building an integrated knowledge economy
AN UPDATED INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY FOR ALBERTAThis strategy was developed under the leadership of the Alberta Information and Communications Technology Institute Board of Directors:
Mr. Gary Mar, MLA Co-Chair MLA Calgary-Mackay
Dr. Roger Smith, Industry Co-Chair
Alberta Science and Research Authority (ASRA) Board Member,
Professor Emeritus and former Vice President (Research), University of Alberta Dr. Elizabeth Cannon
ASRA Board Member, Dean, Schulich School of Engineering and Professor, Department of Geomatics Engineering, University of Calgary
Dr. Renee Elio
Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Science, and Professor, Department of Computing Science, University of Alberta Dr. Charles Kim
President, Canakor Inc. Mr. Stephen Lougheed
ASRA Board Member, Executive Chairman, illumiCell Corporation, National Angels Organization Board Member, Principal Trissio Corporation Mr. Brian Olafson
Consultant Mr. Lorne Olsvik
Councillor, Lac Ste Anne County Mr. Nizar J. Somji
Chairman of the Board, Matrikon Inc.
steering committee
3 Executive Summary 6 The Importance of ICT 7 Changing Global Conditions 8 The Alberta ICT Industry 9 Opportunities
11 Alberta’s Strategic Direction 12 Achievements and Challenges 13 Updating Alberta’s ICT Strategy
13 > Vision and Focus 14 > The Five Pillars 19 Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
Wristwatches that monitor a patient’s vital signs, 3-D visualization programs in the oil and gas industry, remote sensors that detect minute amounts of environmental pollutants—these are all products of Alberta’s growing information and
communications technology, or ICT, industry, and all products that improve the quality of services in other key industries. In fact, no other industry touches as many other sectors of the economy as ICT. As a result, it has become a major competitive driver of the global economy.
In October 1998, the Alberta Science and Research Authority released Information and Communications Technology – A Strategy for Alberta. It called for a strengthening of the four pillars supporting the ICT industry—education, research, infrastructure and business—and has been the foundation for government action and investment ever since. Building an Integrated Knowledge Economyupdates the 1998 strategy, expanding on its achievements and sustaining its momentum. In addition, it recognizes the need for work on a new pillar, engagement of Albertans, to gain the full
rewards of public and private sector investments in the ICT industry. ICT innovations and innovations made possible by ICT help all Albertans tackle new work and community challenges, access services like health care and education, and enjoy new entertainment choices.
The vision of Building an Integrated Knowledge Economyis a vibrant, innovative and sustainable ICT sector that significantly contributes to Alberta’s prosperity. The market-driven, value-added direction of this updated ICT strategy is consistent with the Government of Alberta’s approach to economic development—building on the province’s existing areas of comparative strength, specifically in energy and mining, environment, health, agriculture, forestry and education. Building an Integrated
Knowledge Economyfocuses provincial policies and investments in ICT on enhancing these industries and developing ICT-based innovations and technologies that serve global as well as local markets.
The strategic focus is to accelerate development of ICT to add value in economic sectors with significant global growth potential.
AN UPDATED ICT STRATEGY
To grow a strong ICT industry, Alberta must focus on strengthening these five pillars: 1. Develop Human Capital
Continue to educate, train, recruit and retain highly qualified people in technical, managerial and interdisciplinary roles.
• Support and expand current programs aimed at attracting and retaining outstanding researchers and graduate students in studies related to ICT, including iCORE’s grant programs and scholarships.
• Pursue increased enrollment, recruitment and retention of highly qualified people in ICT-related disciplines at Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.
• Promote greater cross-fertilization among post-secondary disciplines that support the innovative use of information and communications technologies.
• Strengthen ICT-related skills in all areas of study at Alberta’s community colleges, technical institutes and universities.
• Strengthen the business skills of technically trained post-secondary students. • Strengthen the business skills of the people that manage ICT-related small
to medium sized enterprises.
