Georgia Research Alliance as a model to follow Monday, February 19, 2007 Georgia has a strong a consortium of universities that support Research. The Georgia Research Alliance provides a model for other states. Through this collaboration, university presidents align their resources and focus their message. During the 1990s, key business executives, university presidents, and state government leaders forged a research partnership: The GRA. Last week, they were making their case to the Georgia legislature. Read more. You can learn more about the GRA from its web site. Alliances like this one are important for several reasons. First, university research is increasingly important in driving economic development. (See, for example, this report from Arizona State University.) Second, most states face fragmented higher education systems. Schools compete against one another for scarce dollars. Through an alliance, higher education leaders can form a common, leveraged agenda to present to the legislature. The final challenge arises from the character of the legislature itself. For too long, our states had been under investing in higher education. A critical component of our international competitiveness is threatened by indifference or, worse yet, ignorance. For a good overview of state policies toward higher education review the web site of National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. 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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