Over the last few months I have used this space in the newsletter to create a picture of what it takes to foster innovation.
November 2023 newsletter: Innovation is a team sport. It requires diverse perspectives and experiences to find a creative solutions. It requires courage to try things out and be willing to learn what won’t work as much as what will work. It requires tenacity to keep going and going and going.
March 2024 newsletter: Ideas create the "spark" that fuels innovation. Good ideas... bad ideas... ideas that need time to marinate... etc.
Today I want to add another facet to this picture: Trusting collaborations are the foundation to innovation. One of the roles the Innovation District plays is as a facilitator of collaboration. We excel in situations that require more than one entity to come together. This starts before the idea sparks and creative solutions are found. It begins with the questions of "Who are you?", "Do I trust you?", "Do I want to work with you?" Sometimes these questions are answered immediately - things just click. Sometimes it takes a little back-and-forth. This foundation must be laid before anything else.
Three examples of our latest work to create collaborations are:
Alison Barlow
Executive Director
Not so long ago, talent and innovation blossomed in an area just south of Downtown St. Petersburg. City officials and community partners wanted to leverage the capabilities of key institutions—USF St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, and the Poynter Institute, to name a few. The point was to foster collaboration and show our initiatives to the world.
We will host another Trolley Tour and Happy Hour on Friday, June 13th. You will board a trolley with other Innovation District partners and learn about the history and future plans for the area. This tour will feature stops at Albert Whitted Airport, Florida Institute of Oceanography, and The Dalí Museum. The tour will conclude back at the Hub with a networking happy hour.
April’s Tech X-change was a hit, thanks to an engaging presentation from Digital Twin Marine. Shoutout to all the Eckerd College students who joined us! The audience was curious and interactive, asking great questions and eager to try out the virtual reality headset.