Sunday, February 01, 2004
You do not have to be big to try a bold idea.
Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids has launched the West Michigan Science and Technology Initiative, an initiative to commercialize ideas for new medicines and medical devices.
There are a couple of interesting dimensions to this program. First, the initiative is not relying exclusively on a local research base. Instead, managers are negotiating technology transfer arrangements with national corporations and research institutions that will make technology available to local firms.
Second, the financing is shared. The city of Grand Rapids and GVSU fund the $200,000 annual operating budget for the program.Read more.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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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.
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.
Western Michigan model for technology commercialization
