UW plays key role as Waterloo named one of the world's Top Seven Intelligent Communities


WATERLOO, Ont., Jan. 19 -- The University of Waterloo played a key role in the City of Waterloo being named by the Intelligent Communities Forum (ICF) as one of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities of 2006 in the world.

A news release issued Wednesday by the City of Waterloo says: "The announcement of these seven finalists puts Waterloo in the list of communities being considered as the Intelligent Community of the Year, an honour that recognizes the community that best exemplifies the development of a prosperous economy based on broadband and information technology."

Waterloo is the only Canadian city on this prestigious list and one of only two in North America, the other being Cleveland. Rounding out the Top Seven are Seoul, South Korea; Ichikawa, Japan; Manchester, England; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tianjin, China.

In announcing the seven finalists at the annual conference of the Pacific Telecommunications Council in Honolulu, ICF Executive Director Louis Zacharilla described Waterloo as "the almost perfect intelligent community," saying the city's vibrant digital age economy is a model community that offers lessons to the rest of the world.

ICF is a special interest group within the World Teleport Association that focuses on the uses of broadband technology for economic development by communities large and small in the developed and developing worlds.

The Top Seven Intelligent Communities finalists will learn who is named the Top Intelligent Community at the ICF Conference in New York in June. Last year's Top Intelligent Community was Mitaka, Japan.

In a report, ICF says the city is home to the University of Waterloo -- "the largest post-secondary co-operative education program in the world, with more the 10,000 students enrolled in co-op programs, supported by more than 3,000 employers."

It adds that the city is recognized for "its commitment to fostering institutions that drive technology innovation and share its benefits" with the community. "To this challenge, Waterloo brings the same effective partnership among educators, executives and officials that underlies its current success."

The ICF report notes: "In the 1970s, the University of Waterloo established an intellectual property policy, unheard of in its day, which allowed students and faculty members to own rights in intellectual property they developed at the university. It produced a wave of entrepreneurship that pushed technology innovation out of the academic environment and into the community. Today, the university spins off 22 per cent of all new technology start-ups in Canada."

"Being on the list of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities is truly an honour," said Waterloo Mayor Herb Epp. "When you consider the work that is being done not only across Canada but around the world to advance the use of broadband, and to build communities that leverage technology, it is quite an accomplishment to be named to the Top Seven."

"The University of Waterloo is very pleased with this excellent development which is a great acknowledgement for the community," said UW President David Johnston. "This is testimony to our people -- our students, faculty, staff and alumni around the world."

In November, the ICF announced that the City of Waterloo was among the "Smart 21" communities, placing Waterloo in the list of semi-finalists being considered for the Top Seven list.

Each year, ICF selects communities from around the world to appear on its list of the Top Seven Intelligent Communities of the Year. These seven communities are selected based on indicators that include the significant deployment of broadband communications, extent to which the community enables a knowledge workforce, promotion of digital democracy and ability to foster innovation, as well as effective economic development marketing that leverages the community's broadband, labour and other assets to attract new employees.

Waterloo's nomination credits several organizations that include the universities, hospitals, libraries and schools as well as companies such as RIM, Open Text, Sybase, iAnywhere and Manulife that export their products, technology and services around the world. It also notes the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Centre for International Governance Innovation, UW's Institute for Quantum Computing, UW's Research and Technology Park, and the presence of Communitech and Canada's Technology Triangle as being further reflections of leadership as an intelligent community.

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~Lots of Love~

Lori ¶ 9:23 AM