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What Makes a District
What are Innovation Districts?
Innovation often sounds intangible. But Innovation Districts aren’t. They are highly productive and densely concentrated areas in cities where people, firms, and innovative culture work together to generate and accelerate new ideas.
The Brookings Institution defines Innovation Districts as a collision of physical, networking and economic assets – all working together to create an innovation ecosystem that facilitates idea generation and accelerates commercialization.
District essentials
To be successful, an innovation district needs to have the assets, the risk-taking culture, the infrastructure and support to make things happen - inspiring collaboration, strengthening firms, and building networks.
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People & places need to come together to create hot spots of social interaction
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Diversity is critical and needs to infuse all visions, goals and strategies
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Financing & planning is needed to grow ideas
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Innovation must be visible & public to inspire curiosity, generate conversation and share stories
Global Innovation Districts
Innovation Districts are taking shape across the world in Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Medellin, Seoul, and Stockholm. There are established Innovation Districts in the US - in Atlanta, Cambridge, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis - and here in Canada in Montreal and Toronto-Waterloo that are increasing their economic impact.
Halifax's Innovation District is a part of this growing community.
Find the Right Resources
From starting up to scaling up, connect to the support your need with our Resource Hub. Search our directory to see which programs and organizations can help with acceleration & incubation, sandbox, mentorship, repayable and non-repayable funding.
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