Quebec City Hosts 3rd IASP Workshop

QUÉBEC CITY, QUÉBEC--(Marketwired - May 6, 2015) - The science park of the future, no matter where it is located, must reach beyond its physical boundaries and boost productivity by bringing together local projects and helping entrepreneurs build on what is being done around the world.

Representatives of the North American Division of the International Association of Science Parks (IASP) tackled these challenges during the conference which kicked off yesterday under the theme Connect, Share and Go.

"There has been a transformation of the economic ecosystem within which North American science parks are evolving. Things are changing and we simply cannot ignore it," stated Mr. Luis Sanz, Director General of IASP.

How can science parks become better team players, spreading innovative ideas while creating symbiotic relationships with local economic development partners? How can these parks furnish their cities with innovative projects? These are the questions that participants came together to discuss.

WORKING TOGETHER

Science parks are more than just real estate developments. By reaching out and attracting talent for their businesses, they also have an impact on their region.

"We want to see initiatives take shape but for that we need to support them, to remain productive and coherent. We advocate shared leadership and, thus, is essential that we work together at the regional level. In order to be more competitive, we have to link initiatives and open up our parks," stressed Ms. Natalie Quirion, General Manger of the Québec Metro High Tech Park and President of the North American Division of IASP.

Services provided to businesses that decide to operate in science parks need to be standardized. But above all, parks need to get in the habit of sharing knowledge and contacts to help businesses expand internationally.

TORWARDS MORE FELXIBLE PARKS

Among the issues explored during the conference, representatives from science parks emphasized the need for parks to become increasingly self-sufficient from a financial standpoint. "Park management must also evolve, becoming more flexible so that decisions can be made quickly in collaboration with public and private financial partners," explained Ms. Quirion.

International business development, a key factor for economic expansion, was also a hot topic during discussions, as was the impact of the presence of a science park on a region's economy.

ABOUT IASP

IASP, which is headquartered in Spain, is a strong network of 350 member science parks from 72 countries representing over 200,000 innovative businesses. IASP hosts an annual world conference that brings together as many as 1,000 participants, for the most part managers of science parks, areas of innovation and business incubators, as well as academics who facilitate technology transfer. The North American Division of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP) brings together some thirty science parks in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

ABOUT ZONES QUÉBEC INNOVATION

Zones Québec Innovation has represented the science parks of Québec City, Montréal, Sherbrooke, Laval, Rimouski, Trois-Rivières, Sorel-Tracy and St-Hyacinthe since 1996. The association is the meeting place of science parks that truly combine university research and entrepreneurship in order to transform research results into innovations and generate economic benefits for society.