Ontario In The Creative Age: Cultivating Innovation

---

By Shawn Lawrence

Countries around the world are competing with each other to drive their knowledge based economies. Those places that invest in innovation, that stoke the creativity of its people and market their ideas most effectively are home to the most rewarding jobs, to the strongest economies and the best quality of life. Active in this global competition, Ontario is recognized for its research excellence in genomics, cancer treatment, regenerative medicine, clinical trials, bioinformatics, medical imaging and infectious disease prevention and control. It is a province that has opened itself to the belief that science and the power of research can transform lives and while at the same time drive its economy.

Richard Florida, co-author of the recently released $4M report Ontario in the Creative Age, agrees that Ontario is on the right path. The report by the Martin Prosperity Institute, was commissioned by the Premier himself as the province and the government look towards the future and Ontario’s future social and economic prosperity. The main concept in the report is that the ‘creative class’ - a broad category Florida defines as those who create for a living whether in engineering, the arts, science or small business-wield the greatest clout in today’s economy.

The trends highlighted in the report indicate Ontario is moving to an economy that values people’s creativity, the province has a culture that values openness, diversity and social cohesion.

Ontario is also home to a highly skilled workforce, and in terms of innovation in the life sciences, the province has a strong record of research and commercial success. Specifically, Ottawa is home to the highest proportion of creative class workers in Canada, with 43 % of workers in creative fields of some kind. This is a higher percentage than New York, London and San Francisco. Ontario’s largest city Toronto, is home to Toronto’s Discovery District, which encompasses the MaRS Centre and the University of Toronto. It produces the third most life sciences publications in the world, includes six research hospitals, houses approximately 5,000 top scientists and has expanded to include over 2.4 million sq. feet of new research space since 2005.

Due to their diversity Florida considers Ontario’s cities a magnet to the creative class. MaRS was born from the idea that Ontario needs not only to better capture the relevant commercial potential of its research but it needs to directly connect the worlds of science, business and capital.

‘The Creative city’ idea is part of why cities like Toronto act like mega-regions that attract luminaries. You can recruit internationally in a city that feels as open as one’s imagination,” he says, adding that the era of Canadians going elsewhere to find their fame and fortune is over.

“Canada’s big cities are at that moment now and we just have to take advantage of it. We have to stop being so humble, we have to go out and get it.”

But Ontario can still do more, states Florida, beginning with improving the connection of its cities, towns and regions, encouraging further collaborations and breaking through the old Canadian psyche that modest success is enough.

He also believes that the province can strive to raise the percentage of its young people in colleges and universities as institutions are the generators of innovation and help build talent. Furthermore, work must be done to strengthen the managerial capability of this talent.

“There has to be emphasis on having people who can manage, execute and build companies, that has got to be a priority,” he said.

Moreover, for Ontario to maintain its advantage as it relates to the creative class, Florida feels the prescription is a long term proposition that requires collaboration between industry, government and researchers at the bench. His message as it relates to the creative class can be applied directly to biotech.

“While governments can spearhead and mentor change, the transformation we are living through will require the collective action of all Ontarians,” Florida says. “Businesses need to develop and invest in strategies that build on a jurisdiction advantage. They need to invest in strengthening those advantages through training, capital investments and other strategic initiatives. At the same time individuals or in biotech’s case, researchers, need to invest in their own capabilities and skills, learn the way of business and become entrepreneurs.”

Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation Minister John Wilkinson echoes much of Florida’s assessment on what needs to be done in order for Ontario to build a culture of innovation.

“A culture of innovation means promoting innovation everywhere, in our schools, our cultural institutions, our businesses, our government, everywhere. And most importantly a culture of innovation means giving our innovators, Ontarians, the tools they need to succeed,” he says adding that this is why the government created a ministry dedicated to research and innovation in the first place.

The process begins in the classroom where Wilkinson explains the future prosperity of Ontario depends upon engaging young people, the next generation in the discovery of science based solutions to the problems of the 21st Century.

