Universities and Regional Economic Development:
The Entrepreneurial University of Waterloo
Allison Bramwell and David A. Wolfe
Program on Globalization and Regional Innovation Systems
Munk Centre for International Studies
The University of Toronto
www.utoronto.ca/progris
Canadian Political Science Association Annual Meeting
The University of Western Ontario
June 2-4, 2005
Beyond “Knowledge Factories”
• Universities are central actors in the knowledge-based
economy
• Seen as “knowledge factories” that generate reservoirs of
untapped commercializable knowledge waiting to be
taken-up by firms and applied
• Knowledge drives innovation BUT process is fluid and
iterative rather than linear
• Universities transfer knowledge in multi-faceted ways and
can be engaged institutional actors in the local economy
Universities and ‘Learning’ in Knowledge-Based
Economies: From Linear to Interactive Models of
Knowledge Transfer
• Knowledge transfer as an interactive vs. linear process
– Lundvall (1992) – successful innovation requires constant learning
and adaptation so emerging paradigm is more that of a ‘learning
economy’
– Cooke (1988); Maskell (2001) – innovation is a social process and
producers and users learn from each other in face-to-face exchange
of tacit knowledge
– Wolfe (2005) – learning occurs at the regional level through
sharing of common networks of knowledge exchange, supported
by regional institutions, especially universities
– Pavitt (1991); Cohen & Levinthal (1990) – firms need to develop
absorptive capacity through high skill sets in order to exploit
university-generated knowledge
The University of Waterloo: An Entrepreneurial
University Embedded in an Entrepreneurial Community
“Today it is the University of Waterloo. If you go back in the cluster, it all
comes from UW in some form or other…
Is there a cluster around the area, yeah there is. Is the external perception
stronger than it actually is? Yeah, I think so…
We get referenced in presentations in San Diego, Washington and New
York about this Waterloo cluster…but it’s clear that the University of
Waterloo is the one thing that pulls it together.”*
Confidential interview.
Alternative Knowledge Transfer Mechanisms
• Knowledge Creation
– not just primary research but also technical support for firm-based R&D
through project-oriented consulting and joint research projects
• Human Capital Formation
– international reputation for producing skilled graduates in math, sciences,
and computer engineering supported by Co-op Program
• Global Linkages
– researchers act as conduits for global ‘pipelines’ of knowledge that
contribute to local ‘buzz’
• Engaged Entrepreneurial Institution
– acts as a “good community player” that shapes and supports local
networks and flows of knowledge that underpin a highly successful
regional economy
“There is an entrepreneurial identification process where
students go back and forth to industry which gives individuals
experience in industry. Faculty members will go back and
talk to their students, and co-op students are enthusiastic
coming back from their terms. The University IP Policy also
attracts entrepreneurial researchers interested in the IP
dividend, with strong commitments to industry. Due to
various programs such as the Co-op Program, the University
of Waterloo has had, from the outset, very strong universityindustry linkages. As a result, we’ve never had any major
problems promoting [these linkages] as they pay dividends in
the community.”*
Confidential interview.