PNWER at Work > Working Groups > Innovation
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About "Innovation requires diversity. The best ideas come when you bring together people who think differently" - Brad Smith, President, Microsoft, speaking at PNWER 2017 Annual Summit in Portland, OR.
The competitive landscape of the global economy, coupled with worldwide environmental challenges, is creating unprecedented demand for scientific discovery and application. The Pacific Northwest region must channel the strengths of its many separate resources into a collaborative, comprehensive effort that maximizes the economic benefits of regional innovation.
The PNWER Innovation Working Group enthusiastically embraces the following initiatives:
Working Group ActivitiesRural Investment for Small-business Empowerment Accelerator
The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) received a Small Business Innovation Fund (SBIF) Grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce to launch the RISE-WA (Rural Investment for Small-business Empowerment) Accelerator. The aim of RISE-WA was to connect rural Small, Women, and Black, Indigenous, People of Color-owned businesses (S/W/BIPOC) in Washington State with solution providers and subject matter experts. This initiative intended to harness the innovation and technology of the urban tech sector to bolster these businesses' success and enhance their resilience against future challenges. PNWER Congregate: A Solutions Accelerator
Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) is excited to share that we are one of 44 organizations awarded the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Scaling Pandemic Resilience through Innovation and Technology (SPRINT) Challenge Grant announced April 6th by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. The SPRINT Grant award will support the creation of “Congregate: A Solutions Accelerator'' focused on scaling solutions that help safely re-open tourism, performing arts, travel, and hospitality (TPATH). With PNWER’s history of working with state and local governments, industry leaders, and innovators on solutions that drive the economy forward, Congregate will:
Past WebinarsRemote Workers and the Rise of the Main Street: Innovating Our Way out of a Crisis Webinar Series
Wednesday, August 5 | 1:00 - 2:00 pm PDT Watch the Webinar Here COVID-19 has disproportionately affected urban cores of cities due to population density, shared resources, and the difficulty of minimizing person-to-person spread. Additionally, it has introduced millions of workers to tools for remote productivity. If managed and planned for effectively, this could spark a golden age for small and medium sized cities. This panel will feature three smaller towns in the PNW and highlight how they are positioning to grow in the emerging new economy by levering their incumbent capabilities, strategic planning, and welcoming remote workers. We will discuss such topics as broadband requirements, inclusive growth, and virtual agglomeration. 
Innovating our Way Out of A Crisis: The Four Phases of Response Webinar
Monday, June 22 | 1 pm - 2 pm PDT Watch the Webinar Here COVID-19 has shaken the world economy to its core – bringing cities and national economies to a grinding halt. But like any large machine, the U.S. and global economies will need an orderly restart to get humming again. We will recover from this, but economic patterns have changed. Localities that identify these changes and innovate to address emergent challenges will be the ones that prosper. As we reopen the economy, what lessons will we learn, and how will we retool to make the Pacific Northwest economic region even more vibrant than it once was?
Read PNWER Innovation Co-Chairs' Op-ed on Innovating Our Way Out of a Crisis: The Four Phases of Response
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