PCRD

UK's Innovation Nation white paper

Every once in a while it makes sense to pick up our heads and look at what other countries are doing. We are not the only ones on the planet trying to figure out how to accelerate innovation, align our resources, and strengthen the connections among business, education, economic development and workforce development.

The UK recently released a white paper suggesting policy changes needed to accelerate innovation in that country.

The Innovation Nation white paper focuses on the linkages that are needed to accelerate innovation. You can read more about the white paper here and you can download a copy of the white paper here.

New Regional Leadership Roles

We've been exploring the new roles of leadership in regions. In a world of networks, it's clear that leadership is far more distributed than it has been in the past. That is, responsibilities are more widely shared.

At the same time, the roles shift, depending on the situation. Here are some of the new regional leadership roles that we see emerging:

• Champion: A leader who sees an innovation and commits to realizing its potential.
• Captain: A leader who guides a team through a complex, multi-stage development process.
• Coach: A leader who demonstrates how new civic skills -- and the practice of "strategic doing" -- can accelerate collaboration and innovation.
• Convenor: A leader who is able to engage interested parties in an extended conversation to identify new ideas and convert them into action.
• Connector: A leader who consistently sees new connections in the civic space and who takes steps to develop stronger networks by "closing triangles".

Reframing the Great Lakes Region

In the upcoming PCRD Conference on April 16 and 17 (see here for more information) in Indianapolis, we'll be exploring the different dimensions of regional thinking. One significant opportunity comes in looking at the connections across the Great Lakes region. Recently, the Mayor of Toronto gave a speech in which he reframed the Great Lakes region and his city's role in the region.

From my perspective, Toronto is the co-leader, with Chicago, of the entire Great Lakes economy. And the Great Lakes economy is the third largest in the world -- after the U.S. and Japan. We have to think of ourselves on that scale.

You can read the Mayor's speech here.

What Is Driving Food Price Inflation?

Posted by Don Koverman

This March edition of The Main Street Economist focuses on the surge of retail food prices.  Looking at 2007, retail food prices posted their highest gains in almost two decades.  Robust food demand, record high crop prices and accelerating costs for labor and energy fueled these sharp gains.  In the latest issue of The Main Street Economist, Assistant Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive Jason Henderson examines whether the stage is set for a new era of even higher food prices.  Posted by Don Koverman. The article is available here.

USDA-RD Announces Funding Round for Energy Grants & Loans

Posted by Don Koverman

USDA-Rural Development announced that the Notice of Funds (NOFA) for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Improvements Grants and Guaranteed Loans has been announced.  The first round deadline for grant applications is April 15, 2008 with the second round deadline for grant applications is scheduled for June 16, 2008.  The Guaranteed Loan applications and combination grant and loan deadline for applications is also June 16, 2008.  More information is available here. The FY08 energy information is not on the website yet, but more information is available from Sharon Ellison (sharon.ellison@in.usda.gov or 317-290-3100 ext 429).

USDA-RD State Director Promotes Indiana Renewable Energy

Posted by Don Koverman

As reported in the March 6th edition of INside Edge Midday Report, USDA-RD State Director Robert White was in Washington D.C. last week participating in the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference.  During an interview with INside Edge reporters, Mr. White compared the progress of the state's renewable energy with policy makers from around the world. To hear an audio interiew, click here.

Microenterprise Funder Guide Examines Asset-Building

Posted by Don Koverman

In their March 2008 electronic newsletter, the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship highlighted the latest publication from the Aspen Institute's FIELD Funder Guide Series.  This article examines how programs are partnering with corporations, financial institutions, government and a wide range of comm unity development organizations to promote matched savings accounts, financial literacy, better access to credit and tax benefits for low-income families.  You can read the full article here.

A Regional Entrepreneurship Strategy: Using Web 2.0 Tools for Entrepreneurship Education

North Central Indiana's regional entrepreneurship strategy includes a major effort to educate new and would-be entrepreneurs and to encourage them to develop their new ideas. The initiave, Incubicity, is using some Web 2.0 tools to do this education. Below is a YouTube Video about the initiative and the art of an "elevator pitch."

The Importance of Focusing on Entrepreneurship

A new report came out this week from the Kauffman Foundation on the importance of entrepreneurship to urban and regional prosperity. The report urges local, regional and state officials to focus on forming and growing new companies in their cities and region.

"Policy-makers at local and state levels increasingly recognize that entrepreneurship is the key to building and sustaining their economies' growth," said Robert Litan, vice president of Research and Policy at the Kauffman Foundation. "Although this is a seemingly obvious proposition, it represents something of a departure from past thinking about how local, state or regional economies grow."

This report adds an important voice to the emerging trend across the country: Focus on urban entrepreneurship and regional innovation. You can learn more about the report here. You can download the report here.

Surefire advice to local officials: Streamline regulations. The report suggests that more aggressive interventions are more risky and need careful evaluation. The newspaper in Sacramento carries a good summary article. It is available here.