• Improve the ability of small to medium sized enterprises to cost-effectively develop, attract and retain excellent managerial and technical people. • Enhance the ICT-related capabilities of kindergarten to grade 12 teachers. 2. Invest in Value-Added Research and Development
Support and expand world-class ICT-related research capabilities while increasing emphasis on commercially valuable research.
• Build on current investments to develop and retain a critical mass of ICT-related researchers and infrastructure in Alberta.
• Encourage applied research aimed at creating commercially viable ICT products and services for the energy and mining, environment, health, agriculture, forestry and education sectors.
• Increase the transfer of knowledge to the private sector and the industrial relevance of research through an expanded and effective industry research chairs program. • Use more effectively the applied research capabilities of Alberta’s community
colleges and technical institutes.
• Align ICT research priorities with those in life sciences, energy and nanotechnology.
• Encourage significantly more private sector research and development investment, including through a more attractive tax regime.
3. Invest in a Sustainable Infrastructure
Create and sustain a globally competitive, easily accessible ICT infrastructure that meets current and future needs of the public and private sectors.
• Facilitate SuperNet connectivity and applications to ensure all Albertans receive maximum benefit, both socially and economically, from ICT.
• Create an integrated, shared and easily accessible human and physical research infrastructure by building on investments such as Westgrid computing facilities and the Netera provincial research network.
4. Stimulate the Growth of the Alberta ICT Industry
Create a more attractive business environment to grow and retain globally competitive ICT companies in Alberta.
• Review successful technology commercialization initiatives and systems in other jurisdictions or industry sectors and identify best-in-class elements to help ICT small to medium sized enterprises in Alberta.
• Using the above best-in-class framework, invest in an integrated, shared and easily accessible set of services for Alberta ICT small to medium sized enterprises. • Support programs that increase local ICT companies’ abilities to manage their
businesses, market their products and services, and access research and capital. • Reduce development risks for Alberta-based ICT providers of innovative ICT
products and services.
• Use collaboration programs to more closely align institutional research with industry opportunities and needs.
• Use and adapt government fiscal and procurement policies to support competitive Alberta-based small to medium sized enterprises.
• Proactively market Alberta’s distinctive ICT strengths and supportive business environment.
5. Engage the Public and Increase Awareness
Create greater public awareness of how information and communications technologies foster social and economic development and the strengths and achievements of Alberta’s ICT business and research activities.
• Create a communications strategy and plan to raise awareness, understanding and support for the direction of Building an Integrated Knowledge Economy.
Over the last decade, information and communications technology (ICT) has become a major driving force of knowledge economies and the global economy. Advances in information technology and the fast pace of technological change are increasing the knowledge intensity of economic activities, while deregulation and the communications revolution are advancing globalization. The global ICT industry has become much more competitive.
No other industry touches as many sectors of the economy as ICT. Sharp declines in computing and communications costs and the rapid development of customized software have spurred an explosion in the innovative use of computing and communications technologies in all areas of business and personal life. Another wave of innovation is underway with the convergence of biological and information technologies. In October 1998, the Alberta Science and Research Authority (ASRA) released Information and Communications Technology – A Strategy for Alberta, aimed at strongly positioning Alberta’s ICT industry within the global knowledge economy. The strategy called for sustained leadership and investment to develop:
• A well-educated and knowledge-based workforce; • Well-funded research and development capabilities; • A competitive and accessible infrastructure; and • A strong and dynamic local ICT industry.
The competitive forces in the global environment demand that Alberta renew its ICT strategy, to support broader economic development goals and continued prosperity for Albertans.
“Jobs, knowledge use and economic growth will gravitate to those societies that are the most connected, with the most networks and the broadest amount of bandwidth—because these countries find it easiest to amass, deploy and share knowledge in order to design, invent, manufacture, sell, provide services, communicate, educate and entertain. Connectivity is now productivity.”
T. Friedman,
The Lexus and the Olive Tree
the importance of ICT
A critical event in the history of the ICT industry was the dot-com crash of 2001. Industry growth rates that exceeded 10 per cent annually were halved. The global industry moved away from the dot-com technology-push orientation and became market-driven and cost-conscious. Growth in the industry’s value, pegged at $2 trillion US in 1998, slowed. That value reached $2.8 US trillion in 2005.
