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Mechanism of Triple Helix Circulation, Cluster-Engine, and ClusterReactor: A Case Study on Greater-Montreal Aerospace Cluster

Mamoru Kitajima ＊Abstract
In light of the global expansion of the aerospace industry in recent years, many
countries are looking to form aerospace clusters. Greater-Montreal 1 in Quebec is theworld’s most popular and the fourth-largest center of aerospace manufacturing. It is the
only place where an entire aircraft can be assembled from locally manufactured
components. Against this backdrop, this study focuses on the Greater-Montreal
aerospace cluster’s triple helix circulation. It has a positive mechanism for triple-helix
circulation between the university, industry, and government. Accordingly, this paper
examines and analyzes the triple-helix circulation based on a case study of some actors
in the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster.
Keywords: ‌triple helix circulation, cluster-engine, cluster-reactor, organizational
proximity, social proximity, Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster

1．Introduction
This study aims to elucidate the challenges of forming an aerospace cluster from theperspective of triple-helix circulation. Specifically, our targets are R&D consortiums,
business support organizations, think-tanks, education, training institutions, andaerospace universities. Our interview survey was conducted in Greater-Montreal, which
has drawn attention as a model aerospace industry cluster. The emergence ofuniversities, industries, and the government – triple helix – can also be identified as a
key factor in regional development. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate themechanism of triple helix circulation through a case study of some actors in GreaterMontreal.

Deputy General Manager & Head of Research Study, The Economic Research Institute, Executive
Director, Japan Society for the Promotion of Machine Industry（JSPMI-ERI）, E-mail: kitajima@eri.jspmi.
or.jp
1
Greater-Montreal is the most populous metropolitan area in Quebec.
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2．Review of Preceding Studies
In the last ten years, a broad range of studies has been conducted on aerospaceclusters. The following studies have specifically focused on the Greater-Montreal
aerospace cluster. Niosi and Zhegu（2005）in their study, in the light of knowledge
spillover, provided an analysis of the most dynamic aerospace clusters around theworld, including Quebec. Armellini et al.（2012）examined research on consortium andinnovation in the Quebec aerospace industry. They analyzed and presented theframework adopted by the Quebec aerospace cluster to enhance cooperation between
local enterprises and science and technology institutes in the development of precompetitive technologies in the sector. A study by Gardes, Dostaler, Barry, andGourmel-Rouger（2015）examined aerospace clusters and competitiveness poles,
highlighting the cases of France and Quebec, where the local governments haveinvested significantly in them. Therefore, this paper considers the triple helix circulationin the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster for reference to these articles.

3．Basic Concepts and Research Framework（1） Basic Concepts
The basic concepts of this study are cluster and triple helices. According to Porter’s（1998）concept, clusters are the geographic concentrations of interconnected companies
and institutions in a particular field. Clusters encompass an array of associatedindustries and other entities that are important for competition. They include, forexample, suppliers of specialized inputs, such as components, machinery, and services,and providers of specialized infrastructure.
Etzkowitz’s（2002）concept of the triple helix is a spiral model of innovation that
captures multiple reciprocal relationships at various points in the process of knowledge
capitalization. According to Etzkowitz, the triple helix denotes the university-industrygovernment relationship as a relatively equal, yet interdependent, institutional spherethat overlaps and assumes the role of others.
（2） Research Framework
The research framework of this study is as follows: First, we drew the cluster map of
the Greater-Montreal aerospace industry based on our interview survey. Second, we
introduce a case study of six actors in the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster2. Third,
we analyze the relationship between triple helix circulation and the actors in theThis interview survey was conducted by the author  in December 2019. For further details, see JSPMIERI（2020）.
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29cluster. Fourth, we consider the mechanism of the triple helix circulation of the GreaterMontreal aerospace cluster using the original concept of cluster-engine and clusterreactor.

4．Cluster Map of Greater-Montreal Aerospace Industry
At present, there are 206 companies: six OEMs, 15 equipment integrators, and 185
SMEs, in Greater-Montreal, accounting for more than 70% of Canadian aerospace R&D
spending. This region registered an average annual growth of 5.1 % over 25 years（1993-2018）, according to Aero Montreal（2019）.
Figure 1 shows the cluster map of the Greater-Montreal aerospace industry, revealing
how the aerospace cluster pattern was created. It can be classified into five maincategories. The first encompasses universities and research institutes, which are
exploring next-generation technologies and materials for aerospace and human resource
development. The second is the training center for the MRO: maintenance, repair, andoverhaul of the main aircraft and airframe. The third comprises associations supporting
the Greater-Montreal aerospace industry. The fourth is the state/federal governmentand government-affiliated organizations related to the aerospace industry. The fifth
aspect includes aircraft and parts makers, and SMEs. It also includes unions. As
mentioned above, the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster is formed by a few sectors
and many actors, which are correlated. In this context, Niosi and Zhegu’s（2005）study
on the cluster analyzes its structure in light of the concept of knowledge spillover.

