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Hamutal Dotan, Torontonist blogger states "MaRS infographics provides insights on local startups, where they are located, and why they cluster where they do."

Tom Rand, senior clean tech adviser at Mars Discovery District, said by cancelling the retrofit program the government has silenced a much-needed national discussion on eco-efficient building.

Josh Tapper, The Star reporter states "the Conservative government has cancelled its $400-million ecoENERGY Retrofit program ." Tom Rand, senior clean tech adviser at Mars Discovery District, said "by cancelling the retrofit program the government has silenced a much-needed national discussion on eco-efficient building."

Looks like Toronto/Ontario/Canada is not the only place having problems... A report released by the Center for an Urban Future, a Manhattan-based think tank, finds that while New York City is home to several of the world's leading scientific research institutions, these universities and research centers have not yet become powerful catalysts for entrepreneurship and local economic development the way similar institutions have in a number of other regions. The study concludes that New York has long failed to harness the full potential of its pre-eminent academic research institutions to build a meaningful innovation economy; an enormous missed opportunity given that the city desperately needs to diversify its economy and cultivate new engines of job growth.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to lead a non-profit? The Meyer Foundation conducted the largest national survey to date of emerging nonprofit leaders. They asked close to 6,000 people across the country about the disadvantages and benefits of heading a nonprofit organization.

The Financial Post reports that PushLife is helping RIM level the playing field between it and the iPhone. They're now collaborating with a former RIM employee -- now an entrepreneur and MaRS client, Raymond Reddy of PushLife. The application allows customers to sync their existing music libraries on their PCs or Macs with new tunes purchased from mobile music venues without having to install a software program that replaces their existing media players such as iTunes.

Matt Galloway spoke with Ilse Treurnicht. She is Chair of the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance which just released the report, Mobilizing Private Capital for Public Good.

The Martin Prosperity institute believes that an innovation strategy has to be tied to creativity and place and the ecosystem ("city"). Here they critique a blog by David Crane which critiques the recent MPI report.

As a site of the Kauffman Foundation, this portal provides links to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization publications including 742 journals, 197 books, 70 reports, 73 conferences, and 116 working-papers. All publications are summarized via free access to their abstract, however access to their full-text depends entirely on their publisher/vendor: some are free, some are pay per view, and some require paid subscription. The portal provides direct linking to full-text if available. Since the portal operates on strict headings, it provides excellent access to publications. Since it links to several citation softwares, it is an excellent resource for those looking to compile lists of references. Otherwise, it is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs wanting to keep up with entrepreneurial research and findings, as well as for those wanting to publish entrepreneurial written work. For an example of what can be found on the portal, download the full text version of "The Entrepreneurial Spawing of Scientists and Engineers: Stars, Slugs, and the Small Firm Effect".

From Booklist: Joachimsthaler offers another book that promotes use of reinvented basic marketing principles to assist highly innovative companies. The author describes his DIG model (Demand-First Innovation & Growth), which consists of three interlinked parts: explore the demand for their products and services through an in-depth understanding of how people behave and live their lives and how they consume; apply an innovative routine of structured thinking to identify opportunities that customers cannot articulate; and formulate a strategy for effectively pursuing new opportunities. We learn that although most companies conduct some type of market research, they may fail to look for real opportunities and quantify them or fail to develop viable action plans that lead to results. This model illustrates how to become an unbiased observer of people's consumption and usage behaviors and offers a new approach to identifying and executing a company's growth strategy. Joachimsthaler, a consultant, reports that "successful opportunities for innovation and growth are right here, in front of us, and we often can't see them or don't act on them." Mary Whaley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

The Expert Panel on Commercialization advises the government on action plans for meeting its commercialization objectives. The Panel's April 2006 report entitled People and Excellence: The Heart of Successful Commercialization covers 11 recommendations to provide a strong starting point for Canada to achieve its full potential.

Apple Inc.'s App Store features 70,000 applications for download. How can individual app developers stand out in such a big crowd? According to a researcher at the MaRS Centre in Toronto, patience is the name of the game.

A conspiracy of silence that Skype will not be available for iPhone. Brief and small mention of MaRS.

The Cleantech Growth and Go-To-Market Report - an in-depth analysis of Ontario's cleantech sector along with recommendations for positioning Ontario as a global leader. Event will happen at the MaRS Centre February 17, 2009.

CEO's top concern globally is innovation and growth. "Real time Collaboration Enterprise" is the new business innovation model for market domination. Billions of dollars will be spent in this field, and by 2007 the majority of Global 1000 enterprises will be deploying real-time collaboration business processes to be a core of their business portfolios. Based on their extensive experience with cutting-edge technology, the authors discuss how to successfully implement collaboration commerce solutions, reporting lessons learned from leading companies such as P&G, Astra Zeneca, SAP, and Microsoft.

Canada needs to do more to encourage the private sector to commercialize discoveries working in partnership with academia and governments. Mention of the successful partnership i.e. MaRS.

In the last 18 months, venture capital has experienced acceleration in previously established investment hotbeds meanwhile new hotspots such as China and India emerged. The 2007 report focuses on clean technology and renewable energy, FAS 157, and due diligence and auditor independence.

Canada has joined Australia, Finland, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom in providing nationwide access to the Cochrane Library, a collection of evidence-based medicine reviews and a critical health sciences resource. The current pilot project, which runs through the end of 2009, allows all Canadian users to access the complete Cochrane collection from any computer in the country. The Canadian Health Libraries Association reports that almost 40,000 Canadians were denied access to a Cochrane systematic review in 2007.

Booz Allen Hamilton , the US major global strategy and technology consulting firm, gives online access to its quarterly leading strategy + business magazine here at www.strategy-business.com Users can browse content, subscribe to e-mail updates, listen to podcasts, get sneak previews of upcoming issues, and order previous volumes in paper or CD format. The firm also accepts submissions of proposals for future articles/features. The fairly good Search and Browse feature links to the following: * Articles (back to 1995, 4th quarter) * Enews (goes back to 2000) * Resilience Reports (back to 2003) * Leading Ideas (back to 2006)

This online chapter of Canadian Business provides established and up-and-coming Canadian entrepreneurs with current and newsworthy information. Focus is placed on finance, management, sales and marketing, technology, and exporting. In addition: * A 'Personal Development' section provides information on best practices, stress management, and more. * A 'How To' section provides information on dealing with various business problems. o From legal matters to corporate motivation. * A 'Startup Guide' section provides the reader with a report on 2008's best niches for start-ups. * Access to PROFIT Magazine is also given.

Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) at the MaRS Centre in Toronto Saturday Feb 6, 2010.