Several new pressures on ICT supply and costs have emerged.
Demand for software continues to increase, driven by businesses’ need for services enabled by information technologies (for example, global supply chain management, business intelligence, productivity improvements and security solutions) as well as by consumer demand (for services like on-line music and video). Services and software represent over 40 per cent of global information technology spending and are embedded in everyday commerce and living. Technological connectivity, particularly high-speed broadband and wireless, continue to transform the way people work, live and interact.
Information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology are converging, creating powerful new products like biosensors, nanoelectronics and nanobiotechology drug delivery. The global market for these products is huge—biotechnology products are already valued at $20 billion US, and the global market is expected to reach between $30 billion US and $40 billion US by 2010.
Companies are balancing new opportunities against the need for cost-control. This balancing act is more difficult with the shift in the structure of the information technology industry from a hardware orientation to a focus on software, services and nimble new players. New global business structures, dominated by large multinationals, will provide both opportunities and challenges for smaller players in specialized niche markets. Centres of economic activity are expected to shift to Asia within the next two decades, particularly in manufacturing and information technology services.
Finally, global competition for the best and brightest management, technical and innovative talent will intensify as companies compete to create new ICT-enabled products and services to meet the ever-increasing market demands of developed and rapidly developing countries.
changing global conditions
ICT competition is driven by:
> Business and consumer demand;
> Innovative new products; > New business structures; > Shifting centres of
economic activity; and > A shortage of qualified
Alberta’s ICT revenues were $10.6 billion in 2005, 0.4 per cent of the global ICT market and 15 per cent of the Canadian market. Over 20 per cent of revenue was from exports. With the exception of a few large players, small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) dominate the industry. In 2005, there were 4,500 firms and 60,000 workers in the Alberta ICT industry. Roughly 80 per cent of revenues and employment were in the three sub-sectors of telecommunications (including wireless), information technology and geomatics.
ICT has improved the efficiency of industrial operations enormously. The economic impact of the ICT industry is therefore much more extensive and pervasive than revealed in the employee and revenue numbers. These traditional measures also do not include ICT-related investments (such as computer hardware and software), or the thousands of ICT professionals employed, in other sectors.
For example, ICT plays a critical role in Alberta’s energy sector, where it is a core technology in key functions such as seismic data processing, reservoir management, 3-D visualization, process controls, asset tracking and remote instrumentation. The oil and gas, drilling and services, oil pipelines, gas transmission and distribution, and upgrading and refining industries in Alberta spend well over $1 billion annually on ICT. The companies that supply ICT-enabled products and services to the Alberta oil patch also export these services to oil and gas operations worldwide. This is the desired result: niche Alberta ICT firms creating products or services for local industry sectors, developing excellence in the local market and exporting products and services around the world.
Information and communications technology ranks in the top five industries in Alberta and is a critical part of the economy.
Alberta’s key economic sectors—energy, environment, health, education,
agriculture and forestry—offer opportunities to develop applications of information and communications technology with local and global market potential.
Complex problems crossing traditional disciplinary boundaries require the collection, integration, coordination, and analysis of enormous quantities of data and other information. To gain maximum benefit from Alberta’s renewable and non-renewable resources required an integrated resource managementapproach. This is an area of importance to all Albertans where advanced ICT technologies and knowledge play a central role.
Albertans are expressing increased concern about the environmental effects of resource-based industries, particularly on the province’s water resources but also on air quality. Resource-based industries are economically and socially important to Alberta. ICT is emerging as an important tool for long-term resource management and stewardship. For example, wireless sensor network technology that merges ICT and nanotechnology uses microscopic particles to gather and analyze data in real time. This technology has far-reaching potential, particularly related to the environmental effects of energy resource development. Sensor network applications can include the real-time monitoring of air quality close to gas processing plants, downstream water quality during oilsands operations or drinking water quality close to coal bed methane operations.
