Midtown Wednesdays: January 2006

Canadian Researchers Look at Creativity and Competitiveness

Researchers across Canada come together to take a close look at how creativity affects economic competitiveness. With less reliance on natural resources, our knowledge economy thinkers will need cities that are highly social and demonstrate collaborative behavior.

The research network, which includes 23 principal researchers from across Canada, has received a $2.5 million grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to study the development of creativity-based strategies for economic development.

In addition to investigating the social traits that contribute to economic prosperity, the researchers will study how knowledge flows inside urban economies and the institutional context of innovation. Read more here.

A New Approach to Innovation: Collaborative Research Networks

In Creating Collaborative Advantage, Science and Technology, Winter 2006, authors Leonard Lynn (Case) and Hal Salzman (Urban Institute) report on their study of engineering research centers across the US. They argue that American policymakers need a new approach to supporting innovation.

The researchers contend that reforms, such as increasing US public spending on basic research, are ignored and fail to address key structural shifts in the global economy. No longer able to be ‘number one’ in all research areas and with the diffusion of technology skills and knowledge around the world, the US must take a collaborative approach for mutual technological gain and development.

Lynn and Salzman recommend that training in collaboration and communication become a central part of all science and engineering training. They also support more open scientific exchange across borders as well as immigration policies that allow more open circulation of researchers and scientific talent. Download the report here.

Midtown Wednesdays: Change Brings Opportunity for NEO Film Industry

Date: Wednesday, February 1
Time: 5:00 P.M. to 6:45 P.M.
Place: Myers University, Chester Campus
3921 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114
Map Link

Last week's Sundance Film Festival announced that Web, digital cable and satellite distribution for homes, computers and handheld gadgets will be able send movies to every corner of the world instantly. Waiting for movie releases will be a thing of the past. Read more here.

Independent filmmakers are seizing the opportunity to reshape the movie industry with digital technology and new forms of Internet entrepreneurship. These changes demand a myriad of skills and jobs in software, production, logistics, artistic talent and sound design.

Join us to learn how you can connect to a new film incubator initiative in Midtown. Let's promote regional talent and build a robust, collaborative arts and entertainment industry in NEO.

Forum Leader:

Alex Michaels, Knight Studio, a division of Prelude2Cinema

Visit the Movie Incubator proposal here.

Learn more:

Ireland makes a pitch to Bollywood for jobs. More here.

You don't need to go to LA for training anymore. Here's how one community college in Shreveport, Louisiana creates curriculum keeping hopefuls closer to home. More.

Notes from last week's forum "Citizen Journalism Accelerates New Networks" are posted here.

Coming up: Wednesday, February 8: Building Incubators in Midtown

Time: 5:00 P.M. - 6:45 P.M.
Place: Myers University, Chester Campus
Cleveland, OH 44103

Questions? Contact:

Betsey Merkel, Network Development
The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open)
Cleveland MidTown Innovation Center
4415 Euclid Ave., Suite 310
Cleveland, OH 44103 USA
Tel. 216-246-2447
info@i-open.org

A Conversation with NEO Leaders in Citizen Journalism

Yesterday's Midtown Wednesday forum hosted Northeast Ohio leaders in citizen journalism exchanging ideas and insights about how open source communications change economic markets. The panel talked about their role in a shifting regional landscape of opportunity, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The forum engaged an excellent group of bloggers and traditional media, and business people from library, creative industries, finances, technology, academia, government and publishing. The audience concluded the open source publishing platforms are a very important voice in economic development and the more voices there are the better.

The group suggested the model of the bloggers be replicated and become a model for innovating regions in support of supporting a free, democratic process.

Detailed notes of the conversation are posted here.

Midtown Wednesdays: Citizen Journalism Accelerates New Networks

Date: Wednesday, January 25
Time: 5:00 P.M. to 6:45 P.M.
Place: Myers University, Chester Campus
3921 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114
Map Link

Last week, we learned that Cleveland is the only U.S. city to be named as a finalist for the Intelligent Community of the Year award. (Others in the running are Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea; Ichikawa, Japan; Manchester, United Kingdom; Taipei, Taiwan; Tianjin, China; and Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.) Read more.

At the same time, we have one of the most dynamic blogging communities on the planet. Citizen journalists in Northeast Ohio leaders are reshaping markets and politics in our region. They are changing the face of communications and accelerating the development of new networks.

Join us Wednesday for an inside view of how citizen journalists are changing NEO. Connect to opportunities in a new innovation network emerging in Midtown.

Forum contributors:

Bill Callahan, Meet the Bloggers
George Nemeth, Meet the Bloggers
Norm Roulet, REALNEO
David Stack, Plugged In Cleveland
Ken Warren, Lakewood Observer

Learn more:

Watch a BBC mini-documentary on citizen journalism. Go.

