Building an Innovation Economy in Rhode Island
May 16, 2005 | Print this page | Share This | Email this page
America is at a crossroads. Decisions made today about investments in science and technology will affect our ability to compete in the global marketplace for generations to come. And what is true for the nation is true for Rhode Island: our economic success depends on our ability to build an innovation economy driven by excellence in science and technology.
Governor Carcieri recently commissioned a Science and Technology Advisory Council, to advise the state's leadership on issues that affect Rhode Island's ability to develop an innovation economy. The council will advise the governor and General Assembly on prioritizing the state's investment in science and technology, and recommend actions that support the science-and-technology enterprise.
For its first assignment, the council will assess the state's capacity for innovation and, within six months, make preliminary recommendations for strengthening the science-and-technology sector. The council will also support Rhode Island's pursuit of basic-research funding, through federal-state partnerships, such as the National Science Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).
The formation of the Science and Technology Advisory Councilis good news for those who believe that Rhode Island has the talent and resources to meet head-on the demands of the new global economy.
Now, we begin the hard work of turning our talent and resources into a platform -- across government, industry, and our academic institutions -- on which innovation can flourish.
To establish Rhode Island as a hub for innovation, we must develop a comprehensive, sustainable long-term plan for science and technology that supports our academic institutions and strengthens our commercial enterprise. By bringing together representatives from both the public and the private sector, the science-and-technology council will help Rhode Island's legislative leadership create a statewide strategy for science-and-technology development, which strengthens our research base, supports our commercial endeavors, and improves the lives of all Rhode Islanders.
We must also move away from disciplinary "stovepipes" in education and research to a multi-disciplinary model, fostering partnerships among institutions. Only through collaboration can we create the convergence of talent and resources that fuels innovation.
In selecting co-chairs from Brown University and the University of Rhode Island, the council has forged an important alliance between two of the state's most powerful research engines. Furthermore, Brown and URI are allying with other institutions to create unified support for Rhode Island's basic-research enterprise.
We must also accelerate the process whereby discoveries are turned into improved products, services, and solutions to societal problems. An innovation economy that drives economic growth and job creation will be fueled by ideas that originate from basic research and then move into application and commercial development.
The governor has asked the council to advise the legislature on actions that strengthen the state's capacity to commercialize technology originating in our colleges and universities -- a critical part of expanding Rhode Island's commercial research base.
Finally, making innovation a cornerstone of Rhode Island's economy means changing how we think about what our state can achieve. We have what we need to succeed: Rhode Island is home to a gifted community of scientists, who conduct outstanding commercial and academic research. The members of this community know each other, often by first name. As a result, we can rapidly identify ways to collaborate across disciplines and institutions.
Rhode Island is uniquely positioned to turn its size and the close connections of its community into a national and global competitive advantage. But like the nation at large, we must work diligently -- and together -- to dismantle the roadblocks that impede our ability to collaborate.
--Jeff Seemann, Andy van Dam, Saul Kaplan
Jeff Seemann is dean of the College of the Environment and Life Science at the University of Rhode Island. This column was also signed by Andy van Dam, vice president for research at Brown University, and Saul Kaplan, deputy director for business development at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.