Health care is the world’s largest service business, on which Alberta alone spends over $9 billion annually. Timely and accurate information is at the core of patient-centred care, evidence-based health care and patient management. Health information transmitted through the SuperNet and displayed through devices such as wireless terminals or television sets could change the way patients in Alberta obtain information and are treated, operated on, monitored and counseled. Telehealth in northern remote areas would help maintain the social fabric of communities and reduce health system costs.
Researchers are exploring a range of medical applications for wireless sensor network technology. For example, technology can improve the delivery and study of resuscitative care. Allowing automatic collection of vital signs can be integrated into patient care records and used for real-time triage, correlation with hospital records and long-term observation.
opportunities
No other industry touches as many other sectors of the economy as ICT. As a result, it has become a major competitive driver of the global economy.
In education, learner-centred instruction offered inexpensively over the SuperNet, at any time and place, promises to transform the way Albertans learn. For kindergarten to grade 12 schools, it could reduce differences in quality created by location, finances or teacher expertise. For workers, it could support the continuous learning required to remain competitive in today’s knowledge-based economy. It could deliver language or skills upgrading programs to the many foreign professionals needed to meet the demands of technology-enabled businesses. Staff in ICT companies could access specific and high-quality educational programs to build business skills.
The availability of the SuperNet broadband network that connects all government offices throughout Alberta, combined with the Internet, provides a major opportunity to increase Albertans’ access to current and future government services. The SuperNet could add more on-line services to the government’s Service Alberta portal. This would provide citizens with a single entry point into several government services including licensing and registration.
Information and communications technologies, such as global supply chain management software, enable global e-commerce and allow large and small to medium sized enterprises to conduct business faster, cheaper and easier. These technologies also facilitate alliances between multinationals and local companies. Alberta companies could and should participate in these opportunities. The potential benefits of information and communications technologies are limited only by our imaginations.
The 1998 ICT strategy was one of several actions by the Alberta government to stimulate a knowledge-based and innovative economy. It focused on four major pillars: education, research and development, infrastructure and the business environment. Six years later, in 2004, the government released a long-term strategic plan for 2005-2025, Today’s Opportunities, Tomorrow’s Promise. This plan identified four critical areas of activity: innovation, learning, competing globally and making Alberta the best place to live, work and visit. In the summer of 2005, the government released an economic framework for the 20-year plan, which calls on the public and private sectors to: • Enhance Alberta’s current competitive advantage;
• Build the capacity of Alberta’s innovation system; • Grow and strengthen Alberta’s SMEs; and • Focus on priority value-added sectors.
The market-driven, value-added direction of this updated ICT strategy is consistent with the Government of Alberta’s approach to economic development. Building an Integrated Knowledge Economyfocuses provincial policies and investments in ICT on encouraging growth and productivity in value-added sectors.
Such investments must have a strategic focus. We must use our achievements and strengths to create the excellence in research and product development that will allow Alberta to take a world leadership position in ICT.
alberta’s strategic direction
Investing in the development of a vibrant, innovative and sustainable ICT industry would significantly contribute to the social and economic well-being of Albertans.
ICT ACHIEVEMENTS
Government investments to support the 1998 strategy total over $500 million, with significant results:
• The close to $200 million invested in ICT-related research and development and education has improved the quality and research capacities of Alberta universities. Universities have hired more highly qualified faculty and attracted a much larger number of Canada’s best graduate students, strengthening computer science, electrical engineering and related faculties. • In 1999, the Government of Alberta established the Informatics Circle of Research
Excellence (iCORE) to strengthen ICT research. In its first five years of operation, iCORE attracted a stellar group of world-class scientists to Alberta in wireless and networks, new architectures and intelligent software systems. These scientists in turn have attracted outstanding students, the next generation of scientists and innovators. iCORE has enhanced Alberta’s ICT reputation and provides a competitive advantage in attracting ICT research talent to the province.
