1、February 2023Public Sector PracticeBuilding innovation ecosystems:Accelerating tech hub growthInnovation ecosystems can generate economic,financial,and social benefits for all,and theres new federal funding to build them.A six-step playbook could help leaders get them right.by Cameron Davis,Ben Safr

2、an,Rachel Schaff,and Lauren YaybokeAcross the United States,from urban to rural areas,public-and private-sector leaders are coming together to build innovation hubs.Relative upstarts such as the Indianapolis 16 Tech Innovation District and Tulsa Innovation Labs are positioning themselves as new cent

3、ers of innovation,drawing inspiration from established ones such as Silicon Valley and Boston.Currently,the opportunity to launch new hubs is especially ripe given there is nearly$2 trillion in new federal funding designed to boost US innovation,competitiveness,and national security over the next de

4、cade.Innovation hubs are geographic areas that bring together R&D institutions(such as tech-enabled corporations,universities,and medical facilities),as well as venture capital,incubators,and start-ups.They fall into three categories:smaller districts,midsize tech hubs,and larger cross-regional ecos

5、ystems,with the latter being by far the most complex but potentially impactful(see sidebar“Ecosystems,hubs,and districts:A short primer”).Think tanks and businesses have published papers defining the value proposition of innovation hubs and offering ways for companies to participate in the hubs that

6、 already exist.While these papers generally address the what and the why,this article builds on those perspectives to explore how public-and private-sector leaders could launch and scale an innovation ecosystem anchored in existing regional assets or accelerate efforts that are already underway.Belo