Michigan moving ahead with fuel cell research Tuesday, December 03, 2002 Michigan is moving ahead with an aggressive alternative energy program. The approach is purely practical: There's growing evidence that the internal combustion engine eventually may be phased out. This phase out could result in the loss of about 200,000 Michigan jobs and $10 billion to the state's economy. So, the state created the NextEnergy Center, next to Wayne State University in Detroit, to stimulate fuel cell research. The state has now tied NextEnergy Center together with its Renaissance Zone program. Created in 1996, the Renaissance Zone program creates virtually tax-free areas for business. This is the type of strategy that makes sense for Michigan...it builds of the economy's strengths and ties together industry with an established research base at Wayne State. Read more. Go The NextEnergy program has demonstrated some impressive clarity since Gov. Engler announced it in April. In October, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced a cooperative agreement with Stuttgart Regional Economic Development Corporation in Stuttgart, Germany. As part of the agreement, the corporations will develop online educational and training programs that will allow students, organizations and businesses leaders from both regions to participate. The groups also will create a Web-based marketplace exchange service. The exchange would include a list of companies within each region that have an interest in establishing joint ventures, direct sales, or networking partnerships in alternative energy. In September, MEDC announced a similar cooperative agreement with the North of England Inward Investment Agency in the United Kingdom. Learn more about NextEnergy. Go. posted by Ed Morrison |		This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. links Some Background on EDPro Weblog The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it. One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information. So, spread the word...Share the knowledge. Tell a friend about EDPro Weblog. If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site: Here's the link if you are a bloglines subscriber: Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking. Background on Ed Morrison Download some background information on me here.

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