Partnerships

Summary

A model based on effective partnerships among ICT interests functioning at the regional level and funded through the regional economic development agencies could generate a broadly based momentum that would impact all areas of Canada. Rather than concentrate funding on the few existing success stories such as RIM this approach would facilitate the expertise resident throughout the country and provide good value for federal investment of funding. Criteria for applications for grants would be based at least initially on ensuring meaningful interaction between private and public sector partners to facitate research and business development through product and idea collaboration. Funding would be provided for these elements with the expectation that two–way cooperative placements between academia and the private sector would occur. An evaluative mechanism would be put in place to ensure that beyond intial funding allocations to the funding agencies, and hence the applicants, further funding would be outcome based as measured by regional experts representing ICT industry/business, academia and the funding agency.

Submission

There are a number of givens when one examines the theme of growing the ICT industry. Firstly, little R and D is underway within the sector outside a few exceptions like RIM. Secondly, the real potential for sector growth is not confined to the small handful of existing companies that have an international presence, and thirdly, there is no single solution to Canada's under productivity in this or any sector. The model I am suggesting would mobilize the active and latent potential everywhere in the country. As but one example, in Thunder Bay there is a software firm, Sencia, and a research/development enterprise in LED technology, Meaglow, that have the potential to become multi–million dollar companies. There are other fledgling ventures at all stages of development. I doubt that this community is an exception. The key ingredients for success are product (or good ideas), skilled human resources available, venture capital, and business acumen. Universities and colleges play the important role of providing the skilled personnel from programs in engineering, computer programming and technology, business, communications, media and others. The key is to marry these skilled individuals be they graduates, graduate students or faculty with appropriate entrepreneurs and with established practical applicators in industry/business in effective partnerships. While these partnerships may include collaboration among universities where feasible there are many places like northwestern Ontario where there is only one or two academic centres of expertise but their potential should not be down played by focusing on established centres like Waterloo. After all the intent is to grow the sector and that means creating a "rising tide" for all opportunities. The tidal surge would be supplied by dedicated funding to the regional development agencies like Fednor to support ICT partnered initiatives. Each initiative would require a private sector partner and an academic institution. Grants could be for venture capital, graduate student support, applied research, cooperative industryand/or university placements or equipment. Each granting agency would create an ICT body to oversee the results of the funding and modify the decision–making based on the successful outcomes and devise other elements that could be funded so that that value for dollar invested would increase. Agencies that had limited success would have their allocations lowered while those having positive outcomes would see increases from redistribution of the overall funding base. This would be the prime accountability mechanism but what the model does is provide opportunity for all to participate initially and tap into the huge potential throughout the country. While it may result initially in the creation of a number of small businesses some of those will become major successes. A key factor of these partnerships will be the cross fertilization of ideas and expertise by placing private sector individuals in a university environment where they can explain the applied research needs of the business while the placement of graduate students and/or faculty in the private sector environment would foster not just research but understanding of the business needs. While most such cooperative placements would be with established private sector companies it would make sense to partner some early stage entrepreneurs similarly.

The base idea is to embrace the potential that exists at many sites in Canada without any initial limitation. The concept of centres of excellence is antithetical in approach and not only less encompassing but also less efficient and effective in generating a return on investment tbecause it tends to be structured around the existing success stories. The intent of the model is to create more such success stories but distributed throughout the country.