PROGRIS - Research Program

The POIS survey on innovative behaviour among manufacturing firms was designed as part of a broader research effort on the regional innovation system in Ontario. Firms were asked to identify and assess the workplace technologies and innovations they are utilizing in their efforts to cope with competitive pressures. They were also questioned about the nature of their relationship with their customers, their suppliers and other firms in their industry. Respondents were also invited to assess the effectiveness of various federal and Ontario government programs and research centres.

An executive summary of the POIS survey results is now available. Articles presenting other findings from the survey will be posted to the publications pages of this web site as they become available.

PROGRIS has also launched a number of additional studies Current research includes:

the role of national and regional institutions in fostering, or impeding, technology transfer between the manufacturers and users of advanced processing technologies;

mapping the infrastructure of supporting institutions that contribute to the innovation process in Ontario and the way in which firms interact with these institutions in the innovation process;

examining the interaction between dynamic regions, such as Ontario and several of the Four Motors for Europe, in collaborative research that contributes to the process of innovation in their respective economies;

analysing the importance of clustering and networking among firms and the supporting sets of institutions in creating a sustained capacity for innovation within the regional economy: current work is underway on the evolving multimedia cluster in Toronto and the GTA;

benchmarking the innovative performance of Ontario against different regions in Canada, the US and around the world;

the role of cities and communities as innovative nodes in the global economy.

analyzing the innovative role and practices of multinational firms to determine: (i) the influence they exert on the innovative capacity of Canada's economic regions, and (ii) the ways in which this influence might be further enhanced and deepened.