by Rob White
Part of the activities I was charged with as the Chief Innovation Officer was to facilitate connectivity and assist in strengthening networks with regards to the innovation economy. We do this with just two staff (Sarah Worley and myself) and we heavily leverage our relationships with partners to accomplish a significant work program with very little resources. But what does that all mean?
In the most basic of terms, it simply means that our work program at the city includes connecting tech-focused entities locally, regionally and beyond that may have shared goals so that we can build our innovation economy in Davis. This can be as straightforward as meeting with a local tech-based business to help them identify resources to grow their business or as complicated as working to foster a multi-decade relationship between two very large entities. Of course, this is not all we do, but I am focused on the topic of building innovation networks for this article.
Meetings with local tech businesses and executives happens on a regular occurrence in Davis. We also work weekly with local and regional technology organizations like Davis Roots (www.davisroots.org), Hacker Lab (www.hackerlab.org), techDAVIS (www.techdavis.org), SARTA (www.sarta.org), Innovate North State (http://innovate-northstate.com) and the Sacramento Metro Chamber (www.metrochamber.org) to bring awareness and provide tech-based programming in Davis.
We have also been working consistently with faculty, staff and administrators at UC Davis to identify ways to partner in supporting the growth of research and technology development. We have also been working with our regional and state elected officials and agencies. This includes continued dialogue with the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) (www.business.ca.gov) to develop strong partnership and identify opportunities for assistance to the local businesses.
And we have been working to develop strong working partnerships with our federal elected officials and agencies, including Congressman John Garamendi’s Office, other regional congressional representatives, USDA, US Economic Development Administration and The White House Offices of Science and Technology Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs.
In Davis, we are blessed with many different sectors being researched by UC Davis and the technology businesses located here. These sectors include agriculture, veterinary science, medicine, biotech, advanced manufacturing and information technology. There are of course many sub-sectors and cross-sectorial research areas that combine traditional sectors to create cross-over technologies like telemedicine, bioceuticals, and the use of drones in agriculture.
Because of this very robust and diverse set of relationships and technology development, Davis has a unique position from which to collaborate and advance partnerships. As we focus our efforts on the innovation piece of the local economy, we can expect to see the growth of specific outcomes. These include fostering increased technology development by the research entities that will result in small business creation, attracting investment capital to create jobs and grow businesses, increasing demand for local services and supplies from the quickly growing companies and the technologist they employ, and development of a significant technology workforce that creates opportunity and job diversification.
An example of the connectivity that we are working to develop occurred earlier this week. On Monday, Betsy Cantwell, the Director of Economic Development for Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL), came to Davis and spent the day having meetings with various representatives from UC Davis. The meetings were facilitated by City staff due to a previous collaborative relationship I have with LLNL from when I worked in Livermore.
The meetings focused primarily on introductions and relationship building with an intent to explore opportunities for future collaboration on shared objectives. Specifically, we met with:
• Cleveland Justis, the executive director of the UC Davis Child Family Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. As stated on the UC Davis website, “the Child Family Institute serves as a nexus for entrepreneurship education and research and as a springboard for entrepreneurial initiatives… Its programs bring science, engineering and business students and faculty together with entrepreneurs, investors and corporate leaders in an environment that blends effective theory, hands-on participation and need-driven innovation. The institute is a Center of Excellence at the Graduate School of Management.’ The UC Davis Press Release about Justis is located here: http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10780)
• Steven Lockett, associate director at Venture Catalyst – Economic Engagement. Venture Catalyst is a program of the UC Davis Chancellor’s Office of Research. More information about Lockett can be found here: http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevelockett
• Bruce White, PhD, professor emeritus in the UC Davis College of Engineering and co-founder of the UC Davis Engineering Translational Technology Center (ETTC) (http://engineering.ucdavis.edu/ettc/). As described on the UC Davis website, the ETTC is “a technology incubator designed to speed the transfer of high-impact, innovative ideas to the marketplace to meet society’s needs.” We also toured the newly formed Engineering Student Startup Center (ESSC) (http://engineering.ucdavis.edu/blog/college-of-engineering-launches-student-startup-center), which caters to student entrepreneurial activities on campus, and the Engineering Fabrication Laboratory (EFL) (http://engineering.ucdavis.edu/efl/), an on-campus student makerspace. More information about White can be found here: http://engineering.ucdavis.edu/biographies/bruce-white/
Each of these meetings were primarily just introductions and sharing of ideas, but future meetings will center on specific opportunities for collaboration. These could include joint programs, partnership on grants and funding, and shared research. One major outcome from the meetings was the expressed desire for LLNL to become a more visible partner in the Davis economy. Each of the meetings centered specifically on initial ideas for no-cost ways to support each entity’s programs, including a set of visits to LLNL to become familiar with the research and facilities at the laboratory.
Though it is too early to tell what the exact outcomes will be from this initial set of meetings, it was apparent that both organizations want to continue the discussion and assess specific ways to create collaboration and partnership in early in 2014. We also secured a commitment from Cantwell that LLNL will become an engaged member of our innovation efforts in Davis, including lending LLNL’s support and expertise to the efforts of Davis Roots, techDAVIS, the UC Davis ETTC and the UCD ESSC. I will write more about these collaborations at a future date.
I hope by sharing this one example of the many interactions that City staff are facilitating to create broad networks that will support our innovation economy you have gained a sense of the magnitude of our opportunity. We are blessed with an incredible university, a tech business community that is thriving and growing, and a community that is second to none when it comes to amenities and quality of life.
