When it comes to innovation the key piece of the puzzle always seems to be collaboration. I’ve written before that collaboration between adjacent technologists often results in something new and valuable.
So I wasn’t surprised when I read an article in the Boston Globe this morning about Massachusetts’ increasing focus on collaboration, especially when it comes to high-tech.
Here is a good excerpt from the article (Peter Grogan is the President of the Boston Foundation):
Several years ago, Grogan said, a
report commissioned by the foundation found that Greater Boston appeared
to be missing the “collaborative gene.’’“We are creating some new habits,’’ Grogan
said. “This is a city and region that is getting much better at
collaboration, and putting its best foot forward.’
One of the collaborations cited in the article is the new data center being built in Holyoke:
Five universities — MIT, Harvard, Northeastern , Boston University, and
the University of Massachusetts — are participating in the consortium.
Also involved are technology firms EMC Corp., of Hopkinton, and Cisco Systems Inc., of San Jose Calif., and the city
of Holyoke.
When collaboration happens between a corporation and customers, new products can result.
When collaboration occurs at the state level, increased federal funding can result:
Massachusetts is well-positioned to win a disproportionate share of
federal funds, which are increasingly being awarded by the Obama
administration through competitions emphasizing innovation and
collaboration, state Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg
Bialecki said yesterday.
Interesting article, and more evidence that ceding turf wars in the name of collaboration is often followed by progress and reward. The full article can be found here.
Steve
http://stevetodd.typepad.com
Twitter: @SteveTodd
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