April 29, 2015

Mapping a nation of regional clusters

The U.S. Cluster Mapping Portal (ClusterMapping.us) provides over 50 million open data records on industry clusters and regional business environments to promote economic growth and U.S. competitiveness.  The project is led by Professor Michael Porter through Harvard Business School's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. Economic Development Administration.
New Agreement Opens Doors for Transatlantic Strategic Partnerships for Clusters and Member Businesses
 
On April 22, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews signed a Cooperation Arrangement between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROWTH). The agreement aims to makes it easier for clusters and their member businesses in the United States and the European Union to form strategic partnerships across the Atlantic.
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U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Aspen Institute Announce "Communities that Work Partnership" to Strengthen Workforce Development Efforts Across the Nation
 
On April 27, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Aspen Institute President and CEO Walter Isaacson launched the Communities that Work Partnership, a brand new joint project aimed at accelerating industry-led workforce development and training efforts.

The Partnership will competitively select six teams around the country comprised of leaders in industry, government, education, workforce and economic development who receive technical assistance and participate in leadership development activities. Aspen Institute Workforce Strategies Initiative (AspenWSI) will lead the initiative through a $500,000 grant, awarded by the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
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U.S. Department of Commerce and Columbia University to Host The Future of Urban Innovation Summit on June 9, 2015
 
At the crossroads of discovery and commercialization, The Future of Urban Innovation Summit will be a one-day event focused on the various channels that comprise the innovation ecosystem. The summit brings together entrepreneurs, industry, universities, Federal, State and local government, investors and thought leaders to engage on the future state of innovation and how they can work together spurring economic growth. The event includes panels on the evolving role of urban innovation in the American economy, the role of government and universities in technology development, and discussions on what investors and startups want to see in developing policy around innovation.
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'Magic Sauce' of Clusters: From Cluster Organizations to Cluster-based Economic Development

Reflecting on a student's question during a Microeconomics of Competitiveness course at Harvard University, TCI President and Professor Christian Ketels examines how a cluster approach naturally leads to a focus on areas of existing strengths. Using a case study of the Basque country's impressive economic performance (they were early adopters of the cluster approach), the class concluded that the difference was not that the Basque country 'did clusters' as a magic tool of economic development. It was that they 'did everything through clusters,' thus building coalitions of entities with shared interests.
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View our events list online. Interested in attending an event, or wish to recommend one? Contact us!

Northeast

May 12-13, Groton, CT:   22nd Annual New England Energy Conference and Exposition (Northeast Energy and Commerce Association)   Learn more

June 9, New York, NY:   The Future of Urban Innovation (U.S. Department of Commerce and Columbia University)   Learn more

September 29 - October 2, Buffalo, NY:   AURP 2015 International Conference (Association of University Research Parks)   Learn more

Mid-Atlantic

June 15-18, Philadelphia, PA:   2015 BIO International Conference (Biotechnology Industry Organization)  Learn more

November 18-19, Washington, D.C.:   Workshop on Workforce Development and Local Job Creation - An International Perspective (U.S. Department of Labor and the Organisation for Economic Co-operative and Development)  Learn more

South


May 21-22, New Orleans, LA:   Training Course: Business Retention & Expansion (International Economic Development Council)   Learn more

June 7-10, Raleigh, NC:   NARC's 49th Annual Conference and Exhibition (National Association of Regional Councils)  Learn more

July 10-13, Charlotte, NC:   NACo's 80th Annual Conference and Exposition (National Association of Counties)  Learn more

July 26-28, Savannah, GA:   SEDC 2015 Annual Development Conference (Southern Economic Development Conference)  Learn more

August 9-11, Austin, TX:   2015 Executive Directors Conference (National Association of Regional Councils)  Learn more

October 24-27, New Orleans, LA:   NADO Annual Training Conference (National Association of Development Organizations)  Learn more

