Preface
Acknowledgments
List of Acronyms
1. Introduction
Purpose of the Book
What Is New or Different about This Book?
Notes on Research Method
How Is the Book Structured?
Part I: Historical Overview and Conceptual Framework of Innovation Policy
2. Innovation Policy in the Digital Age
Introduction
Innovation: Defining a Nebulous Concept
Innovation Policy
Dissecting Ideologies, Myths, and Sophistries
3. Mapping the Historical Contours of Research on Innovation Systems and Intermediary Institutions
Introduction
From Regional to National Innovation Systems – and Back Again
Institutional Intermediaries and Innovation Ecosystems
Conclusion
4. Innovation Policy and the Ontario Experience
Introduction
A Snapshot of Ontario's Innovation Report Card
Ontario's Innovation Policy in Historical Perspective
From Basic R&D to a Commercialization and Regionally Embedded Focus
The Regional Focus and the Emergence of Innovation "Systems"
The Rise of Institutional Intermediaries
Conclusion
5. Intermediary Platforms as Conduits of Innovation Commercialization and Tech Entrepreneurship Support in Ontario: The Regional Innovation Centres
Introduction
The Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE)
The Enduring Debate and Lingering Questions
Conclusion
6. A Framework of Intermediary Institutions as Strategic Modular Network Platforms of Policy Delivery in Complex Systems
Introduction
Intermediary Platforms as Modular Network Structures
Strategic Management and Innovation Platforms as Adaptive Entities
Organization Theory and Innovation Platforms as Governance Entities
An Integrated Analytical Framework
Part II: Five Cases of Regional Innovation Centres (RICs) as Spatially Embedded Platforms of Innovation Policy Delivery in Ontario
7. Innovation Factory: Thriving in the Belly of a Whale
8. TechAlliance: Carving a Niche in London's Innovation Ecosystem
9. Innovate Niagara: Navigating the Jurisdictional Fissures of a Two-Tier Region
10. The Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT): A Tech Gateway to Ontario's North?
11. WEtech Alliance: In Search of Coherence in a Splintered Ecosystem
12. Comparing the RICs in Five Midsized Regions of Ontario: Triumphs, Tribulations, Conundrums, and Gaps
Part III: Where Do We Go from Here?
13. Policy Recommendations
14. Theoretical Implications for Public Policy and Administration: Intermediary Platforms as Instruments of Policy Delivery
15. Conclusion: A Synopsis of Key Themes and Takeaways
Appendices
Bibliography