I am hopeful that as we work through 2014, Davis will continue to grow its positive reputation for research leadership and technology development. The ultimate outcome from that increased awareness will most certainly be new capital investments, job creation, and local prosperity that will be a positive impact on our local economy and City revenues.
If you have thoughts or ideas on how to strengthen our local and regional innovation networks, please email me at rwhite@cityofdavis.org.
Just a question… what have been the tangible benefits to the City, financially, for the efforts of two full-time City employees, given their total compensation costs? Have heard that Ms Worley was primarily known for negotiating down the normal impact and processing fees for business, with no cost/benefit analysis.
hp – This is a question that will take much more than a simple reply to answer (as I am sure you are aware). I have catalogued the economic development efforts over the last 9 months in several articles and replies over the last couple of weeks, but it sounds like it is time to enumerate the activities again. Stay tuned for a Vanguard article on this in the coming week or so, as well as discussion of an Economic Development Strategy that I will be proposing to City Council in February.
I will leave you with this small thought with regards to Ms. Worley’s efforts… her work to secure the new Mori Seiki/DTL manufacturing plant added significant revenue to the city’s general fund for 2012-2013. An analogous amount of revenue that would be generated by property tax from a neighborhood of about 300 new homes. And that’s on about 12 acres instead of the 50+ that the 300 new homes would take. That is pretty significant and fits nicely with the community’s sustainability goals (both fiscal and land use). I think she deserves accolades for her efforts, don’t you?
I’ll talk to you “off-line” sometime in January. Concessions made in impact fees may not directly affect GF, but they still impact other areas of City finances.
Another question … it occurs to me that in light of the fact that Davis’ Explorit Science Center is in serious need of a boost to its roster of regular donors, and in light of the fact that Explorit might help showcase the science of some of the companies being contacted, and in light of the fact that Explorit is in many ways an entry point to the pipeline that ultimately feeds the tech economy, might it not be appropriate and helpful if the Davis Innovation Officer were to introduce Explorit to those with whom he is making contact in case Explorit’s work might complement theirs so that informal collaborations might develop? Just a thought.
i think you guys have a real opportunity to turn explorit into a top notch center and you would definitely benefit from working with the city. i share david’s concerns that this is the second approach rather than the first.
Davis Progressive – we really do think in similar ways! Should we worry about that?
Yes, we did think that working with the new innovation exploration process would be very worthwhile on several levels and we met with the new innovation officer (a couple of times I think) many months ago. Somehow nothing gelled. Approaching the City directly was a second approach and one done as a last resort.
By all means… the City should dedicate a percentage of full-time City staff to connect Explorit with potential donors.
A minuscule percentage at that. I heartily agree that a 30 second mention in a conversation that is already happening for other purposes, could be good for Explorit and ultimately enable Explorit to bring public attention to the cutting edge science happening around us.
Anne, hpierce, and DP –
Thank you all for the suggestions. In every opportunity that I have to highlight a local organization during my convresations, I do. I agree that the efforts around STEM education at an early age are important and I wholeheartedly support them.
In the case of Explorit, lack of success does not indicate effort. I have often spoken to potential donors about the opportunity to support the organization, but have yet to find donors that see a strong value proposition. Though I see the value based on my views, it is not my views that write a check. Some of this uncertainty may be caused by a lack of strong messaging by Explorit. The Sacramento Powerhouse Science Center and SPLASH are examples of similar orgs that have strong messaging and receive good financial support.
In my view, the most effective activities that will help Explorit are a strong business plan and value proposition that compels the business community, a funding plan that moves towards fiscal sustainability, effective marketing and strong messaging and a clearly communicated sense of purpose and outcomes. I know the board is working on these items. City staff are engaged in this process with the Explorit leadership and I add input to the degree that I can.
But as an external non-profit, the heavy lifting needs to be done by the Explorit leadership and the board. having run a non-profit previously, it is very difficult prospect and I do not envy the Explorit leadership. Success of each of our community partners is important and as I find opportunities to assist in telling the Explorit story in my normal duties, I do.
In summary, it is important that it be recognized that the Explorit issues came into play long before I arrived in Davis. And though I would like to think that even just a little bit of time spent on assisting in fund raising over the last 6 months would result in opportunities for Explorit, the reality (as anyone who does this as a full time job would tell us) is that new funding opportunities take many months to develop and are built based on personal relationships… in addition to strong value propositions.
I have not stopped asking on behalf of Explorit, but I can’t manufacture money in a system that is already heavily tapped.
Thanks for listening.
Thank you Rob for putting a bit more of the whole story on to the table. Explorit, as you suggest, does not have the ‘heavy hitting power’ of the Sacramento based supporters of the proposed Powerhouse Science Center that currently operates as the Sacramento Discovery Center. The problem as I see it is that the issue has become one of either-or. Even companies that have supported Explorit in the past are choosing to give exclusively to the much larger and louder voiced enterprise.
I am confident that we will all keep at this and do our best to preserve and bolster the Explorit org, one that many talk fondly about and has proven to be a significant community benefit over its history. Thank you Anne for helping to educate us all on the efforts of the Board and members.
Ms. Hance,
I suggest finding opportunities to partner with Davis Media Access to create informative videos about Explorit and perhaps lecture/presentations/products that Explorit offers. DMA is public access cable & media. They are often seeking content, and you folks need exposure. They have video editing/production equipment & staff, and you can use their videos as online video snippets on platforms like facebook or twitter. Give them a call and see what you come up with.
Wdf1, you are right. Explorit has a you tube channel we’ve been neglecting of late. We should beef it up and market it.
I particularly like the idea of sharing clips from a Facebook Page.
For what it’s worth, I think this is a great idea.