A way to foster innovation: a Venture capital district. From Silicon Valley and Route 128 to Waterloo Region

Knowledge and technological change or innovation are key drivers of economic growth in the knowledge-based economy (KBE). Although the US economy is traditionally cited as the model, there are other technology frontier examples, such as Canada, arising from strong linkages among firms, research communities, the financial community and government. While Europe adopted the Lisbon 2010 goals, Canada?s goal is to become the 5th highest R&D intensive country in the world by 2010, up from its current position of 15th. This paper draws a comparison between the most important American districts - Route 128 and Silicon Valley - and the Waterloo Region of Ontario. Second, it focuses on the linkage between venture capital and Canadian universities and shows some successful cases of knowledge and technology transfer at the University of Waterloo. Taken together, these sections provide a snapshot of the nature and status of technology transfer at Canadian universities and how it compares with that in the US