November 4-7, Nashville, TN:  
2015 Congress of Cities and Exposition (National League of Cities)  Learn more
 
Midwest
 
May 13-15, Omaha, NE:  Best Practices Conference (Mid-America Economic Development Council)  Learn more

June 7-9, Madison, WI:  IEDC Economic Future Forum (International Economic Development Council)  Learn more

October 26-28, Oklahoma City, OK:  SSTI's 19th Annual Conference (State Science and Technology Institute)  Learn more
 
West


May 20-22, Kaua'i County, Hawai'i:  NACo's Western Interstate Region 2015 Conference (National Association of Counties)  Learn more

June 8-12, Portland, OR:  C2ER Annual Conference and LMI Institute Annual Forum (The Council for Community and Economic Research, Labor Market Information Institute)  Learn more

June 19-22, San Francisco, CA:  83rd Annual Conference of Mayors (United States Conference of Mayors)  Learn more

July 15-17, Denver, CO:  2015 NREDA Annual Conference (National Rural Economic Developers Association)  Learn more

October 4-7, Anchorage, AK:  IDEC Annual Conference (International Economic Development Council)  Learn more

International

June 16-19, Medellin, Colombia:  TCI Latin American Cluster Conference (The Competitiveness Institute)  Learn more

September 22-25, Beijing, China:  TCI 32nd IASP World Conference (International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation)  Learn more

November 3-6, Daegu, South Korea:  TCI 18th TCI Global Conference - Clusters in a Creative Economy: New agendas for Companies and Policy makers (The Competitiveness Institute)  Learn more

November 17-19, Barcelona, Spain:  2015 Smart City Expo World Congress (Fira Barcelona)  Learn more

Webinars

May 14, 2:00-3:00 PM EST:   Balancing Confidentiality and Access: Sharing Employment and Wage Data for Policy Analysis, Program Evaluation, and Research (The Council for Community and Economic Research) Learn more

2015 SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Application

The U.S. Small Business Administration is thrilled to announce a second round of the Growth Accelerator Fund contest. In 2015, they will again be awarding $50,000 prizes to the winners of the contest. New this year, special consideration will be given to any accelerator models which support manufacturing and the White House Power Initiative. The main premise of the competition is to ensure that a diverse set of entrepreneurs from all walks of life have the opportunity to participate in our innovation economy, so the SBA encourages applicants that fill geographic, industry, and economic gaps in the accelerator and entrepreneurial ecosystem space, as well as those run by or that support women or other underrepresented groups. THE APPLICATION DEADLINE IS JUNE 1, 2015.
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$3 Million Available to Coal-impacted Communities under White House POWER Initiative
The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has announced the availability of $3 million in planning assistance to communities impacted, or which may be impacted, by contractions in the coal economy. These funds are made available as part of the Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative, a new interagency effort to assist communities negatively impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector.

Successful applications will enable affected communities to develop detailed strategies to diversify their economies, create jobs in new or existing industries, attract new sources of job-creating investment, and/or how to provide a range of workforce services that result in industry-recognized credentials for high-quality, in-demand jobs. Funding will be available until expended or until September 30, 2015.

For more information, please contact your EDA state representative. To apply for this funding, please follow instructions here.
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EDA's Planning and Local Technical Assistance Programs

Under the Planning program EDA assists eligible recipients in creating regional economic development plans designed to stimulate and guide the economic development efforts of a community or region. Applications accepted on a rolling basis. Learn more
BusinessUSA's Access Financing Wizard

To help you identify what government financing programs may be available to help you start or expand your business, check out the "Access Financing" Wizard from BusinessUSA. In a few quick steps, this wizard will guide you to government resources to access financing for your business! Learn more

Partners: MIT Sloan School of Management - Temple University, Fox School of Business - Phase2 Technology
Massachusetts Technology Collaborative - 
University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Affairs
Oregon Business Council - New Carolina - STATS America - Regional Innovation Acceleration Network