicators, indicators on human resources and mobility, while even in classical domains like input measurement existing indicators are no longer adequate to the needs of policy. The conference aims to provide a locus both for general methodological discussion concerning new indicators, their use in policymaking and the requirements for their production, and for presenting new developments in indicators for specific domains and policy issues, concerning their design, methodology, experimental development and application to policy analysis and decision-making.
Photonics North 2008: Closing the Gap Between Theory, Development and Application
Montreal, 2-4 June, 2008
The Photonics North event is thus a unique opportunity to visit a beautiful city, participate in an outstanding international event and meet with representatives from numerous innovative photonics companies.
Evidence-Based Policy Making: International Best Practices in Connecting Science and Policy
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 19-20 June, 2008
The aim of this conference is to connect a broad range of views, internationally as well as transdisciplinary on ‘Evidence Based Policy Making’. Seasoned policy makers and experienced researchers from all over the world will give an insight into their own experiences, providing ample examples and concrete tools for evidence based policy making.
Advancing Small Business and Entrepreneurship: From Research to Results
Halifax, 22-25 June, 2008
Please join researchers, educators, policy makers and business service providers from around the world at the 53rd International Council for Small Business (ICSB) World Conference. The theme of the conference is “Advancing Small Business and Entrepreneurship: From Research to Results”. A key aim of the conference is to bridge the gap between research and action.
Mexico City, 22-24 September, 2008
GLOBELICS (Global Network for Economics of Learning, Innovation, and Competence Building Systems) is an international network of scholars who apply the concept of “learning, innovation, and competence building system” (LICS) as their framework and are dedicated to the strengthening of LICS in developing countries, emerging economies and societies in transition. The research aims at locating unique systemic features as well as generic good practices to enlighten policy making relating to innovation, competence building, international competitiveness, regional development, labor market and human capital development. In an increasingly global and knowledge-based competition, management strategies need to be based upon an understanding of these framework conditions and the public policies which seek to regulate the environment. For the sixth conference to be held in Mexico City papers that contribute to the understanding of ‘Styles’ or modes of Development (or Political Economy of Development): paradigms of public policies, conflicts, trade-offs and choices among alternative public policies will be welcome.
Newcastle, UK, 4-5 September, 2008
It is generally acknowledged that regional economic success in Europe is dependent on an orientation towards a knowledge-based economy, typified either by high value added, creative and science-based industry, or a focus on advanced business services. For those regions lacking such advantages the emphasis of policy has been placed on developing new clusters of knowledge-based industries through a variety of measures including networking activities, university-based initiatives and support for new start-ups. A key problem though has been the absence of a clear understanding of what would constitute progress towards a knowledge-based economy, never mind what should be the most appropriate policies. One particular problem is the lack of consensus between quantitative and qualitative researchers on how to assess the state of the knowledge base and on the nature of the policy objectives. Through the inclusion of varieties of approaches to exploring the regional knowledge economy this seminar will offer opportunities to draw comparisons between the findings of various research strategies. In so doing, the seminar will stimulate a dialogue within which new developments may be initiated to bridge the various research communities and thereby offer new insights into the role of knowledge in regional economic development and subsequent policy implications.
PRIME International Conference 2008
Mexico City, 24-26 September, 2008
Both the Latin American and European countries recognize that innovation and knowledge are central to the future growth and vitality of their economies and the improvement of quality of life of their citizens. To be successful policies aimed at encouraging research and innovation should recognize the importance of specific institutional arrangements and adaptation to the different sectors and knowledge fields. The Europe-Latin America Conference on Science and Innovation Policy will explore the research/knowledge base, the factual and the normative principles that inform those policies, taking account of the current dynamic international context, promoting mutual learning between the communities of researchers, analysts, R&D managers and policy makers. The aim of the conference is: to stimulate the exchange of experiences about science, technology and innovation policies in Latin America and European countries to promote mutual learning, improve the quality of the research in the field, enhance the impact of the research in the policy making and foster the diffusion of the best practices amongst countries of Europe and Latin America, considering an adequate balance between convergence and diversity.
GLOBELICS International Conference 2008
Mexico City, 24-26 September, 2008
For the sixth conference to be held in Mexico City papers that contribute to the understanding of ‘Styles’ or modes of Development (or Political Economy of Development): paradigms of public policies, conflicts, trade-offs and choices among alternative public policies will be welcome. The conference will be organized around the following themes on the following issues: Innovation, economic development and inequality (Education, Health, Employment, Migration, Gender Equity, Income Distribution). The conditions for developing sustainable systems of innovation. Biofuel, energy systems, water supply, transport, tourism and sustainable development. The role of new ‘horizontal technologies’ (ICTs and biotechnologies). Innovation in indigenous knowledge systems and in traditional sectors (e.g. agriculture, handcraft, clothing, eco-tourism, etc.). Factors affecting differences in economic growth rates: convergence vs divergence in productivity and welfare standards. Patterns of sectoral catching-up. Globalization, autonomy/openness and development. The links between microeconomic learning and macroeconomic policies. Forces inducing learning and the expansion of domestic technological capabilities. Innovation, SME and local development. Factors of attractiveness and embeddedness of the MNCs in local/regional/national systems. Privatization of knowledge, Intellectual Property Right (IPR) and development. International cooperation and national innovation policies to face global challenges (poverty, diseases, natural disasters).
Regional Comparative Advantage and Knowledge-Based Entrepreneurship
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 9-10 October, 2008
The organizers invite submissions for empirical and theoretical papers on the financing of knowledge-based entrepreneurial firms, on the influence of venture capital on firms’ ability to translate technological advances into successful products, and on the contribution of knowledge-based entrepreneurship to regional dynamics.
Seville, Spain, 16-17 October, 2008
Following the success of 2004 and 2006 events, the International Seville Conference on Future-Oriented Technology Analysis (FTA) has become a major occasion for FTA experts, practitioners and decision-makers to bring their ideas and knowledge together in a highly interactive environment. As with previous FTA events, the 2008 Conference places emphasis on diversity of views by attracting participants from a wide geographical base. Academics, practitioners as well as public and private sector decision makers from Europe, North America, Asia, Latin America, Africa and Australasia are invited to broaden the network and to increase understanding of advances in the field of FTA.
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This newsletter is prepared by Jen Nelles.
Project manager is David A. Wolfe.