Ryerson University issued the following announcement on June 25.
Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe (anchored by Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo and Hamilton) accounts for 17 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP). But is this dense community of companies and institutions living up to its potential? How can collaboration make the Innovation Corridor a more hospitable place for talent?
To answer these questions, representatives from more than 21,000 businesses will convene at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton-Burlington for Canada’s Innovation Corridor Summit, external link, presented by Canada’s Innovation Corridor Business Council. Ryerson University is an official topic sponsor of the daylong event, which fostered discussions about how to encourage inter-institutional collaboration to make Canada more globally competitive.
A Ryerson-sponsored panel, “Fueling Canadian Innovation with Awesome Talent,” will ask how institutions and companies could think bigger to generate and provide opportunities for talented people. Steven Liss (VP Research and Innovation at Ryerson) will be joined onstage by Tony Chahine (CEO, Myant) and Kathy Woods (partner consulting, Human Capital Deloitte) for a discussion moderated by Todd Letts (CEO, Brampton Board of Trade).
“It’s not only about talent development, but also, what is going to allow us to retain that talent, nurture it, and create the exciting opportunities around that talent?” said professor Liss. “Where are the drivers for that economic talent? And what is the economic base where that talent lands? Not only should our universities and post-secondary systems provide exciting experiences for developing talent—but then, what is out there for that talent that helps to contribute to the innovation ecosystem?”
Professor Liss advocates for more innovative inter-institutional collaborations. “From a university’s perspective, brain circulation is very important—cutting across the innovation ecosystem in a continuum, but not compartmentalized and one-directional. How are our industries and universities organized? And how permeable and nimble and adaptable are they to new ways of engaging and advancing the innovation ecosystem that create that foundational economic framework for success?
“I don’t think it’s just about the local talent development. It’s also about the brain circulation that happens globally. … I do think we give ourselves far too much credit for being in this wonderful, highly liberal-democratic, progressive country that is welcome to all. We seem to think that we are this destination for the world to come and be part of—and yes, we have great assets in this country. But the truth of the matter is, we have to be bolder and less risk-averse with our relationships across the innovation ecosystem.”
Original source: https://www.ryerson.ca/news-events/news/2018/06/fueling-canadian-innovation/