biodiscovery toronto @

BioDiscovery Toronto

@

May 5 , 2005

“Institutions for Collaboration” / “Fourth Pillar Organizations”

- central to the concept of clusters (Porter)- focus of Biotechnology Cluster Innovation Program

• The MaRS Discovery District represents an investment to create ‘physical capital’ in the form of a ‘hub’ organization for the commercialization of discoveries in the medical and related sciences.

• BioDiscovery Toronto represents an investment to create ‘social capital’ at MaRS through leveraging the business development capacity of 8 research hospitals and universities and providing a two-way interface with the bio-finance and bio-medical industries.

1. What kind of policy instruments can shape the evolution of clusters?

To maximize commercialization of research in Toronto by linking

research, industry and capital

BioDiscovery Toronto Mandate

Focus

Provision of a fully functional central interface between the research community and industry as well as a facilitator of

cross-institutional activity

– Networking that yields better leverage, focus, continuity, cohesion

– Better opportunities to bundle IP– Clearer ‘branding’– A dynamic public-private interface– ….. still missing is any real direct policy

support for ‘downstream’ private sector initiatives

2. What are policy outcomes & can they be linked to specific policy initiatives

– IFCs are probably the best mechanism going– Too many levels of governance in Canada! – Should we really need such mechanisms?– Our approach is to try and collapse these!!

3. What mechanisms enable multi-level governance in the cluster?

– Clusters are largely defined by the private sector

– Reverse the question … instead of asking‘what place is left in cluster governance mechanisms for the

private sector?’

– We should be asking ‘what mechanisms do the private sector believe to be

necessary for development of their cluster?’

4. What place do they leave for private sector participants?

– Tendency to be focus on ‘ex post’ issues• presumably because science policy in Canada is very

much a process of ‘revealed preferences’.

– Should we not be concerned with the development of a more robust and transparent science and cluster policy process?• not only for Life Sciences but for all areas affecting

innovation systems?

5. Do we need a better science/cluster policy ‘process’ in Canada?

Supplementary slides

Ontario’s Life Sciences Gateway

SouthwestOntario Waterloo

London

GoldenHorseshoe

Toronto

York Region

WesternGTA

Peterborough Kingston

Ottawa &Eastern Ontario Northern

OntarioGuelph

Technology-basedSMEs

EntrepreneursResearchers

pursuing commercialopportunities

Regional Innovation Networks• Align Regional Resources (address gaps)

• Leverage Federal Funding• Linkages to business support infrastructure

• Linkages to Research Infrastructure

MaRS• Knowledge Management System (Gateway to the World)

• RIN Support e-tools (MaRS Web Portal)• Domestic / International VC Connections

• Commercialization Initiatives (Province Wide)

CommercializationOpportunity bundling

Support for company creationNetwork of service providersManagement of BDO fund

InterfaceMarketingBranding

NetworkingCentral information resource

Member Institutions

Industry

Member Institutions

Capital

BioDiscovery Toronto Operational Model

Tech TransferMarket analysis

(internal/external)Best practices &

professional development

BioDiscovery TorontoInstitution for Collaboration

CustomersInputs

biodiscovery toronto @

Documents