The OES team will compile a summary of findings of the Sudbury Connect to Innovate workshop in the coming days. Until then, check out: http://twitter.com/oes to view updates from Sudbury as they happen.

Want to know more about Connect to Innovate?

Thought leaders (listed below) from each of these organizations will be joining us at the 6th Annual Summit.

Big Impact Infrastructure

Fausto Natarelli – Director, Ministry of Transportation
Bringing knowledge from the Windsor Border Initiatives Implementation Group

A Knowledge Driven, Creative Economy: Our Pathway to Prosperity

Dr. Diana Pliura – President, ALBRY Inc. & Entrepreneur In Residence, The Health Technology Exchange (HSX)
HSX supports the growth of a dynamic, prosperous Ontario medical and assistive technologies industry sector.

Sara Diamond – President, Ontario College of Art and Design
OCAD is Canada’s “University of the Imagination”

Check out the preliminary agenda to find out more!

Thought leaders (listed below) from each of these organizations will be joining us at the 6th Annual Summit.

• Llyod McCoomb – President, Greater Toronto Airports Authority
• Ken Field – Chairman & Founder, Greenfield Ethanol
• Paul Rak – President, VeriGreen Inc.

Check out the preliminary agenda to find out more!

Thought leaders (listed below) from each of these organizations will be joining us at the 6th Annual Summit.

• Lyn Heward – Former President and COO of Cirque du Soleil’s Creative Division
• Rebecca LeHeup-Bucknell – Exectuive Director, Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance
• Ian Wilson – Executive Director, The Stratford Institute for Digital Media & Culture

Check out the preliminary agenda to find out more!

Register before July 31st to receive this year’s special 20% off Early Bird discount.

Mr. Ip is the U.S. Economics Editor for The Economist, based in Washington D.C.. Widely regarded as one of the world’s top economic journalists, the Pulitzer Prize winning Mr. Ip is often seen on CNBC, CNN, BBC, NPR and Newshour with Jim Lehrer.

Mr. Ip has also been at the forefront of social media having created Real Time Economics, the Wall Street Jounal’s online blog of Fed and economic news. He is a frequent contributer to The Economist’s blog, Free Exchange. Check out Greg’s bio and be sure to reserve your seat at this year’s Summit. Early bird registration ends July 31st.

Here are just few examples of the government’s effort to lead creative people and boost innovation:

• Research infrastructure: $300 million over six years in capital funds
• Biomedical research: $100 million over four years in operating funds
• Innovation Demonstration Fund: $50 million over four years
• Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation: $10 million over 3 years to help SMEs with hands-on applied research, technology transfer and commercialization
• In addition, the government will provide approximately $100 million annually to expand and enhance tax credits for film and television production, computer animation, book publishing and the creation of interactive digital media products.

While the province is experiencing an economic downturn, these initiatives represent an attempt to drive economic growth and create jobs for a new economy. Most will readily acknowledge that our economy has been in a state of transition for some time.  The current recession and global financial crisis has merely accelerated the pace of change and forced governments around the world to think out of the box. With increasingly demanding consumers and intense international competition, success will be measured by our capacity to create, manage and exploit knowledge while responding quickly to new market opportunities.  Government support to stimulate the knowledge driven economy is one step in the right direction.  But is it enough?

So get your pens and pencils out kids…it’s time to get creative!

To what extent will the knowledge-driven, creative economy shape Ontario’s future and what else should be done by all of us to foster its growth?