23 Friday Sep 2011
Posted in Events
I’ll be speaking at the TCI Annual Global Conference, to be held 28 November – 2 December 2011 in Auckland New Zealand. Topic being; National Competitiveness and Local Innovation: The Global Mosaic at Play!!
The session is on Thursday 1 December and called ‘Competitiveness in the Changing Global Economy: Next Generation Thinking’ I’ll be joined by Dr Lars Eklund from Sweden talking on National Innovation Competitions – experiences and state of the art!
More on TCI Conference…here.
05 Monday Sep 2011
Posted in Cities and Innovation, Events, People
Tags
Great message from a friend of mine, Brett O’Riley.
The Ministry of Science and Innovation (MSI) is delighted to be one of the partners behind the Rutherford Innovation Showcase being staged during Rugby World Cup 2011. The Showcase celebrates “kiwi innovation” in the spirit of one of our greatest, Lord Rutherford. For more…Ministry of Science and Innovation.
02 Friday Sep 2011
Steve Kelly (now Professor Kelly, head of the Business School at Southern Cross University, in Australia) and myself at the IIMB Campus in Bangalore, 2003.
Southern Cross University was a founding member of the Future Cities Institute and together Steve and I have worked with many technology entrepreneurs across Asia Pacific, Europe and Russia since this photo was taken.
01 Thursday Sep 2011
I was going through some older files and found this little gem.
It’s the original consortium that Agitavi International put together with Microsoft to deliver the Software Business Management Course.
Agitavi was a founding member of the Future Cities Institute, along with other industry and academic organisations in 2009, and this photo taken on the 8th December 2003, started a journey that took software business management course (SBMC) and myself across about 28 countries.
Some of the faces are still around, but I had more hair then!!
Organisations in the photo included; Microsoft, Management Development Institute of Singapore, Australia’s Southern Cross University, China’s TsingHua University, India’s Institute of Management Bangalore and New Zealand’s Manukau Institute of Technology.
Great days and great people.
29 Monday Aug 2011
Posted in Events
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Future Cities Forum
What does the future hold for our cities and how can local government play a part?
To be held in Auckland on Wednesday 28 September the Future Cities Forum will highlight opportunities for New Zealand cities to develop as world leading communities driving economic growth and social cohesion. Read more
25 Thursday Aug 2011
Posted in People
I was speaking to a friend of mine in Christchurch today, and while a generalisation, he commented that many business owners he knows, including himself, have been spending about half their time supporting family and friends in the aftermath of the earthquake…but the projects and business commitments are still being met!!
Even if he is only half right, what does this say for national productivity?
He had two observations a) with everything that has gone on in Christchurch, businesses have got very pragmatic and do not have time for distractions, b) Normal is the new enemy, if you can get the work done in half the time, why go back to the way things were??
I would add that the City Council and citizens of Christchurch also put together a really cool, and very inspiring, city plan to rebuild…in months, not years. Testament to Christchurch’s ‘pragmatic productivity paradigm’? Perhaps Auckland could do with more cafes in containers!!
Worth exploring more, as I am sure other cities could learn from Christchurch…
23 Tuesday Aug 2011
Posted in Cities and Innovation
Many people have asked me for the reasoning behind, and the connections between, national competitiveness and local innovation…here are both.
National competitiveness is based on national productivity, being the capacity of the nation’s firms to achieve higher levels of productivity, and develop the capabilities to compete in more and more sophisticated industry segments.
Equally, as business success is now based on the paradigms of flexibility and entrepreneurialism, urban-based innovation development and entrepreneurship now generates national outcomes, with cities playing a significant role in overall economic productivity and national competitiveness.
Within this context, the Information and Communications (ICT) industry also demonstrates a positive impact on national competitiveness, where ICT production contributes to output, employment, and export earnings, and ICT use increases productivity, competitiveness, and growth across all industries in an economy. And while industries such as agriculture and tourism may in themselves not be knowledge-intensive, the innovation process, including knowledge inputs from outside industry firms and institutions, may indeed be.
The proposition is that national competitiveness and enduring competitive advantage in today’s global economy, increasingly lies in local things — knowledge, relationships, and motivations that distant rivals cannot match.
These local innovation ‘ecosystems’ are core to the creation and commercialisation of innovative products, processes, and services by entrepreneurs and reinforces the need for local indigenous skills, capabilities, and enabling ICT environments. It also reinforces the need for innovation programmes that focus on creating and supporting the complex stakeholder interactions that drive economic growth at local, industry and macro levels of an economy, to produce economic growth and social benefits for all citizens.
END
If you would like the references for the above, please contact me via my contact page.
18 Thursday Aug 2011
Posted in Communities
Work is well underway on the 2nd building at the new Gold Coast Campus of Southern Cross University…www.SCU.edu.au
17 Wednesday Aug 2011
Posted in Communities
William Cobbett from the World Bank Cities Alliance group is confirmed as a keynote, at the Future Cities Forum, 28th September 2011. Register now HERE, its free, but limited spaces!!
10 Wednesday Aug 2011
Posted in Cities and Innovation, Events
The Innovation Showcase will be attended by a range of delegates from NZ Government Ministers and Chief Executives, Asia Pacific and New Zealand business leaders, Local Government Mayors and Councillors, Industry, Academia and Entrepreneurs.
Opening remarks from Mayor of Auckland Len Brown
Innovation is the key to our future. We are entering an age of fierce international competition for resources such as skilled labour, raw materials and energy.
Innovation – doing more with less, doing it smarter and cleaner is the only way we can continue to prosper and live better lives on a healthy planet.
The good news is that the innovation sector is growing – in fact it is Auckland’s fastest growing employer.
My council has placed innovation at the heart of our Economic Development Strategy. We will support our innovative firms, universities and research and development organisations to take their genius to world markets. The Rutherford Innovation Showcase will show the world how innovative we already are.
The Future Cities Forum will challenge us on the role Auckland, as New Zealand’s international city, needs to play in transforming this country’s well-being. Be excited – this is just the beginning.
This forum day highlights opportunities for New Zealand cities to develop as world leading communities driving economic growth and social cohesion. It will include an evaluation on opportunities for public private partnerships and will feature leading international speakers who will discuss global best practice for transforming cities and towns into digital communities. Of special note is the government-industry panel session that will bring together economic development agencies, the keynote speakers and urban innovation experts to discuss critical challenges and opportunities to achieve sustainable urbanisation, and economic growth, through the creation of high skilled jobs, entrepreneurship and innovation in the local economy.
The Forum Day culminates at an invite only leadership dinner hosted by Auckland Mayor Len Brown, and will include an update on the latest initiatives for Auckland as a ‘Hub of Innovation’ for the South Pacific, and the launch of the Future Cities Global Forum and Awards Program.
We are proud to announce that William Cobbett, who is the manager of Cities Alliance, will be the opening speaker at the Future Cities Forum.
The Cities Alliance is a global partnership for urban poverty reduction and the promotion of the role of cities in sustainable development. The Cities Alliance prioritises support to cities, local authorities, associations of local authorities and/or national governments. William will speak of his experience and empowering local communities in the digital world.
William Cobbett has been Manager of the Cities Alliance since May 2006. He joined the Cities Alliance in March 2001 from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in Nairobi, where he had designed and launched the Global Campaign for Secure Tenure. Prior to joining the United Nations, he was Director of Housing for Cape Town.
If you have any queries or if you would like to get involved in this event, please contact Michaela Clark: events@futurecitiesinstitute.org
REGISTER HERE