“Our government aims to inspire young people, to establish a firm foundation of interest in science, technology and innovative ideas. That’s why we invested $3.5 million in the Youth Science Foundation and $1.5M in Let’s Talk science to inspire high school students to pursue careers in science and technology. And right now, in labs across the province, MRI funding is providing over 7,000 training opportunities for students across our province to advance their studies and careers in science. This on-the-job training and mentoring is helping to create Ontario’s next generation of world-class engineers and scientists,” he said. “A culture of innovation isn’t something that’s transportable. It’s something that grows within a community that values and supports innovative thinking. You need to invest in people and their ideas. You need to make sure that people have the tools and resources they need to turn great ideas into great jobs here in Ontario and better lives for people around the world. That’s what Ontario’s innovation agenda is all about,” he adds.

"We know that places that invest in innovation are home to the most rewarding jobs, strongest economies and the best quality of life," he explains. “If you want a culture of innovation you must support the risk takers, the dreamers and the doers,” he states adding that Ontario must become more creative, more willing to experiment, more willing to take risks, because risks are a necessary part of innovation.

Wilkinson feels the Ontario Innovation Agenda is doing just that.

“We are connecting innovators and investors, helping investors find made-in-Ontario ideas to invest in and helping innovators get the tools they need to succeed. The McGuinty government understands that one of our province’s biggest competitive advantages is our people—and the ideas they generate,” states Wilkinson.

This is why Ontario is investing so heavily in biotechnology and the life sciences by rewarding its top researchers with vital funding to carry on their work.

Thanks in large part to aggressive strategies, such as the aforementioned Ontario Innovation Agenda, as well as the Biopharmaceutical Investment Program, Ontario is aiming for a position as a global leader in key areas where the province has the research, business strength and market opportunity. The Ontario Research Fund (ORF) is another way Ontario is fostering collaborative relationships between government, research institutions and the private sector right from the start, creating a seamless process to move ideas from the lab to the marketplace. And the plan is working.

“Our scientists are taking lead roles in major global projects, like OICR’s role with the Cancer Genome project and the University of Guelph’s Barcodes of Life Project. Our life sciences sector is already the third largest concentration of companies in North America—with 43,000 people in more than 815 companies, and it generates annual revenues of more than $14 billion. It is clear that we have the talent and the resources needed to be a global leader in biotechnology and life sciences. ”

One can even argue that Ontario’s scientific ability is its most valuable currency. Ontario has a strong legacy of leadership in life sciences—from the discovery of stem cells and insulin to the recent breakthrough by Dr. Andras Nagy in safely turning skin cells into stem cells. Ontario’s vital network of globally recognized universities, research institutions, entrepreneurs and investors are second to none.

The key, according to Wilkinson is bringing these innovators together through collaboration centres and by offering a strong mix of research funding, commercialization programs and financial support to pull all the ingredients together.

“In today’s economy, building prosperity is all about constantly looking for new and better ways of doing things. It’s about being the first to come up with a new idea, a new discovery, or a new breakthrough and being the first to turn it into a new product or service for global markets. Ontario’s priority is to invest in areas where our province has the talent, research strengths and industrial capability not only to compete in the global marketplace, but to lead the world.”

Collaboration has become the key ingredient to meeting this end. As Wilkinson suggests, sometimes in this race to be first, we must partner with those that compliment our research strengths, or we run the risk of getting left behind.

Strategic international partnerships combine the business and research strengths of Ontario with other leading jurisdictions in a particular field of study. This catapults discovery forward and helps ensure that Ontario continues to be a global force in this field.

Collaboration is also a big reason Ontario has been incredibly successful in attracting the best and brightest. It has become a global magnet for top scientists and cutting-edge research, giving Ontario one of the most innovative and diverse concentrations of life science expertise in the world. As Wilkinson so eloquently puts it, “Talent attracts talent.”