Ontario innovation index finally made public

The Ontario Science and Innovation Council (OSIC) has finally released its inaugural Ontario Innovation Index (OII), seven months after the report was completed and submitted to the Ministry of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation (MEOI).

The delay in its release has been attributed to infighting at the newly created MEOI and preference given to the work of the Task Force of Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Pro-gress (R$, September 16/02). The OII was released a full month after the government held its innovation summit, which showcased the latest Task Force report.

The report shows that the province has a formidable base from which to develop an innovative economy, but is being held back due to deficiencies in several areas including funding for education and training.

Described as a work in progress, the OII points to new technologies such as photonics, nanotechnology and biotechnology as holding the keys to gains in productivity required to increase innovative capacity. The report says that only by developing a true innovation culture can Ontario hope to compete with other jurisdictions.

The OII is based on work conducted by MEOI staff on benchmarking and indicators utilizing data provided by Statistics Canada. Selection of appropriate indicators was based on the widely adopted Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. Ontario is benchmarked against Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan and Sweden.

“The need to embrace innovation, and for Ontario to articulate a strategy for innovation, is also of increasing importance,” states the report

The OII was prepared by Toronto Star economics editor David Crane, Tijs Creutzberg, Ontario Network on the Regional Innovation System (Univ of Toronto), and David Garkut, of the MEOI’s science and technology division. Crane acts as liaison between OSIC and MEOI. The full 68-page report can be found at http://www.ontario-canada.com (use search engine).

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