Other types of intermediaries

A district ecosystem is shaped by a range of innovation-rich and knowledge-intensive actors yet virtually all districts have emerged from the strong presence of R&D intensive anchor institutions such as universities and medical institutions. While this explains the genesis of innovation districts, their evolution can shift radically and uniquely over time.

An important contributor to districts are ”ecosystem builders,” which are intermediaries that play a critical role in building the ecosystem from the ground up. They also help districts advance unique specializations including the melding of specializations, called convergence.

Intermediaries:

• Advance commercialization
• Advance corporate innovation
• Advance entrepreneurialism
• Provide training for neighborhood residents and disadvantaged groups and/or spaces to gain access to information
• Strengthen collaborative research efforts within institutions and/or across actors 
• Strengthen translational research capabilities within institutions and/or across actors 
• Strengthen relationships between institutions and industry