TFN: Open S ource and
Innovation
Th e TFN su pports innovation by e stab -
l
ish ing and m aintaining th e h e al
th of an
e cosyste m of O ntario com panie s e ach of
w h ich se l
l
s produ cts and se rvice s th at
re l
y on ope n sou rce for com pe titive ad-
vantage . TFN's com pany e cosyste m is a
sh ow case of h ow ope n sou rce asse ts and
proce sse s re su l
t in im prove d innovative
pe rform ance .
To e nsu re th e h e al
th of th e e cosyste m ,
th e TFN provide s:
tal
e nte d stu de nts
l
ow cost, h igh q u al
ity com m u nications
infrastru ctu re
a ne w sl
e tte r focu se d on th e b u sine ss
issu e s of ope n sou rce
profe ssional
de ve l
opm e nt program s
h e l
p se l
l
ing to gove rnm e nt de partm e nts
tool
s to m aintain cl
e an inte l
l
e ctu al
prope rty
l
ink s to ope n sou rce grou ps,
fou ndations and com m u nitie s
l
ink s to profe ssional
s w h o can provide
l
e gal
se rvice s
assistance to raise fu nds
asse ssm e nt of w h e th e r or not to re l
e ase
proprie tary asse ts as ope n sou rce
inform ation on opportu nitie s to re pl
ace
proprie tary asse ts w ith ope n sou rce
inve ntorie s of com panie s, proje cts and
profe ssors w ith e xpe rtise in ope n sou rce
Innovation is th e k e y drive r of e conom ic
prospe rity and ou r provincial
and fe de ral
gove rnm e nts spe nd m il
l
ions of taxpay-
e rs' dol
l
ars fu nding se l
f- procl
aim e d "pre -
e m ine nt" re se arch - to- com m e rcial
iz ation
ve h icl
e s across th e cou ntry. H ow e ve r,
w h e n com pare d to oth e r cou ntrie s in
te rm s of innovation, Canada rate s poorl
y.
For e xam pl
e , th e Confe re nce Board of
Canada in H ow Canada Pe rform s, a re -
port re l
e ase d in Ju ne 2007, de scrib e s
Canada's pe rform ance in innovation as
b e ing stu nningl
y poor. Canada w as fou nd
to rank 14th ou t of 17th cou ntrie s in in-
novation pe rform ance and w as rate d a D .
W h il
e m any diffe re nce s e xist b e tw e e n
O ntario and th e cou ntrie s th at rank e d as
b e ing th e m ost innovative , one anom al
y
ju m ps ou t im m e diate l
y. Each of th e
cou ntrie s rate d h igh l
y in te rm s of innova-
tion
pe rform ance
(i.e .,
Sw itz e rl
and,
Sw e de n, Finl
and, U nite d State s and Fin-
l
and), h as e m b race d th e l
ink b e tw e e n
ope n sou rce and innovation. O ntario h as
not.
Th e TFN e nab l
e s th e su cce ssfu l
transfe r
of ope n sou rce te ch nol
ogy to O ntario
com panie s. M any profe ssors and stu -
de nts in O ntario acade m ic institu tions
contrib u te to ope n sou rce proje cts and
se t u p th e ir ow n h om e grow n proje cts.
Th e TFN w il
l
e nsu re th at O ntario com -
panie s b e ne fit from w ork carrie d ou t in
ope n sou rce by profe ssors and stu de nts
in O ntario.
Th e TFN is com m itte d to produ cing l
e ad-
ing e dge re se arch in ope n sou rce w h ich is
re l
e vant to O ntario com panie s. For th is
pu rpose , th e TFN:
sponsors gradu ate stu de nts pre paring
th e se s and proje cts in ope n sou rce
assists in th e produ ction and disse m ina-
tion of ope n sou rce e du cational
re sou rce s
e vol
ve s a h igh q u al
ity, com pre h e nsive
ope n sou rce cu rricu l
u m
prom ote s joint indu stry- u nive rsity
re se arch
m e ntors stu de nts w h o e nte r b u sine ss
com pe titions w ith pl
ans b ase d on asse t
sou rce com m e rcial
iz ation
organiz e s com pe titions to ide ntify
opportu nitie s to produ ce ope n sou rce
re l
ate d asse ts and proce sse s w ith
com m e rcial
iz ation pote ntial
organiz e s confe re nce s, se m inars,
sh ow case s, and gate re vie w s on topics
re l
e vant to ope n sou rce
h osts e ve nts of inte re st to ope n sou rce
grou ps
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