Toronto ICT Cluster

Toronto Mayor David Miller signed an agreement with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today that links Toronto with other international cities and regions in a global Digital City Network, which supports the commercialization of innovative digital media technologies and advancements. Cities that have signed on to the Network that San Francisco is spearheading include: Paris, France; Prague, Czech Republic; Dublin, Ireland;
Guadalajara, Mexico; Skopje, Macedonia and Singapore.

“Businesses in Toronto’s ICT sector constantly develop and use new technology to increase the city’s international profile and presence in the global economy,” said Mayor David Miller. “Developing partnerships with our international counterparts through initiatives, such as the Digital City Network are a positive step towards increasing global connectivity and collaboration.”

The nine objectives outlined in the Digital City Network Agreement are to:

    -   broker international relationships between educational, business, and
        community-based digital media organizations
    -   create new business to business ventures between jurisdictions
    -   support the growth and innovation of existing digital media
        businesses
    -   develop new cutting-edge digital media companies in each location
    -   encourage private and public investment in advanced digital
        technologies and linkages between jurisdictions
    -   expand workforce development and education opportunities in digital
        media
    -   provide technical support for digital media incubators and business
        accelerators
    -   develop strategies to respond to the rapid changes in new media
        technologies
    -   inform shareholders about emerging digital media issues, innovations
        and best practices.

Toronto ICT firms have already designed and implemented some of the
world’s most advanced broadband networks and technologies for business,
research and educational applications.

Projects the Digital City Network may work on include:

    -   broker international relationships between educational, business, and
        community-based digital media organizations
    -   create new business to business ventures between jurisdictions
    -   support the growth and innovation of existing digital media
        businesses
    -   develop new cutting-edge digital media companies in each location
    -   encourage private and public investment in advanced digital
        technologies and linkages between jurisdictions
    -   expand workforce development and education opportunities in digital
        media
    -   provide technical support for digital media incubators and business
        accelerators
    -   develop strategies to respond to the rapid changes in new media
        technologies
    -   inform shareholders about emerging digital media issues, innovations
        and best practices.
 

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/March2007/21/c5142.html

Commentary:

This article highlights quite clearly that one of the primary directions the Toronto ICT cluster is seeking in order to grow and expand its horizons is the New Media sector, especially in co-operation and collaboration with other leading edge innovative cities such as San Francisco. The digital media incubators and business accelerators which are planned for the near future will make sure that Toronto’s ICT cluster continues on a path of leading-edge innovation as it collaborates with other ICT clusters around the world.