MORE VIGOROUS research- innovation linkages between uni- versity and industry would enhance Canada’s international economic competitiveness, says the Science Council of Canada in a recently released report. The report recommends that federal and provincial governments increase funding for both new and existing linkages involving teaching or research. The effectiveness of such collaboration should be monitored to ensure that the money is well spent. Winning in a World Economy: University-Industry Interaction and Economic Renewal in Canada argues that universities should transfer more knowledge and technology — and people with such knowledge —-. directly to in- dustry. It points out that, as a consequence of this country’s in- dustrial structure, universities do 25 per cent (an estimated $1.7 billion in 1987) of the nation’s research and development. Since knowledge is replacing raw materials as the primer of the world economy, universities must now play a larger role in wealth creation. They can help to exploit existing ideas and inventions and thereby accelerate the growth of private sector R&D in this country. The extensive background research, done for the first time for the report, revealed that in re- cent years the traditional ways in which universities have met specific industry needs for research law Society pays $1.35m EIGHT CLAIMANTS have been paid a total of more than $1.35 million from a_ special fund established by the Law Society of British Columbia. The fund was set up in 1949 to reimburse people for financial losses resulting from theft by law- yers. Since then, the Law Society has paid out a total of $3.5 mil- lion, including the latest payment. “All professions and industries have within them the occasional member who is dishonest,’’ said society treasurer Dennis Mitchell. “Although not all professions or industries protect the victims of their dishonest members, the legal profession in British Columbia has established its special fund for this purpose.’’ He said the special fund was important because financial loss can cause serious harm and hard- ship to victims, and it is important that the public retain confidence in the overall integrity of the legal profession. Every lawyer in B.C. makes an annual contribution to the fund. In 1987, that contribution amounted to $295 per member. The latest payment from the fund was made up from amounts ranging from $2,179 to $598,400. Mitchell pointed out that not every claim made on the fund is paid. A lawyer must have acted dishonestly or fraudulently in deal- ing with a claimant’s money or property, and he must have been acting in his capacity as lawyer at the time, not as a financial consul- tant or in some other role. 47 - Sunday, August 21, 1988 - North Shore News and teaching — such as contract research and continuing education — have increased, and interesting novel forms of university-industry linkages -- joint ventures, science parks, spin-off firms, and centres of excellence — have sprung up. Such activities are also con- tributing greatly to the intellectual vitality of the universitics. The council report includes rec- ommendations — mostly directed to universities — on how this trend can be encouraged. Above all, it urges universities to ensure that collaboration with in- dustry becomes an integral and valued extension of the core mis- sion of research and teaching. The report recommends that univer- sities set goals for and better fund technology and knowiedge transfer activities, and establish internal university policies and services to encourage and reward collabora- tion. There is an urgent need for more awareness on the part of univer- sities and industry about their respective roles in. working together to stimulate economic renewal in this countrv. The main thrust of the recom- mendations is to encourage col- laboration between universities and industries in teaching and research in scientific and technological BUSINESS Wer: areas. But the report also draws atten- tion to the contributions that other disciplines and other postsecon- dary institutions can make to a knowledge-intensive economy. For example, it advises univer- sities to make special efforts to focus on the management of tech- nology, to enhance consulting by social science and humanities faculties and, when providing courses for business and industry, to coordinate their efforts with community colleges and institutes. Winning in a World Economy judges that academic values will not be jeopardized by increased university-industry interaction, and goes so far as to warn that univer- sities are far more at risk from the lack of participation by industry than from too much collaboration. At present about four per cent of research within universities is funded by industry. Doubling that amount would have a significant positive impact. Science Council chairman Geraldine Kenney-Wallace, who also chaired the study committee that produced the report and 10 background documents, is em- phatic, ‘*To compete internationally we must cooperate nationally. 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