Canada must focus on its strengths, was the advice given by innovation "sherpa", Dr. John Kao. Considered a leading authority on the subjects of innovation, organizational transformation, and digital media, Dr. Kao was among the feature attractions at ORION and CANARIE's Powering Innovation: A National Summit, held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre earlier this month.

Sharing examples of how other countries are chasing the innovation carrot by building on their strengths, the innovation strategist and author of the bestselling book, Innovation Nation, got audience members excited about how Canada can innovate and stand out on the global stage.

This year, ORION and CANARIE joined forces to co-host a national Summit that focused on issues of research and innovation enabled by new and advanced technologies.

"We at ORION and CANARIE are very happy with the success of this national conference," said Phil Baker, ORION President/CEO. "The feedback has been very positive so far, especially on the engaging sessions concerning innovative technologies that are now transforming the way we conduct research, collaborate, teach and learn. We heard from exciting keynotes and colleagues on important issues that span the full spectrum of research, education and advanced networking in our country."

Internationally distinguished physicist and Toronto native Robert J. Birgeneau, Chancellor and Professor of Physics at the University of California, Berkeley and former president of the University of Toronto, gave the Summit opening address and explored the theme of cross-border collaborations in research. Founding president and CEO Douglas Van Houweling gave a snapshot of the vision of Internet2, the advanced network backbone in the United States.

In a compelling (yet not for the faint-hearted) presentation, forensic entomologist Dr. Gail Anderson talked about her work as a forensic consultant to the RCMP and police across Canada, and about her latest research into the decomposition process of pig carcasses in the Saanich Inlet using the Victoria Experimental Network Under the Sea (VENUS), a cabled ocean observatory designed as an undersea laboratory for ocean researchers. VENUS delivers real-time information from the seafloor via fibre optic cables connected to instruments at the University of Victoria.

Lunch keynote speaker, Adam Froman, president and CEO of Delvinia Interactive, a digital marketing and interactive firm, spoke about how companies typically fall short of innovation by being afraid of change, outlining the "6 digital diseases" and why they should be avoided.

Breakout sessions and panel discussions on topics ranging from green IT and virtual organizations, to cloud computing and commercializing innovation, were a major feature of the program.

The Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD) partnered with SHARCNET to host "Advanced Visualization: A Boom with a View," chaired by OCAD president, Sara Diamond. The session heard from experts and innovators, such as Dr. Chaomei Chen of Drexel University, who are leading the use of advanced visualization technologies in science and design and transforming collaboration and research in such diverse fields as bioinformatics, human-computer interaction, geography, and environmental sciences.

For many delegates, the Summit gave them their first look at critical scientific research facilities and projects that few Canadians are aware of, yet help position Canada among the world's leaders in many fields. Projects that were presented and discussed included NEPTUNE and VENUS, SAFORAH, CBRAIN and the Canadian Space Science Data Portal.

The Summit looked at how to fully engage Canada's researchers in adapting and taking full advantage of the new and emerging enabling "cybertechnologies" that are helping to drive innovation and scientific discovery around the world. Cybera, Alberta's advanced network organization, also played a critical role in planning the Summit, and brought insights on the province's efforts to deploy Canada's first "cybertechnology" strategy.

Wrapping up the Summit activities, a panel discussion took place on bridging the gap between researchers, CIOs and IT specialists at postsecondary institutions. Research and technology leaders from across Canada explored how institutional leadership can address the delivery of a campus IT infrastructure to support pure and applied research in universities and colleges.

In addition, a number of exhibitors showcased their products and services and networked with Summit delegates. These included BridgeWave Communications, Cogent Communications, George Brown College, Innovation Park at Queen's University, Inometrix Inc., Juniper Networks, McMaster Innovation Park, MIRARCO Mining Innovation, Ontario College of Art & Design, Optimum Communications Services, System-On-Chip Technologies, Tiscali International Network, and York University.

The Summit was made possible by the generous contribution of several sponsors, including gold sponsors Juniper Networks and Tiscali International Network (also exclusive sponsor of the Summit Reception); silver sponsor SHARCNET; bronze sponsors Bell, the Advanced Broadband Enabled Learning Program, Cogent Communications, Colleges Ontario and IBM; and partner sponsors Atria Networks, Auto 21, Cybera, the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Ontario College of Art & Design, Polycom, Ryerson University, and Tech Media Reports.

View video streams of the main stage proceedings, slide presentations and photo gallery at www.OrionCanarieSummit.ca.