Learn more about citizen journalism. Go.

Visit the Public Journalism Network blog. Go.

Visit Business Lexington, Central Kentucky's online journal, a visually refreshing and transparent feeling news source for the Bluegrass region.

Learn how corporations like IBM are capturing the value of a brand new medium. Read more here.

Help us build the Innovation Economy in Midtown!
Midtown Wednesday forums are the first step in accelerating new venture creation.

Coming Up...Wednesday, February 1

Topic: Film & Mulitmedia in NEO
Time: 5:00 P.M. - 6:45 P.M.
Place: Myers University, Chester Campus
3921 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114
Map Link

Sustainability: Trust and Open Economic Networks

We are live at Midtown Wednesdays at Myers University Chester Campus. We are linked to excellent WiFi access in a modern comfortable classroom. Jack Ricchiuto, NEO leader in appreciative leadership, has created a new way to think about building strategic networks.

Open economic networks accelerate information to build transparent environments. Jack talks about the importance of introductions to building networks within communities. Rich relationships build trust and levels of sustainable open networks.

Valdis Krebs, of Orgnet.com global thought leader and Cleveland entrepreneur, points out the importance of supporting on line social networking with face-to-face relationship building.

Several other people have come in now. The audience is diverse: artistis, academic , business from sectors investing in sustainability, marketing and branding and quality, connected places.

We are looking at Guidelines to the Introduction Pyramid - ways of calling on relationships, not just people. Here are some examples: Think about introductions that can serve them and you - make it a gain-squared, and, Make your agendas and wants transparent.

Our handouts are graphic maps illustrating The Introduction Pyramid and Guidelines and The 3 Circles, spheres of who we know and the resources they connect to. To download the handouts go here.

Jack has given us new ways of thinking about how to build and leverage networks of collaboration. New tools are fundamental to thinking how we begin to work together to accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship.

Gloria Ferris tells the story of introducing 2 people to each other who ultimately connected many, many other people. This early introduction sparked alot of ideas to action, relationships that still sustain today. Valdis reminds us we need to become known as "connectors" of others. David Beach observes many regional leaders are trained in professions like engineering and law; generally risk adverse professions.

Midtown Wednesdays: Building Business Opportunity with Strategic Networking

Don’t miss this week’s groundbreaking symposium!

“Understanding the New Dynamic: Art, Technology and the Mind”

Date: Thursday, January 19
Time: 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Place: Bolton Theater, Cleveland Playhouse
Go here for information and registration.

Coming Up...Midtown Wednesdays: Building Business Opportunity with Strategic Networking

Date: Wednesdays, January 18
Time: 5:00 P.M. to 6:45 P.M.
Place: Myers University, Chester Campus
3921 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114
Map Link

Networking is more than just another meeting. Join us to learn a new way to think about strategic network building.

Trusted networks accelerate taking ideas to action, what we call "strategic doing". Learn more about the connections between what we do, strategic networking and how close you are to building stronger collaborations. Learn more here.

Let’s build new business ventures driving economic prosperity. Join us for information, stories and a chance to lead new models of economic development together!

Forum leader:

Jack Ricchiuto, Smart Meeting Design

Explore, read and learn more from NEO thought leaders:

Innovation takes place in environments of character that support the rights of everyone. Read more in the book, “Integrity is a Growth Market”, recently co-authored by Baldwin Wallace College professors Alan Kolp and Pete Rea. Link.

Melvin Smith, PhD, thinks a lot about social capital, networks and organizational change. Visit his Case web page here.

Coming Up: Wednesday, January 25
Time: 5:00 P.M. - 6:45 P.M.
Place: Myers University, Chester Campus
3921 Chester Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114
Map Link

Making the Leap: Jumping Invisible Fences to Build Innovation Networks

01-11-06: Midtown Wednesdays

Last week's forum was lead by Valdis Krebs, Cleveland based software developer and network mapping global guru. Valdis reminds us of the necessity of leaping invisible cognitive fences to accelerate regional innovation and entrepreneurship. Read more here.

We were joined by a diverse (!) crowd representing the creative industries, technology, small business, library sciences, biomedical devices, organizational behavior, media and communications, community development, youth leadership and renewable energy. Entrepreneurs, business leaders, and innovators created an invigorating conversation.

I-Open shared information about new approaches to economic development. The group talked about ideas and next steps to build Second Curve infrastructure for our innovation zone in Midtown.

Forum particpants have begun working on a network map to track new connections in Midtown. Join us next Wednesday to build your networks and be a part of new ventures in the Midtown Innovation Zone.

Midtown Wednesdays