• Alberta has built a strong physical infrastructure, including the SuperNet broadband network, ICT buildings at universities and technical institutes, the National Institute for Nanotechnology and university research networks. Over the last decade, investments have also supported high-performance computers, research networks, visualization tools, data storage facilities, grid software, remote sensors and advanced collaboration facilities. • The recently completed SuperNet links government offices, libraries and educational
and health facilities in 422 communities throughout Alberta. The potential benefits of this high-speed network are enormous, from the provision of government services to serving as the backbone for creation of innovative businesses in rural communities.
ICT CHALLENGES
• Student enrollment in computer science and computer engineering declined across North America over the last five years. In Alberta, the availability of high-paying jobs in the booming energy sector complicates the situation. The shortfall of highly qualified technical people will limit expansion of Alberta’s knowledge-based economy.
• Alberta needs to: build a critical mass of researchers in areas that add the greatest value to key industries; retain the best and brightest researchers; translate research outputs into commercially viable products and services through globally competitive Alberta-based companies; and increase the level of private sector investment in research and development. iCORE’s Industrial Chairs Program and other emerging industry relationships respond to these challenges, but new and expanded initiatives are needed.
• Albertans have not used the SuperNet as much as originally expected. There is a need for efforts to stimulate and facilitate business, researcher and public use of this network, particularly in rural areas, to capture the full value of this major public investment. • The Government of Alberta must design, manage and fund the province’s human and
physical research infrastructure for the long term. Other jurisdictions have recognized this need and adopted a cyberinfrastructure approach, coordinating the various elements into a strategic architecture that supports the current and future research needs of the public and private sectors.
Government ICT investments have improved the quality of research at Alberta’s universities, attracted world-class scientists to Alberta and built a strong research infrastructure and the SuperNet.
Building an Integrated Knowledge Economyupdates the 1998 strategy, expanding on its achievements and sustaining its momentum. In addition, it recognizes the need for work on a new pillar, involvement of Albertans, to gain the full rewards of public sector investments in the ICT industry.
This updated strategy acknowledges that:
• Alberta must develop the people and skills essential for this knowledge-based sector, continuously strengthen its business environment and ensure that it has a sustainable physical infrastructure that meets current and future needs.
• ICT can add value in all economic sectors. However, market demand and limited human and financial resources require a strategic focus on those sectors with the highest potential for value-added growth to the Alberta economy.
• The ICT industry is dominated by small companies that need support in human and financial resources. To help these companies grow and become globally competitive, Alberta needs more intense efforts to develop management skills, networks, alliances and supply chains.
• To successfully develop products and services for the targeted sectors, the ICT industry needs: an innovation system with more applied research in learning institutions; stronger links among the private sector, public institutions and all three levels of government; higher rates of technology commercialization, adoption and diffusion; and increased access to capital.
• Strong and sustained leadership from government is essential to support the growth of a globally competitive ICT sector and the resulting economic diversification. VISION AND FOCUS
Vision
The vision is a vibrant, innovative and sustainable ICT sector that significantly contributes to Alberta’s prosperity.
Focus
The strategic focus is to accelerate development of ICT-enabled solutions to add value in economic sectors with significant global growth potential.
The updated ICT strategy aims to help the ICT industry achieve a rate of growth that exceeds the provincial GDP rate of growth and generate $25 billion in revenues by 2020. It works hand-in-hand with the efforts of the local ICT industry to create products and services that meet the needs of potential customers in Alberta’s key economic sectors.
updating alberta’s ICT strategy
To be globally competitive, the Alberta ICT industry must be innovative and respond effectively to market opportunities.
THE FIVE PILLARS 1. Develop Human Capital
Strategy
Continue to educate, train, recruit and retain highly qualified people in technical, managerial and interdisciplinary roles.
There is a serious shortage of highly qualified technical people, particularly in the computer sciences and computer engineering fields. The government must take urgent steps to stem declining enrollments in ICT-related disciplines and to recruit and retain outstanding students from outside the province. It should ensure that current programs aimed at building research excellence and attracting high-quality people in ICT fields are continued.
