Rhode Island seeks role as nation's innovation hot spot

Doing another of his interviews at Creative Generalist, Steve Hardy points out that Rhode Island seeks to become nation's innovation hot spot. How?

By taking advantage of its diminutive scale. Saul Kaplan of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation:

We have made innovation central to our state’s economic future. We are the smaller more manageable place where it is easier to get ideas from the white board on to a real world test bed.... We are positioning the state as a national innovation hot spot. Rhode Island has significant momentum in several innovation economy sectors such as health and life sciences, information technology and digital media, and defense/marine technology. Rhode Islanders are also natural entrepreneurs – we are two times more likely to start a business than the New England regional average. We’ve got a unique ecosystem, one in which the state’s compact geography and 'tight knit' social networks enable collaborators to more easily explore and test new business models.

Wayne

Comments

[Burt Walker]

Rhode Island is doing what I've long advocated for states, regions, and cities. Find a niche, and claim it. If you claim it, you can own it--and you don't necessarily have to be the only one. Do a search on "horse capital of the world" and see how many places claim it. Seldom will you have to actually prove it, but it can help a community get its hands around the niche and exploit it to their benefit.

[supra society]

It's great to hear from you and see what you've been up to. In your blog I feel your enthusiasm for life. thank you.