McMaster Univ to host national innovation round tables

The federal government has asked McMaster Univ to host a series of three national round table discussions on innovation in March or April of next year. The timing of the sessions indicates that the government anticipates a lengthy consultation phase for the Innovation Paper, following its anticipated release some time before the end of the year.

The sessions will be hosted by the MINT (Management of Innovation and New Technology) Research Centre, which is part of the university’s Michael G DeGroote School of Business.

As proposed by the government, the topics of the round tables are:

* encouraging leadership in innovation throughout the economy and identifying sources of innovation gaps;

* examining the role of government, universities and the private sector in the innovation process; and,

* identifying a national strategy for innovation.

Also included in the proposal are a series of specific questions to be addressed. including:

Can world economic leadership in a specific field be achieved without path-breaking R&D?

Can the aggressive acquisition of established technology and its rapid diffusion substitute for being first to market with new technologies?

Do current indicators suggest that the private sector is over- or under-investing in innovative activity? If current trends continue, will Canada attain world leadership in innovation?

What role can and should the government play to foster technological change in the economy and help the innovators to be innovative?

What role can and should universities play to promote technological innovation in the economy?

What strategy should Canada adopt to be a world leader in innovation by 2010?

Should Canada’s innovation strategy focus on being an innovative economy or a technology transfer economy?

What are the key elements which should be included in the national innovation strategy?

FMI: http://mint.mcmaster.ca/

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