Collaborations are Innovation Foundation

Over the last few months I have used this space in the newsletter to create a picture of what it takes to foster innovation.

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November 2023 newsletter: Innovation is a team sport.  It requires diverse perspectives and experiences to find a creative solutions.   It requires courage to try things out and be willing to learn what won’t work as much as what will work.  It requires tenacity to keep going and going and going.

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‍March 2024 newsletter: Ideas create the "spark" that fuels innovation.  Good ideas... bad ideas... ideas that need time to marinate... etc.

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‍Today I want to add another facet to this picture: Trusting collaborations are the foundation to innovation. One of the roles the Innovation District plays is as a facilitator of collaboration. We excel in situations that require more than one entity to come together. This starts before the idea sparks and creative solutions are found.  It begins with the questions of "Who are you?", "Do I trust you?", "Do I want to work with you?"  Sometimes these questions are answered immediately - things just click. Sometimes it takes a little back-and-forth. This foundation must be laid before anything else.

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Three examples of our latest work to create collaborations are:

1. Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change breakfast series kicked off in April.  We had the opportunity to connect individuals working with artificial intelligence across life science, art, marine science, and more.
2. We are preparing a national (with a strong concentration in the state of Florida) submission for a NOAA grant to support the development of BlueTech startups.  This is the next phase of our current work with Tampa Bay Wave and USF.  
3. In the coming months we will be conducting our District Master Plan activity bringing together employers, business owners, land owners, neighbors and more to discuss the future spaces and places of the District.

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Alison Barlow‍

‍Executive Director