Accelerating Innovation

Regional forums bolster Washington State’s innovation ecosystem

Today's unprecedented economic crisis can serve as an opportunity for Washington to emerge from this time of troubles stronger, more competitive, innovative and prosperous. The Washington Economic Development Commission has set forth a bold vision and new economic development strategy that seeks to unleash the innovation capacity of businesses, institutions and communities in our state. The vision is to "make Washington the most attractive, creative and fertile investment environment for innovation in the world." To download the report click on the following link: The Washington Innovation Economy Strategy Report Economy Strategy Report.

The challenge is no less than a transformation of the state's economy based on creativity, adaptability and wholly new collaboration dynamics in three key areas: talent, investment and entrepreneurship, and infrastructure. An innovation economy, however, cannot be commanded from the top. It must be built on local leadership, strategy, creativity, and project priorities.

Implementation of this change will require tremendous public and private leadership, outreach and advocacy particularly at the ground level. The state's economic development system can be thought of as a sum of several regional systems. These regional systems are strong for some areas of the state but weak in other areas because of a lack of leadership networks, awareness of cutting edge practices and effective inter-organizational linkages. It is the purpose of the regional innovation forums to strengthen these regional linkages and create more efficient access to innovation opportunities, emerging markets, policymakers and resources. We must build confidence in boundary spanning behavior and for "vertically" organized sectors to rub shoulders, interact and network "horizontally" with the most active and fertile minds in the field of innovation. Innovation research has increasingly recognized the central role of regional innovation ecosystems in building innovation capacity and accelerating economic outcomes.

Purpose of Regional Innovation Forums

Regional innovation forums are means of expanding consensus and gaining commitment for action to grow the Innovation Economy through local public-private initiative. Specifically, the forums help optimize economic development strategy to support the unique regional visions in our state, maximize the return-on-investment of innovation projects, build relationship capital between regions and measure progress. The first generation of forums have, on average, engaged 25-35 organizational stakeholders drawn from the business, government, education, research, association and non-profit sector. Without positive regional leadership, attitudes, understanding and initiative, the transition to an innovation driven economy will be severely constrained at both the micro regional level and macro state level.

Since the release of the WEDC strategy report in February 2009 over a dozen communities have agreed to host a Regional Innovation Forum. The forums are designed to 1) reinforce the local innovation vision, 2) identify priority projects, and 3) define the success metrics. The innovation forums give prominence to the role of state policymakers to broaden awareness and acceptance of innovation as a means of generating economic opportunities and prosperity for all. The forums already completed have made a compelling case for economic recovery through locally based innovation strategies, creative project collaborations and new measures of success.

The Innovation Forums schedule and results are posted at the Washington Economic Development Commission. Forums have already been completed in Spokane, Puget Sound Region, Yakima, and Olympic Peninsula, Walla Walla, Tri-Cities, Wenatchee, Shoreline and Vancouver. The following regional forums are planned: Whatcom, Skagit, Island, San Juan Islands, Okanogan, Greater Seattle and Pacific Mountain Region. To view upcoming forum dates, venue and schedule link to: Innovation Roadmap Forums Meeting Schedule

Latvian President Zatlers honored in Washington DC and visits Seattle promoting joint projects

President of Latvia Valdis Zatlers received the Baltic Statesmanship Award at the US Baltic Foundations 2009 US Baltic Confluence: Forum Exchange and Gala held in May 15-16 Washington DC. President Zatlers was elected President by Latvia's Parliament on May 31st, 2007.  Throughout his tenure, President Zatlers has been a tremendous advocate of stronger transatlantic relations.  Prior to that, he was Director of the State Hospital of Traumatology and Orthopedics.  He received his medical degree from Riga Medical Institute and practiced medicine since 1979, primarily at Riga City Hospital No. 2 and the State Hospital of Traumatology and Orthopedics. Egils Milbergs briefed the US Baltic Supply Chain Forum at the Latvian Embassy on doing business in Washington State. President Zatlers then visited Seattle last week to meet with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and discuss future cooperation projects of Latvia and Microsoft. Zatlers and Ballmer discussed future cooperation projects between Latvia and Microsoft as well as what has to be done for the preservation of the world's small languages. Zatlers pointed out that preservation of the Latvian language and the successful existence of the Latvian language on the Internet is highly important. Zatlers also said that he is very pleased that Latvia and Microsoft could launch several new joint projects in the near future. During the visit the Latvian delegation also had the opportunity to get acquainted with health care projects that are being developed by Microsoft.  Zatlers also met with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that has been supporting the development of public libraries in Latvia for several years already by providing computers and software to 874 local government libraries in Latvia. Zatlers also spoke on "Latvia and the EU" at the University of Washington. Zatlers was a guest lecturer for the Scandinavian studies department. Members of his delegation, including Latvian Ambassador Andrejs Pildegovics, met with Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) and the Washington Economic Development Commission (WEDC) to explore opportunities for cooperation in information technology, energy alternatives, R&D, transportation and logistics and China trade. Concluding his US visit, Zatlers gave a speech at the World Affairs Council in Town Hall.

LINKS:

U.S.-Baltic Foundation - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Microsoft Corporation

Remarks With Latvian President Valdis Zatlers Before Their Meeting with Secretary Hillary Clinton

Latvian president's visit a benefit of global partnership and remarks at University of Washington

Embassy of Latvia -- Washington, DC

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

CTED Homepage

Washington Economic Development Commission

World Affairs Council

University of Washington

The Latvian Chamber of Commerce in the Americas

Russia plans to boost innovation

President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia spent "shockingly" little on innovation, adding that he would personally oversee a push to diversify the economy away from oil and gas.  "We spend very, very little on (modernization) and if it continues like this then we will not get anything," Medvedev said. Productivity in the country was one-fourth that of the U.S. Medvedev said he would personally head a commission that will oversee the modernization of the economy, now heavily dependent on oil and gas exports. More at LINK: Russia Spends "Shockingly" Little on Innovation - Medvedev

Does innovation belong to David or Goliath?

Steve Lohr of New York Times writes an article that challenges the prevailing view that the "little guys" have an edge in innovation by outsmarting sluggish big government and big corporations. This view was a take away from Clayton M. Christensen's 1997 classic, "The Innovator's Dilemma," which examined the process of disruptive change.

However, size matters in the innovation game says John Kao, a former professor at the Harvard business school and an innovation consultant to governments and corporations. The biggest challenges in environment, energy and health care are complex and require a broad range of disciplines and collaboration across public and private sector. Big companies like General Electric and I.B.M. that employ scientists in many disciplines typically have the skills and scale to tackle such projects. Their advantage is in "being able to integrate innovations across these complex systems," said James E. Spohrer, a scientist at I.B.M.'s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, Calif. For more go to LINK: Who Says Innovation Belongs to the Small?

The problem however is whether large companies burdened by legacy thinking and investment in obsolete business models see the need and are capable of disruptive and radical change. For more insight to ponder the issue check out Annals of Innovation: How David Beats Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell in the New Yorker magazine. This is an excellent article that provides evidence that the David does actually have an innovation advantage using examples from basketball (Redwood City players) to T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) in routing the Turks in Aqaba.