5．Case Study for Actors of the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster
As demonstrated in Figure 1 , there are many actors in the Greater-Montreal
aerospace cluster. Subsequently, we conducted a case study on the following: the McGill
Institute for Aerospace Engineering（MIAE）, École de Technologie Supérieure（ETS,or School of Higher Technology）, Montreal Polytechnic, Consortium for Research andInnovation in Aerospace in Quebec（CRIAQ）, Aero Montreal, and Comité sectorial demain-d’oeuvre en aérospatiale（CAMAQ）. This case study was based on the informationand data collected from the interview survey.
（1） MIAE
MIAE plays a leading role in the field of aerospace engineering at McGill University.
The institute promotes McGill’s aerospace expertise and lobbies for collaborative
projects with industry, research institutes, and universities worldwide. Students who
are members of MIAE participate in industry tours, conferences, aerospace design teamchallenges, and paid industry internships. The institute’s mission is to promote McGill’sFigure 1. Cluster Map of Greater-Montreal Aerospace Industry in Quebec

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31stellar aerospace community and showcase it to the world. In recent years, there has
been a trend toward utilizing artificial intelligence（AI）for the R&D of technologies
and materials in the aerospace field. About 30 % of McGill University students are
studying abroad, of which about 20 % are from the francophone world. Consequently,
graduates of McGill University and MIAE have contributed to the formation of a global
network between French-speaking countries and Greater-Montreal.
（2） ETSETS was established in 1974 and specializes in engineering and technological transfer
education as well as applied research. It trains engineers and researchers who arerecognized for their practical and innovative approaches. ETS has a unique partnershipwith businesses and industry, including SMEs and large companies. It has over 10,700
students, with more than 2,800 at the postgraduate level. Additionally, 60 % of its
research activities are conducted in collaboration with the industry. The school has
approximately 770 employees, including over 200 professors and senior lecturers. ETS
is associated with many companies, and nearly two-thirds of its graduates are placed in
SMEs every year. Its education system and research work are practical and contributeto the development and innovation of SMEs. Figure 2 shows the up-gradation of thetechnology continuing education stream of ETS, emphasizing its unique education
system for the Great-Montreal aerospace industry.
（3） Montreal Polytechnic
Polytechnique Montréal also referred to as Montreal Polytechnic, is a flagship ofengineering in Quebec and is one of Canada’s leading engineering education andresearch institutions. Since its establishment in 1873, Montreal Polytechnic has trained
nearly 50,000 engineers, specialists, and researchers. It is a key player in Quebec’s  
engineering and innovation sector, in addition to serving as a partner of choice formany innovative businesses not only in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, but also
across the globe. Montreal Polytechnic trains highly qualified research personnel in theaerospace and transportation sectors. They are constantly pushing the boundaries ofenergy efficiency, notably reducing the environmental impact caused by thetransportation of people and goods, and also working to develop increasingly betterperforming aircraft. Furthermore, researchers strive to boost the productivity andcompetitiveness of aerospace firms through the widespread use of digital technologies
and support innovation in manufacturing. Montreal Polytechnic offers a uniqueenvironment for research, collaboration, and learning, both for the quality of equipment
and expertise. It functions as a multidisciplinary hub for aerospace and transportation

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機械経済研究№ 51（see Figure 3）.
Figure 2. Upgrading a Technological Continuing Education Stream of ETS

Source: ETS（2017）.

Figure 3. ‌A Multidisciplinary Hub for Aerospace and Transportation ofMontreal Polytechnic

Source: Montreal Polytechnic（2019）.