Business and creative skills are equally critical, as are interdisciplinary capabilities. The small to medium sized enterprises that dominate the Alberta ICT industry tend to be led by technically trained people with limited resources and time. These individuals need cost-effective means of broadening their skills. Programs delivered by post-secondary institutions in the province can help meet this challenge. Finally, because of their influence on the development and future career options of students, it is important to continue to strengthen the ICT-related capabilities of kindergarten to grade 12 teachers.
New Recommendations for the Government of Alberta:
> Support and expand current programs aimed at attracting and retaining outstanding researchers and graduate students related to ICT, including iCORE’s grant programs and scholarships.
> Pursue increased enrollment, recruitment and retention of highly qualified people in ICT-related disciplines at Alberta’s post-secondary institutions. > Promoted greater cross-fertilization among post-secondary disciplines that
support the innovative use of information and communications technologies. > Strengthen ICT-related skills in all areas of study at Alberta’s community colleges,
technical institutes and universities.
> Strengthen the business skills of technically trained post-secondary students. > Strengthen the business skills of the people that manage ICT-related small to medium
sized enterprises.
> Improve the ability of small to medium sized enterprises to cost-effectively develop, attract and retain excellent managerial and technical people.
2. Invest in Value-Added Research and Development Strategy
Continue to build world-class ICT-related research capabilities while increasing the emphasis on commercially valuable research.
Largely as a result of the initiatives in the 1998 ICT strategy, Alberta has attracted a group of world-class scientists to conduct research in ICT-related fields with promising potential. The government should find ways to strengthen this research, with a greater emphasis on market-driven commercial possibilities. The government must build on the 1998 ICT strategy to create a globally competitive research and development environment and achieve a critical mass of ICT researchers in those areas that offer the greatest value-added benefits to Alberta.
Alberta’s strong ICT research base can and should support commercial applications with global market potential—such as wireless sensor networks to monitor environmental pollutants in the energy industry. This demands much closer working relationships with industry. iCORE’s Industry Research Chairs Program supports this objective and should be strengthened. Getting maximum value for public dollars through increased commercialization of research requires investments in both pure and applied research. Significant research is underway through other Alberta institutes in the fields of life sciences, energy and nanotechnology. ICT and technologies in these areas are converging. It is therefore important to align research priorities in all four fields. In Alberta, government funds the bulk of the ICT-related research. Greater industry investment in research and development would increase the potential to add value to Alberta’s products and services. Industry R&D in Alberta is well behind that in other Canadian and global jurisdictions.
New Recommendations for the Government of Alberta:
> Build on current investments to develop and retain a critical mass of ICT-related researchers and infrastructure in Alberta.
> Encourage applied research aimed at creating commercially viable ICT products and services for the energy and mining, environment, health, agriculture, forestry and education sectors.
> Increase the transfer of knowledge to the private sector and the industrial relevance of research through an expanded and effective industry research chairs program. > Use more effectively the applied research capabilities of Alberta’s community
colleges and technical institutes.
3. Invest in a Sustainable Infrastructure Strategy
Create and sustain a globally competitive, easily accessible ICT infrastructure that meets the current and future needs of the public and private sectors.
The 1998 ICT strategy recommended the creation of an open, fair and competitive communications environment accessible to all Albertans. It also called on the government to ensure that all Albertans have electronic access to its services, thereby demonstrating its support for ICT use. These recommendations are still valid and should continue to be implemented.
The creation and wide use of a province-wide broadband network were key goals of the 1998 ICT strategy. The recently completed SuperNet can serve as the backbone for a broad range of valuable ICT applications for citizens and businesses, particularly in rural areas, in e-commerce, e-education, e-government and e-health. However, Alberta needs to do more to realize the full value and benefits of the SuperNet.
To better serve the needs of universities and technical institutes, the government made major public sector investments in ICT-related research infrastructure, such as research networks and high-performance computing equipment. These investments were made and are managed on an individual project basis to meet the immediate needs of the respective stakeholders and often do not receive needed operating and maintenance funding. This approach is not sustainable in the competitive world of ICT research.
