Jeffrey Cutler , Canadian Light Source, 101 Perimeter Rd., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, CA, S7N 0X4 | Stephen Wasserman | Ivan Kempson

Science and technology impact almost every aspect of our lives, helping us to solve problems and create opportunities. The required emphasis on research and development is recognized within virtually every Pacific Rim country as a priority and this emphasis is ultimately indicated by the creation and development of new products and processes within diverse fields ranging from nanoscience to biotechnology. Often, however the research and development communities that bring us these advances appear to be disconnected. Despite the fact that science and technology are part of the same whole, the public and the scientific communities often view innovation and technical development as separate activities. This symposium brings a multi-disciplinary approach to the discussion of what is now usually referred to as technology transfer. Whereas in the past, research and development often existed in a single organization, such as the central research laboratories of corporations, today such companies often rely on innovations in academic laboratories to drive their product development. As a result, cooperation among organizations with very different perspectives is required to succeed in the marketplace. How this cooperation succeeds or fails will be the focus of this symposium.