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33（4） CRIAQ
CRIAQ is a non-profit organization established in 2002 with financial support from theprovincial government. Its mission is to increase the competitiveness of the aerospaceindustry by stimulating business innovation through collaborative R&D. It brings
together ecosystems and develops a new generation of innovators to strengthen
Quebec’s technological leadership in cutting-edge aerospace applications, such as digitalaviation, future air mobility, and sustainable aerospace. CRIAQ is the driver ofinnovation and a pioneer of collaborative research, generating and promoting dialog andcollaboration between the industry and academia. It provides access to a network ofrenowned experts and funding to carry out pre-competitive research projects inaerospace in partnership with more than 300 stakeholders. It is a unique model forcollaborative research conducted by companies of all sizes, with involvement fromuniversities and research centers. In recent years, the business environment
surrounding the world’s aerospace industry has changed significantly due to theemergence of Industry4.0. Accordingly, CRIAQ is establishing new support forcollaboration with AI venture companies and traditional SMEs that account for 85% of
its partners. There is another organization called the Consortium for Aerospace
Research and Innovation in Canada（CARIC）, a non-profit similar to CRIAQ, which wasestablished in 2014 with federal government grants. CARIC generates and promotes
collaboration between players in the aerospace industry to achieve excellence incompeting on a global scale.
（5） Aero Montreal
Aero Montreal is a strategic think-tank established in 2006 that groups all the majordecision-makers in Quebec’s aerospace sector including companies, educational andresearch institutions, associations, and unions. Its mission is to mobilize industry players
around common goals, and concerted actions to increase cohesion and optimize thecompetitiveness of the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster. Furthermore, it aims topromote the growth and expansion of the cluster to ensure that it can continue tocreate wealth for Montreal, Quebec, and Canada. Aero Montreal is adopting a strategic
action plan that includes the creation of working groups dedicated to six areas ofintervention: supply chain development; branding and promotion; innovation; humanresources; defense and national security; and commercialization and market
development. Currently, Aero Montreal has hundreds of people, who contribute to thesuccess and dynamism of the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster. It connects withmultiple stakeholders and creates a new business model for the aerospace industry that
includes SMEs（see Figure 4 and Figure 5）.

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機械経済研究Figure 4. Industry Mobilization

Source: Aero Montreal（2018）,p. 44.

Figure 5. Participation in SME Events

Source: Ibid., p. 44.

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35（6） CAMAQ
The foundation of CAMAQ （also known as the Aerospace Workforce Sector
Committee in Quebec）dates back to 1978. From 1983 to 1994, it was ten years ahead ofQuebec’s labor force policy, based on a sectoral and parity approach. It changed its
name in 1993 and became the first sector committee for this new policy. CAMAQ
promotes professional development prospects and excellence in the Quebec aerospace
workforce, which includes the aerospace and airport industries. Besides, CAMAQ works
proactively to meet the needs of businesses and employees in the sector. It has been
doing fieldwork that has contributed to the evolution of a culture of consultation among
aerospace industry partners in terms of manpower and training for over 35 years.
CAMAQ collects and analyzes strategic information to enable it to act upstream and in
an informed manner in addressing issues affecting the sector’s workforce, and value
sharing, cooperation, cohesion, pooling of expertise, and team spirit for collaboration（seeTable 1）
. It is also committed to making decisions and providing training programs that
conform to the needs of the Quebec aerospace industry. The practical training for
manufacturing, assembly, machining, and maintenance of airframes uses many facilities
at the Montreal School of Aerospace Trades（EMAN）. CAMAQ has also contributed tothe development of human resources for the Greater-Montreal aerospace industry.
Table 1. Partners of CAMAQ
Sectors
Contractors
OEMs

Worker’s Associations
Associations and Public Bodies

Educational Institutions

Partners
Airbus Bombardier Pratt and Whitney Canada Bell Helicopter
Textron Canada Ltd. CAE Inc.
CMA Electronics  Heroux-Devtek  L3 Technologies Mas Inc. Mda  
Safran Landing Systems   Thales Canada, Avionics GE Aviation
Bromont Canada   Innotech Execaire Aviation Group Lockheed
Martin Canada  Rolls-Royce（Canada）Inc.
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
UNIFOR
Aero Montreal Centre for Advanced Aerospace Manufacturing
Technologies（CTFA）Aeronautics and Space Institute of Canada（CASI） Canadian Space Agency Aerospace Research andInnovation Consortium in Quebec（CRIAQ）
Scholl of Advanced Technology（ETS）The Montreal School of
Aerospace Trades （EMAN） Concordia University   Laval
University  Montreal Polytechnic The National Aerotechnic School（ENA）Sherbrooke University McGill University

Source: CAMAQ（2020）.