Other global jurisdictions have used a strategic cyberinfrastructure approach that integrates hardware, software, people and the physical infrastructure— high-performance computers, research networks, visualization tools and data storage facilities—into a coordinated system. Alberta needs to adopt this approach and create a cyberinfrastructure as accessible and seamless as its electricity and water utilities. By this means, researchers and businesses can cost-effectively share facilities to meet their research needs and provide a competitive advantage for the Alberta research community and industry.
New Recommendations for the Government of Alberta:
> Facilitate SuperNet connectivity and applications to ensure all Albertans receive maximum benefit, both socially and economically, from ICT.
> Create an integrated, shared and easily accessible human and physical research infrastructure by building on investments such as the Westgrid computing facilities and the Netera provincial research network.
4. Stimulate the Growth of the Alberta ICT Industry Strategy
Create a more attractive business environment to grow and retain globally competitive ICT companies in Alberta.
The 1998 ICT strategy recommended facilitating commercialization to grow the ICT business sector and to attract new firms. Various stand-alone measures have helped Alberta’s predominantly small ICT businesses bridge gaps in the technology commercialization process. The government needs to do more in a coordinated manner.
The challenges faced by small Alberta-based businesses in commercializing technologies (not only related to ICT) are well-documented, as are the potential solutions. Other Canadian and overseas jurisdictions have implemented aggressive programs to strengthen the management capabilities of their small to medium sized enterprises and to retain and attract the best and brightest people and companies. Key initiatives in other jurisdictions have also aimed at reducing the risks of product development for small to medium sized enterprises and increasing collaboration between industry and public sector researchers. These are major areas of need for Alberta small to medium sized enterprises.
Finally, Alberta is at a significant disadvantage with respect to fiscal and procurement policies that support the development of small technology-based local businesses. The government should use and adapt its policies to support the growth of Alberta-based companies, and market those policies as part of a comparative advantage to attract outstanding people and companies.
New Recommendations for the Government of Alberta:
> Review successful technology commercialization initiatives and systems in other jurisdictions or industry sectors and identify best-in-class elements to help ICT small to medium sized enterprises in Alberta.
> Using the above best-in-class framework, invest in an integrated, shared and easily accessible set of services for Alberta ICT small to medium sized enterprises. > Support programs that increase local ICT companies’ abilities to manage their
businesses, market their products and services, and access research and capital. > Reduce development risks for Alberta-based ICT providers of innovative ICT products
and services.
> Use collaboration programs to more closely align institutional research with industry opportunities and needs.
5. Engage the Public and Increase Awareness Strategy
Create greater public awareness of how information and communications technologies foster social and economic development and the strengths and achievements of Alberta’s ICT business and research activities.
There is a general lack of public awareness of the pervasive role of information and communications technologies as well as of existing activity levels and strengths of ICT in Alberta. This lack of knowledge leads to ill-informed career advice to students, inadequate understanding of potential e-business opportunities in rural areas and insufficient support for fiscal measures to support the development of the local ICT industry.
The government should develop and execute a coordinated approach to public communications on the current role and future potential of information and communications technologies in everyday life and business. A key audience should be students contemplating careers in business, sciences and engineering.
In the competitive global battle for talent, other jurisdictions have created powerful communications strategies to position themselves as desirable destinations.
New Recommendation for the Government of Alberta:
> Create a communications strategy and plan to raise awareness, understanding and support for the direction of Building an Integrated Knowledge Economy.
The focus of the government’s initiatives to stimulate the ICT sector in Alberta has been on building capacity in the four foundational pillars of education, research, infrastructure and business, as recommended in the 1998 ICT strategy. This updated ICT strategy expands upon those critical investments. In addition, it recognizes the need for a fifth pillar, to show Albertans the economic and social benefits of past and future public investments in information and communications technologies.
The public and private sectors share responsibility for making the vision of an
integrated knowledge economy, with a vibrant, innovative and sustainable ICT sector, a reality. Sustained leadership by the government will shape the environment in which skilled people are developed and retained, pure and applied research conducted, and economic value created by the ICT industry for the benefit of all Albertans.
conclusion
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