U.S./U.K. incubator competition Saturday, August 02, 2003 Here's another example of how economic development organizations are building global alliances. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority (FCEDA) and Invest.UK, the British government's economic development arm, have organized an annual Touchdown competition. Here's the idea behind the competition: pick a winning company in the U.S. and the U.K. The winners receive a free year of rent and support. The U.S. winner will be awarded a choice of a U.K. incubator or science park best suited for the company's international expansion. The package will likely include one year's free rent, management services; lab space and equipment; access to support staff, facilities and conference rooms, access to valuable advice and a ready-made business network. The British winner, which must be a biotech company, will get a free year of rent and business development services in the Fairfax County BioAccelerator, a bioscience business incubator. Eight Fairfax County technology companies have entered the competition to win space in a British business incubator or science park. Nineteen science parks and business incubators in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are participating this year as possible touchdown points for the Fairfax County companies. In addition, seven U.K. companies are competing for space in the Fairfax County BioAccelerator. Learn more. Today in our history of innovation... In 1892, Charles A. Wheeler patented ideas for the first practical escalator, though it was never built. Some of its features were incorporated in the prototype built by the Otis Elevator Company in 1899. 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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