ABSTRACT

Many communities across North America and Europe have been beset for several years with a host of economic ills. Their local and state or provincial policymakers have been subject to great pressures to act. Attract and enhance the performance of Research and Development and introduce new technology to transform traditional manufacturing; nurture new technology-based firms and support the emergence of new industries. To fulfil that prescription, policymakers have sought to learn from the experience of those who set the pace. Universities clearly played a significant role in the formation of the Silicon Valley and Route 128 complexes, but that does not mean high technology complexes necessarily can only germinate in proximity to universities. Ottawa's high-tech development has arisen despite the absence of a strong research university and lack, until recently, of significant venture capital support. A Canadian community aiming to become Silicon Flats and American communities follow a similar path.