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Lisa Torjman's blog on Net Change Week happening June 8-12, 2009 which is designed to explore how social technology can bolster social change.

Story about Certo-Ex which have a device that streamlines sampling and can revolution the time and money spent by pharmaceutical, environmental and food industries. Mention of how TiEQuest had given them access to network with MaRS.

Story about Certo-Ex which have a device that streamlines sampling and can revolution the time and money spent by pharmaceutical, environmental and food industries. Mention of how TiEQuest had given them access to network with MaRS. Jan 14, 2009

Consider the two faces of the global innovation movement. Company A, having grown through acquisition, produces multiple brands for multiple markets and operates a worldwide network of research and product development centers. Each of its R&D sites was initially responsible for its own brands and local market, but with globalization these distinctions have lost their importance. Company B, on the other hand, was built largely through internal growth and has two global brands. It operates one primary R&D center supported by a handful of special-purpose sites around the world. This comparatively sparse network has helped Company B win wide admiration for the efficiency of its engineering. Because expanding the number of nodes in a network exponentially increases its complexity, it is not surprising that Company A's R&D structure is more expensive to operate. Company A has considered closing some sites, but has resisted doing so because it fears losing capabilities and insights, and roiling local markets. Meanwhile, incremental budget cuts have chipped away at engineer and supplier morale. Having built its network to maximize the value associated with market access, it is now forced to manage the network for cost. Most global innovation networks look like Company A's - and suffer the same problems. Company B's R&D structure is clearly more productive, but it is not necessarily ideal either. Its network might be too compact, limiting access to knowledge that could maximize performance. Thus, to identify principles and practices for creating a truly well-designed innovation network, Booz Allen Hamilton and INSEAD, the international business school, surveyed R&D leaders in 186 companies from 17 industry sectors in 19 nations in 2005. The survey results, and our own experience, suggest one central truth: Organizations benefit when they configure their innovation networks for cost and manage them for value.

As stated in Product Design and Development "Researchers from the University of Toronto (U of T), the King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) and Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) have created the most efficient solar cell ever made based on collodial-quatum-dots...a technology licensing agreement has been signed by U of T and KAUST, brokered by MaRS Innovations (MI), which will will enable the global commercialization of this new technology." 

"I've seen a lot of pivots, but few continue to impress as much as Guardly's shift from a personal safety app aimed at consumers, to a comprehensive security suite designed to be used by educational institutions and other organization-level clients"

The AT&T Hackathon will take place on June 15th and 16th at the MaRS Discovery District. The event is designed for technical and non-technical attendees to build apps and compete for prizes.

Carol Goar from The Star states "Financial giant Goldman Sachs will invest $9.6 million in a four-year behavioural learning program designed to reduce the proportion of young inmates who reoffend. Organizations like MaRS, are examining the concept of pay-for-performance bonds.

The family of Dr. John Evans, an innovator in both medicine and business, is donating $10-million to the Toronto MaRS Discovery District. The money will be used to create a MaRS Solutions Lab, which will be designed to help tackle a range of problems - from the commercialization of medical discoveries to global health issues - while providing opportunities for young Canadians, who will have the chance to become fellows at MaRS.

"Dr. Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Canada and IBM Chief Scientist and Fellow Jonas Release a report on how organizations should act now to address the privacy risks associated with Big Data, and the analytics technologies used to make sense of these vast data sets, before such risks become realities." The report was shared at the Future of Energy Summit that was held at the MaRS Centre.

Minor mention of Ecology. Design. Synergy. exhibit at MaRS.

The MaRS Centre is part of a medical and technology business incubator located near the University of Toronto. The modern spaces include boardrooms, lecture spaces, meeting and event spaces, and it is designed for technology-focused and more intimate corporate meetings.

Three of Toronto's innovative technology companies will each receive $500,000 in funding from the province's Investment Accelerator fund, designed to support the launch of innovative companies in sectors considered important to the future of the province's economy. It is administered by MaRS Discovery District.

Aimed at companies with nine or fewer workers, the bookkeeping and invoicing service lets you designate transactions as business or personal. Wave Accounting, a MaRS client, launched their software/service this week.

The Initiative is a new program designed to identify, publicize and direct new funds to individuals who have started successful, new non-profit organizations dedicated to helping those in need.

According to Tech Media Reports, "Sara Diamond, president of the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) says we should get on with the job of making this industry a veritable economic powerhouse. The future lies in "digital" pursuits." Mention of Net Change Week.

Discussions from a town hall meeting, designed to give citizens a chance to shape Canada's broadband will be recorded and presented to the Canadian Radio-television and telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as part of Toronto's Net Change Week activities. Brief mention of Net Change Week.

Worldchanging is poised to be the Whole Earth Catalog for this millennium. Written by leading new thinkers who believe that the means for building a better future lie all around us, Worldchanging is packed with the information, resources, reviews, and ideas that give readers the tools they need to make a difference. Brought together by Alex Steffen, co-founder of the popular and award-winning web site Worldchanging.com, this team of top-notch writers includes Cameron Sinclair, founder of Architecture for Humanity, Geekcorps founder Ethan Zuckerman, sustainable food expert Anna Lappé, and many others. Renowned designer Stefan Sagmeister brings his extraordinary talents to Worldchanging, resulting in a book that will challenge readers to personally redefine the conversation about the future.

On May 17 & 18 the 2010 Annual International Conference on Research Facilities will be held in Toronto. The major issues on the agenda include getting more research results per square foot of space, lowering the costs of building and renovating research facilities, reducing facility operating costs, facilitating the new collaborative multi-disciplinary research models, planning facilities help to promote commercial technology spin-offs, and designing energy-efficient and sustainable laboratories.An important feature of the conference is the opportunity for participants to tour a number of prominent Toronto research facilities including MaRS Discovery District.

Vincent Cheung, owner of Shape Collage Inc., a software program has developed a software program that arranges hundreds of photos into custom shapes in seconds. This program is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux. The company website (shapecollage.com) boasts of more than eight million members. Shape Collage Inc is a MaRS Client.

Toronto's Baycrest centre is staking a claim to a piece of the booming brain fitness market with a new company, Cogniciti, and a new generation of brain games aimed at helping baby boomers keep their minds sharp and boost their productivity in the workplace well into old age. Alvaro Fernandez, a researcher on aging, says the new games are designed to keep older brains nimble. Hon. Milloy states "The McGuinty government is proud to support the work that both MaRS and Baycrest are doing to improve quality of life and tackle the challenges of an aging population. Ontario is supporting innovators across the province to ensure this kind of success is the rule, not the exception." Dec 2, 2009