6．Discussion（1） Organizational proximity and social proximity
As mentioned above, there are many actors in the aerospace cluster in Greater-

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Montreal, Quebec, with their roles and functions. Almost all of them exist in and aroundMontreal, forming a community of knowledge based on geographical proximity.
However, it is important to understand that geographical proximity does not
automatically translate into a close relationship. It creates the potential for a
relationship, but for this to develop, organizational proximity is imperative, as indicatedby Gardes, Dostaler, Barredy, and Gourmel-Rouger（2015）.
Those in the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster participate in the same committees
and collaborate in R&D relating to new materials and parts for the airframe.
Consequently, these are mutually beneficial features. Given that Montreal is the Frenchspeaking capital of Quebec, those in the aerospace cluster have a common social andcultural base. This may be denoted as social proximity, which is useful for global
communication and for conducting businesses with people and firms of La
Francophonie. It is also associated with social capital that has accumulated over thelong term and is deeply related to the formation of the cluster, as elucidated byRamhorst-Vejzagic, Huggins, and Ketikidis（2009）. In this manner, a layered network
based on the trust of many actors exists in Greater-Montreal.
（2） Function of “Boundary Spanner”
According to the aforementioned case study, we can say that the keywords of theGreater- Montreal aerospace cluster are collaboration and intervention, which arefunctions of “boundary spanner.” Boundary spanning facilitates transactions and theflow of new information and knowledge between organizations and associations.
Specifically, we believe that the function of a “boundary spanner” is to fill the structuralhole, as advocated by Burt（1995）.
Members of the cluster can acquire and use the knowledge and information for the
new business model and new technologies over the network formed by the function of“boundary spanner.” It circulates knowledge and information between different sectors
through collaboration and intervention. Overall, CRIAQ or CARIC stimulate business
innovation through collaborative R&D, and Aero Montreal conducts many programs to
improve companies, educational and research institutions, associations, and unions; andCAMAQ works in consultation with partners in the aerospace industry. Conversely,
Gardes, Dostaler, Barredy, and Gourmel-Rouger（2015）grouped these agencies in termsof the age and type of agglomeration（see Table 2）. As Table 2 demonstrates, althoughthese associations have different futures, they contribute to the activation of theGreater-Montreal aerospace cluster.

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Table 2. Organic and Synthetic Aerospace Grouping in Quebec
Associations
AIAC（Canada, 1964）＊＊＊
AQTA（Quebec, 1997）
CARIAQ（Quebec, 2001）
CARIC（Canada, 2014）

Age of Organization
Older

MiddleAgglomeration

New

〇
〇

Organic

MiddleSynthetic〇〇〇

Aero Montreal（Quebec, 2006）

〇

〇
〇

〇

〇

: Aerospace Industries Association of Canada ＊＊ : Quebec Air Transport Association
Source: Gardes, Dostaler, Barredy, and Gourmel-Rouger（2015）,p. 60.

＊（3） Cluster-Engine and Cluster-Reactor
Figure 6 shows the triple-helix circulation of the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster.
As highlighted in the drawing, the three cores are clustered with each other andcirculate inside. The triple helix of the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster forms “ameta-cluster” by the layered network of some clusters and actors. This “meta-cluster” iscirculated through a certain mechanism. This may be explained by the concepts of thecluster-engine and cluster-reactor. First, the cluster-engine defines the power ofacceleration for its activities. As mentioned earlier, Aero Montreal has certain functions
for collaboration using many committees; that is, it plays a part in the cluster-engine ofGreater-Montreal. Second, the cluster-reactor has defined support for the emergence of
new business models and technologies through collaboration and co-research between
different sectors and actors. We consider that CRIAQ and CARIC contribute to the roleof the cluster-reactor for the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster because they have
many projects and collaborations with players at home and abroad.
（4） Multiple Circulations
The Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster can, therefore, be explained by multiple
circulations. Specifically, the triple helix circulation of the Greater-Montreal aerospacecluster consists of personal, information, and product circulations within individual
helices and between them, such as companies, universities, research institutes, training
centers, associations, unions, the provincial, and local governments. In this way, thetriple helix circulation of the Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster has multiple routes forregional innovation, and these circulations can occur by the functions of the clusterengine and cluster-reactor（see Figure 6）.

7．Conclusion
In conclusion, cluster-engine and cluster-reactor have been confirmed to exist in theFigure 6. Triple Helix Circulation of the Greater-Montreal Aerospace Cluster

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Greater-Montreal aerospace cluster, by our study. Such a mechanism of triple helix
circulation has many implications for the development of the Japanese aerospace cluster
to create regional innovation that includes many Japanese SMEs. In the wake of the
COVID-19 pandemic, the airline industry has been experiencing a great shock, and themarket for aerospace products and manufacturing is shrinking rapidly around theworld. However, the aerospace industry has no plans to change to ensure growth in themedium and long term.

Acknowledgments
The writing of this paper was made possible by the cooperation of universities andassociations in the Greater-Montreal. They have cooperated with our interview survey
and have provided precious information concerning the Greater-Montreal aerospacecluster. So, we wish to express our gratitude to them.

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