Canadian Cash Funds Study of 'Born Global' Firms

In Canada, the University of Waterloo (UW) has been awarded a $1.9m grant to conduct research into 'born global' start-ups - new ventures that enter markets around the world soon after being founded.

Professor Rod McNaughton will head the 'International Entrepreneurship Strategic Knowledge Cluster' project; one of 11 that have recently received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

McNaughton says that the project draws together researchers and partners in Canada, the US, UK, New Zealand and Finland. It will eventually involve up to 200 researchers from different countries, who will focus on helping new companies enter global markets as soon as they begin trading.

'Understanding the formation of new enterprises is important for economic development,' says McNaughton. 'We want to focus on gathering and analyzing comparative data about how knowledge-intensive new ventures use networks to grow and quickly enter international markets.'

McNaughton explained that in countries with small populations, small companies often need to reach the international marketplace quickly because their own domestic market is too small. The project will aim to uncover information about what problems these companies encounter and to find a structure which will enable them to access export markets quickly.

The work will also help government agencies develop policies to better assist new companies as they develop export markets.

Web site: www.uwaterloo.ca .

Last month, Nationwide Insurance partnered with the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University (OSU) to research and evaluate consumer behavior in the US.