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Economic Performance:
Economy
Equity
Environment
Quality
of Life
Calgary Region Cluster
Portfolio
Wireless
Information
Technology
Transportation
Warehousing
Logistics
Tourism
Arts
Entertainment
Geomatics
Oil &
Gas
Agriculture
Health Biotechnology
Economic Foundations
Human
Resources
Finance
Infostructure
Transportation
Physical Infrastructure
Business
Climate
Technology
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Economic
Foundations
Technology
Technology is a driving
force in innovation and consequently in economic vitality and prosperity.
Technology at its heart requires ideas and research and talent. From this
vantage point, Alberta is lagging in investment in these areas. Research
investment in Alberta from all sources is the second lowest of major Canadian
provinces and is growing at the lowest rate. In terms of talent, while
there appears to be a high rate of concentration of scientists and engineers,
the proportion of post-secondary graduates, knowledge workers, and scientists
and engineers in the workforce is growing more slowly in Alberta than
in B.C., Ontario, and Canada as a whole.
The Calgary region
is increasing its capacity in research and intellectual capital. The University
of Calgary is one of the top eight research universities in Canada. It
is central to a collaborative culture of research that brings together
major industry players, government, and consortia. Several of their collaborations
and research networks have won exemplary awards and the U of C was number
one in Canada in terms of 'research efficiency' in 1998.
TRLabs, Canada's largest
not-for-profit ICT research consortium, is also playing a central role
in Calgary. The research focuses on the creation of novel approaches to
deliver low-cost, reliable, high performance wireless service. Since the
mid-1990s, it has enhanced efforts to build an international network of
research and innovation by harnessing pan-Western and pan-Pacific opportunities.
It also provides strong research and training opportunities for both local
and international students and a collaborative milieu fueling innovation.
Through customized training and learning, TRLabs has also played a role
in maintaining and upgrading the skills and knowledge of the region's
technology workers.
While patents are
increasingly perceived as an imperfect measure of innovation and commercialization
in a region, due to the hodgepodge that is being patented from simple
business processes to centuries old agricultural varieties, they are nevertheless
a useful indicator of activity. The Calgary region's score on this measure
is quite low. Alberta and Calgary are doing better in the commercialization
of technology. The U of C has a relatively robust commercialization pipeline
with a total of 135 disclosures in 2000-2001, 13 U.S. patents, 29 licenses
and product development agreements, and 3 start-ups in 2000. The success
in licensing, options, and product development agreements, which secure
substantial revenue, may be thwarting the emergence of more start-ups.
If the Calgary region
is to maintain its competitiveness, and accelerate the cycle of innovation,
it must address the primary challenges of relatively low rates of R&D,
of patents, and of the generation of start-ups.
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