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Innovation Districts

Work with us to understand how to evolve building on local conditions and advantages

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GIID works with innovation districts

Including a highly diverse set of local leaders — to:

Identify their unique R&D and place assets help districts be strategic in how (and where) they grow and evolve.

Undertake deep empirical analysis to clarify R&D strengths and advantages, how to transform the physical landscape to become an enabler of the types of growth.

Building on existing or GIID-developed analysis, help districts sharpen their unique value proposition, including the co-design of a vision, detailed ambitions, new metrics and measures for success.

Dedicate time to focus on core ambitions that align with macroeconomic and demographic changes, including the imperative to diversity talent, develop decarbonization solutions, and de-risk regions.

Analyze how they are currently organized including an existing governance model and specific financing strategies to support successful innovation ecosystems.

Help districts identify the best pathway to support their work, taking into consideration their time and resource constraints.

Get organized, gain crucial buy-in and accelerate how you advance

Self-definition

What are the boundaries of our district and how do we ensure it remains open and inclusive? How can we strengthen our unique value proposition—where we clearly differentiate ourselves from others?

You want to:

  • Understand the best model of growth for your innovation district
  • Learn how to organize your district and the theory of how its meant to work
  • Know how innovation districts are different from science parks and other conglomerations of actors and assets

Data analysis

How do we support our strategy with cutting-edge empirical analysis? How can we leverage these findings to refine our unique value proposition?

You want to:

  • Get access to data and insights that inform your strategy
  • Convince your stakeholder institutions, and the government in particular, about your plans
  • Validate what you’re doing and how to execute your ideas

Organizing for success including governance

How are we currently organized to advance our district? How can we learn from existing districts to help us develop a tailored approach? Where should we begin and how should we sequence our work to build momentum?

You want to:

  • Get expert advice and knowledge to avoid reinventing the wheel
  • Learn which types of governance work for others and how you could replicate known ideas in your district

Investment

How are we currently financed? Where are their key gaps limiting our ability to advance our ambitions with alacrity and focus?

You want to:

  • Get ideas on how to monetize your district and fund major activities
  • Attract companies and financial institutions to invest in your district

Equity and Inclusion

What does equity and inclusion mean in our local and regional context? How to engage a diverse set of communities to inform our work and build new partnerships?

You want to:

  • Make your local community part of the district, so they don’t get left behind
  • Avoid gentrification and exclusion
  • Live up to the pressure from stakeholders and government policies to support inclusion

Communication

How do we communicate for impact for a diverse set of stakeholders? How do we create a “brand” for our district that is intentional and consistent?

You want to:

  • Identify best practices for comms that you can follow with confidence
  • Know how to engage with and persuade multiple actors with different goals

Connection

How do we connect with and learn from other innovation districts facing similar issues?  How do we forge new partnerships with districts with similar R&D strengths?

You want to:

  • Have a sounding board to try out ideas and refine your practice
  • Connect and learn from other districts, in order to compete better
  • Build relationships and network with global leaders

How we work with innovation districts

Practice-oriented research

Uncover your district’s R&D competitive advantages and your most pressing gaps and vulnerabilities.

Identify your place-based strengths and assets and use this analysis to create connective, inclusive and magnetic places.

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Strategic Support

Work with us to develop tailored strategic support to help advance and accelerate the growth and evolution of your district—and avoid costly mistakes.

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Global Summit

Actively participate in the face-to-face events to learn and discuss the evolving model of innovation districts given changes in macro forces that affect your business model.

Develop new relationships with leaders in the field, other companies, and key institutions seeking new partnerships.

Argue for the kinds of reforms necessary to strengthen company and institutional engagement—and how that translates into increased impact.

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“Becoming a member of GIID brought immediate visibility and recognition internally as well as externally. It put us as a representative of innovation in Washington DC, on a national, and global map.”

Kerstin Hildebrandt

VP Research Administration, Children's National Health System

“GIID gives us the sort of validation aspect, and not feeling like we're operating in a silo, but learning from other people and validating that we are on the right track, and we have work to do, but we've laid a good foundation.”

Caroline Skuncik

Caroline Skuncik

Executive Director, I-195 Redevelopment District

“We felt impact from day one: we felt confident and comfortable, very early on knowing that we're in capable experienced hands, and certainly a new unique expertise. We found a sweet spot between the ‘Think Tank’ and the ‘Do Tank’. For us, it's been really important to receive advice around opportunities and ideas to consider, but equally what we should be actually actioning and getting on with.”

Brooke Griffin

Prior Executive Director, Randwick Health & Innovation Precinct

Accelerate the evolution of innovation districts worldwide

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