In 2004 Knight Foundation helped form the Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaborative to boost the economy of northeast Ohio. Knight and the Fund recently released a report with lessons from the Fund’s first seven years, “Catalyzing Regional Economic Transformation.” Wayne Watkins is vice president of the University of Akron Research Foundation and associate vice president for research at the University of Akron. Below, he writes about using partnerships to create regional economic vitality.

Akron, Ohio, is the hometown of John and James Knight, the city where they transformed a local newspaper business into a national publishing conglomerate and founded Knight Foundation. So it is fitting that Knight has maintained its allegiance to the Akron community and northeast Ohio.

RELATED LINKS 

“Catalyzing Regional Economic Transformation. Lessons from funder collaboration in Northeast Ohio“

“Lessons in collaboration reach beyond the boundaries of NE Ohio ” on Knight Blog by Carol Coletta and Jon Sotsky

“Collaborative values persistence in revitalizing regional economies” by Brad Whitehead on KnightBlog

“Business accelerator jump-starts opportuniites in NE Ohio” by Laura Bennett on KnightBlog

“Business mentors guide growing startup” by Shawn Mastrian on KnightBlog

“Business, philanthropy unite around common economic goals in NE Ohio” by Daniel E. Klimas on KnightBlog

“NE Ohio fosters environment for entrepreneurship” by Tony Giordano on KnightBlog

The University of Akron has shared Knight Foundation’s vision and commitment to improving communities through its expansion of green spaces, the arts, and innovation and entrepreneurship. Our “Akron Model,” developed by President Luis Proenza, exemplifies the Knight philosophy of supporting informed and engaged communities through three essential elements: relevance, connectivity and productivity.

This year we further put into practice the Akron Model by creating the Regional Innovation Institute to bring together multiple parties on specific issues impacting the community. 

In June 2013, the institute hosted a seminar on behalf of the Fund for Our Economic Future’s report “What Matters to Metros: Foundational Indicators for Economic Competitiveness.”  This report provided the data to begin a discussion on critical community issues. The institute leveraged the seminar to sponsor a data managers workshop that began identifying data resources and gaps that need to be addressed across the region. 

Based on the seminar, the Regional Innovation Institute targeted several areas – energy, food systems and workforce development/talent – where it could have a positive impact as a convener and coordinator of data/information, discussion and strategic action. The institute has already formed two groups:

• Energy Leadership Initiative – involving a series of meetings to identify resources, develop, leverage and coordinate regional energy strategies including leaders from the University of Akron, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, Youngstown State University, NorTech, Energy Ohio, and First Energy; and
• Food Systems Leadership Initiative – bringing together regional stakeholders to identify and address gaps in the region’s food system currently involving seven participating organizations.

The support provided by the Fund for Our Economic Future and Knight has also contributed to the Partnership for Regional Innovation Services to Manufacturers (PRISM). The concept from the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (MAGNET) centers on the relationship between the manufacturing community and the university’s research, development and technology transfer resources.

The Fund’s Regional Economic Competitiveness Strategy further shows the power of convening and coordinating key regional resources. Led by TeamNEO, the contributors include the University of Akron, Stark State College, Lorain County Community College, Case Western Reserve University, MAGNET, NorTech, Medina County, NASA Glenn Research Center and WIRE-Net. This group developed a winning proposal for the Make It in America Challenge grant. In October 2013 the collaboration won $1.8 million to provide specialized assistance to firms that will bring manufacturing jobs back to Ohio.

The University of Akron was also part of the tri-state team that won the first regional hub for the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. Called “America Makes, it’s the nation’s leading collaborative partner in additive manufacturing and 3-D printing. The initial institute is based in Youngstown, Ohio, and can help increase our nation’s global manufacturing competitiveness.

The results don’t stop there. The University of Akron Research Foundation and our partner the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron were one of six winners of the initial U.S. Department of Commerce i6 Challenge awards. We received $1 million for our “Innovative Solutions for Invention Xceleration” project. The initiative minimizes the time it takes to bring new technologies to market by bringing together world-class scientists, physicians, engineers, researchers and entrepreneurs in the biomedical and polymer science industries of northeast Ohio.

Thus, the power of convening and coordinating is alive and well in the Akron community and northeast Ohio. The fund for Our Economic Future, Knight Foundation, the University of Akron and the Regional Innovation Institute are forging alliances and carrying forward the vision for engaged and collaborative communities.