NEW DATE: Jan. 31, 2024
11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET
Location: Conference & Events Center at The Square
1875 I St NW
Washington, DC 20006

Registration for the event is closed and has reached capacity. Please contact info@uidp.net with questions.

Washington, DC is home to the federal government and many nonprofit organizations with national and international scope. The region offers a unique set of assets that can be leveraged to strategically advance the innovation ecosystem to maximize economic, technological, and societal impact while cultivating a culture of progress and collaboration. UIDP has identified two timely topics related to innovation ecosystems of high importance that will be discussed at this event:

  • the pressing contemporary issues of building and assessing innovation ecosystems; and
  • securing talent to bolster the well-being of these innovation communities.

Assessing and Building Innovation Ecosystems Workshop is open to UIDP member and non-member representatives, but may be of specific interest to those who have applied or are interested in applying for future NSF Regional Innovation Engine or Economic Development Administration Tech Hub opportunities.  This learning event will strive to create a cohort that can continue to engage after the gathering and work to develop practical and impactful strategies.

This event is organized by UIDP and hosted by The George Washington University.

Agenda Highlights

The event will focus primarily on:

  • Organizing for Impact: Proposal development, team building, and effective staffing
  • Assessing Impact: Measuring economic development and talent retention
  • Small group discussions around talent, innovation and entrepreneurship, managing IP, optimizing diversity, and more.

Who Should Attend?

Format

Academic, corporate, government, and non-profit representatives with a specific interest in developing impactful innovation ecosystems and applying and winning funding from programs such as the NSF Regional Innovation Engine, Economic Development Administration Tech Hub, or other large-scale programs. All registrations are subject to approval.

This limited-seating workshop is intended to be aggressively interactive, with attendees sharing their knowledge with others charged with developing approaches.

To maximize impact, this training opportunity is offered in-person. No virtual options to participate will be offered.

Assessing and Building Innovation Ecosystems Workshop Agenda

This is a draft meeting agenda and is subject to change.

Wednesday, January 31

Networking Lunch

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET

Welcome

12:30 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. ET

Pam Norris, George Washington University;
Tony Boccanfuso, UIDP

Places of Innovation: Technology-based ecosystems through history

12:45 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. ET

Arthur Daemmrich, Arizona State University

Trading zones and specialized manufacturing clusters emerged thousands of years ago, typically adjacent to natural harbors, at the confluence of rivers, or near key natural resources. From the mid-19th century on, however, new communications technologies and power sources meant cities and regions could grow as technology clusters. This talk discusses the past, present, and future of places of innovation and explores key factors of risk-taking, collaboration, and dynamics between large and small organizations that lead to success.

Organizing for Impact

1:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. ET

Kellianne Lauer, McAllister & Quinn

Leaders in university-industry partnerships face a daunting task: monitoring new and emerging funding opportunities, choosing which ones to pursue, preparing proposals, and building administrative teams to manage large awards. From relationship building to structuring and staffing for success, organizing for the variety of opportunities available to partners is a challenge. Following brief remarks to set the stage, facilitators will guide discussion on issues inherent to preparing for programs like NSF Engines and EDA's Tech Hubs.

Assessing Innovation Ecosystems

1:45 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. ET

Kevin Byrne, TUFF;
Angela Bednarek, The Pew Charitable Trusts

Today we witness a near-obsession with building complex forms of collaboration, such as ecosystems; frequently, however, there's little thought given to how to measure success. In this session, hear diverse approaches to measuring impact: from surveying a region’s existing assets and leveraging available resources and relationships to translating technologies to broad impact and economic opportunity.

Break

2:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET

Global Café

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET

In this interactive exercise, workshop key questions with fellow workshop attendees on the various aspects of bolstering innovation ecosystems. Over the course of an hour, cycle through facilitated table topic discussions on staffing to support team driven awards, enabling innovation and entrepreneurship, managing IP, and recruiting and retaining talent.

Break and Regroup

3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. ET

Report Outs

3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET

Sandy Mau, UIDP

Section leaders will provide key insights from their discussions for the larger group.

NSF Regional Innovation Engines Program Update

4:15 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. ET

Geoffrey Brown, NSF; Thyaga Nandagopal, NSF

Announced in 2022, the NSF Engines program fosters and develops diverse regional coalitions to advance technologies to address pressing national and societal challenges and create economic growth and new jobs in communities across the U.S. Hear an update on the program to date and gain insights into the coming year.

Closing Comments

4:50 p.m. - 5 p.m. ET

Pam Norris, George Washington University

Thank you to our event host!