The goals of the MaRS initiative are indeed laudable, however, as with everything else, it’s execution that matters. Close physical proximity of scientist, providers of capital, etc., at least on the surface, seems to be a key ingredient in “creating a culture of commercializationâ€?. Several regions in the US (in particular) can attest to the importance of this type of critical mass especially those anchored around top research universities. There is an important difference between those successful regions and the MaRS initiative, however. MaRS is attempting to artificially create the conditions (i.e., physical infrastructure, co-location of tenants and ancillary support services) that lead to increased commercialization activities specifically and innovation in general. In my view, “MaRSâ€? is, at best, a necessary but yet insufficient condition for stimulating commercialization success. Compare the history of other regions where innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization are deeply rooted and one quickly notices the multiplicity, diversity of linkages, connectedness and depth of the talent and networks. Upon more considered analysis, one also notices the decentralized nature and dynamism of these networks. Can MaRS learn from these other regions and apply lessons appropriately? Yes, it can. But it may not be as central to the process as it believes itself.

Mark – interesting points all around, and certainly I didn’t mean to suggest that MaRS believes itself a central or indispensable part of commercialization in Ontario. That said, I’d challenge your comments about how “artificial” our process is. Certainly a community like Silicon Valley is far more complex, networked and decentralized than Toronto – but it’s also been a technology hot-bed ever since Hewlett and Packard were tinkering in their garage. Toronto is coming late to the party and looking to MaRS and other institutions to help jump-start the kind of connections that other communities have taken years if not decades to establish (connections that can only occur because the region already has the critical mass of university and hospital research talent, capital market depth and industry expertise to make give commercialization a fighting chance). Still, I couldn’t agree more with your point about learning the lessons of other regions – so if you have some more specific thoughts on this subject by all means drop me a line and we’ll chat!