Atlantica Monitor

Ranking the Life Science Clusters ...

via www.joneslanglasalle.com

Here's what one leading real estate advisory firm considers important in evaluating US life science clusters. 

Those Infernal "Best Places" Rankings ...

There are rankings for almost every endeavour, for every location and for every vocation. Perhaps the most ubiquitous, however, are rankings of the "best places to do business."

Among the most prominent rankings are those compiled by Forbes.

Here's a column expressing concern with how those rankings can ill-advisedly drive policy.

Will Shale Gas be a Game-Changer for Maritime Canada?

The extraction of shale gas is controversial. Impacts to drinking water, even potential seismic impacts, are causing many jurisdictions to call a halt to hydraulic fracturing.

Pressures (no pun intended) to pursue shale gas extraction are intense, however, given the economic potential. Here's an interesting look at the extent to which mining and natural resources drive equalization payments to "have-not" provinces in Canada.

Click here to read the article in the Globe and Mail. 

Atlantica Group Tackles Geopolitical Risk with Global Security Expert Prof. Amos Guiora

Atlantica Analytics, the actionable insight and competitive intelligence division of Atlantica Group, is pleased to announce that world-renowned expert on counter-terror and security, Prof. Amos Guiora, has joined the firm as Senior Advisor.

As noted in this release, Prof. Guiora has developed cutting edge simulation and training scenarios that enable companies and organizations to develop responses and protocols in the event that security incidents affect their property or personnel. 

With so many companies, large and small, pursuing opportunities in emerging markets or other environments in which security and the rule of law are neither fully established or respected, these tools can be highly valuable.

Clck here for more info. 

Top 100 Global Innovators ...

Global rankings of "the best places to do business," "the best places to retire," "the best places for start-ups," and so on are (and should be) of questionable utility, given that methodologies and criteria can drive almost any outcome.

That said, Thompson Reuters' rankings of Top 100 Global Innovators is worth a look on its own.

Here's the link. 

Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation System

Here's a nice "State of the Nation" document that tracks Canada's progress in science, technology and innovation.

Check it out here.  

BBC Takes a Look at "Start-up Nation"

Here's a brief BBC segment that captures, in a very short feature, much of the "Start-up Nation," i.e., Israel, and what makes it work.

There's a lot more to say and to see, but they've done a decent job at getting at the bottom of it.

Click here to watch. 

Support Small Business? For Sure. But to Make a Dent in Recessionary Unemployment? Go After the Big Fish.

It's beyond dispute that economic development requires supporting and nurturing small business and entrepreneurship. But in this recession, states and provinces need to focus on courting the bigger players.

Here's why. 

2011 Study: Top US States for Business ...

Another ranking of states for overall business environment, as reflected by various criteria such as access to capital, educational attainment, infrastructure, economy, cost of doing business, cost of living and so on ...

Click here for the link to the CNBC Report. 

MA Scores Big with FDI Successes in Biotech

Massachusetts is well-known as a global center of biotech excellence. The world has beaten a path to its door ... but it hasn't happened by accident.

Here's a piece in the Boston Globe that sums up nicely what the state has done to woo international players. 

As one foreign investor put it, "The governor knocked on our door .... We spoke the same language."