Site Map |Introduction | R&D Statistics | Human Resources | Policies | Case Studies | Innovation | ICT | Investment | Business Culture | SME | Directories

R&D Promotion

Case studies

Four case studies -one within each industry or technology- illustrate the characteristics of alliances and co-operative firms

MacMillan Bloedel and Parallam

MacMillan Bloedel is the largest forest products' company in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Based in Vancouver, it conducts the most ambitious research programme in the Canadian forest products, pulp and paper industry. Its strategy is one of diversification through the development of new and improved products. A research project in collaboration with the German manufacturer of new numerically controlled special presses and a Canadian chemical producer, resulted in a new building material called Parallam. Following this the company set up plants in the US and British Columbia.

Northern Telecom's Alliances:

Canada's largest electronics firm, Northern Telecom (NorTel) also conducted a certain number of international alliances. These were private arrangements between NorTel and foreign partners. Some of them have been:

• Associations with Microelectronics and Computers Technology Corporation (MCC), which is a privately owned and financed non-profit co-operative joint venture of some twenty large American corporations. MCC has been conducting collaborative research on a large number of areas of computer electronics, including advanced computing technology, CAD, software technology and interconnection. Shareholder companies like NorTel are those who have bought one share, participate in at least one research project, and participate in its governance structure.
• In conjunction with Motorola, the world leader in cellular telecommunications equipment, it aimed at developing service and markets to their combined existing network technology, joint R&D to develop the new broad-band network technologies.
• Another international strategic alliance with Matra SA of France was to combine Matra's advanced radio technology with NorTel's switching equipment technology.

BioChem Pharma:

This medium sized biotechnology company, through different research projects and local collaborations, developed two promising drugs. Later it announced a strategic alliance with Glaxo Holdings, the British based pharmaceutical multinational and conducted pre-clinical research. This was an example of a Canadian SME with a strong R&D base with lesser number of employees collaborating with a giant firm with more than 100 times the number of employees and an extensive annual R&D budget. The small firm put its innovative products in the alliance, against the financial, marketing and technical strength of the large multinational corporation.

Alcatel, CN and the ATCS Consortium:

Alcatel, the Canadian subsidiary of the giant French telecommunications producer, and the Canadian National Railways, Canada's largest railway company collaborated in a $20million R&D project to develop, install and test an Advanced Train Control System on a CNR rail line. This was to be the first of its kind in North America and put the Canadian consortium in the lead over other US and Canadian competitors. The Industry, Science and Technology Canada Department was financing the installation and testing costs. This illustrated that technological complementarity is at the basis of technical alliance. It also showed how both electronic technology and its associated R&D collaborative organization spread over other industries like transportation equipment.

MNCAN

Minnesota-Canada Business Opportunities Network (MNCAN) is a no-cost Internet based partnering and business opportunities network, developed by Advantage Minnesota and the Canadian Consulate General to assist Minnesota and Canadian-based companies in their cross-border business development efforts.