Les cégeps et le monde de l'innovation : Au carrefour des dynamiques régionales et sectorielles?1

This paper reflects on intersectoral collaboration between Quebec's colleges and innovative small and medium enterprises. Collaboration between post-secondary institutions and businesses is often considered an important condition for territorial innovation and development. However, few studies in Quebec have analysed the specificities of colleges' contribution and most of them have focussed on the College Centres for the Transfer of Technologies (CCTT). In order to strengthen our understanding of intersectoral collaboration between cegeps and other development actors, this paper first presents a brief overview of the literature on colleges in innovation systems. Second, we analyse cegeps' contribution on two different scales: the public policies supporting innovation and at the regional scale through an analysis of the Outaouais region. This case study will allow us to reflect on how colleges negotiate their collaboration between territorial (regional) and sectorial innovation dynamics. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]