Heartland Hub: Lincoln's Community-Driven Innovation Ecosystem
Heartland Hub: Lincoln's Community-Driven Innovation Ecosystem
Intense community pride is the spark driving Lincoln, Nebraska's innovation ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
The 'power of community' is a tangible asset in Lincoln, demonstrated by exceptional levels of resource utilization and collaboration.
Lincoln’s innovation ecosystem operates like a mesh network, where each node, from institutions to private sector partners, contributes to its overall resilience and output.
Strong, collegial relationships with other ecosystem members enable a higher degree of momentum-creating speed and intensity. NUtech’s Brad Roth: “The ability to access resources is extremely high here.”
Lincoln's ecosystem is effective in not only retaining local skill but also in attracting new expertise, offering a solution to the 'brain drain' problem many smaller communities face.
This article is the second based on extended conversations with Brad Roth, President and Executive Director of NUtech Ventures.
Main themes: Local Unique Innovation Ecosystems; Local Innovation and Community Engagement; Interconnectedness and Complexity; Knowledge Transfer and Interconnectedness; Adaptability and Resilience in Innovation
Introduction
Civic leaders fear brain drain. How does their city or town thrive when some of its most promising minds leave for what’s perceived to be bigger and better? An exodus of local talent impedes growth and robs the community of future creative energy.
Today, the exodus threat is amplified by the combined forces of digital transformation and economic complexity. Worldwide, the gravitational pull of large-scale Silicon Valleys – dense with high-end talent, capital and leading edge infrastructure – lures talented individuals from far and wide.
The Challenge: Retaining Talent in a Digital Age
Developing a meaningful innovation strategy in the face of this reality is undeniably difficult. Every community that isn’t a major technology center needs to design economic development policy and conditions that encourage their bright minds to stay. The challenge is to identify and provide incentives derived from the community’s current and anticipated strengths and strategic focus.
Case Study: Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska, is an excellent example of the type and scale of response which not only reduces out-migration but entices talented people in. Lincoln’s innovation ecosystem philosophy emphasizes stewardship and practicality, discussed in “Decoding the DNA of a Thriving Innovation Ecosystem.”
One of the hallmarks of our ecosystem is its collaborative nature.
~ Brad Roth, President and Executive Director of NUtech Ventures
Implementation
How well the philosophy is implemented matters a great deal; one way to examine this is how engaged ecosystem members are in transforming knowledge into innovation and economic activity. Gauging this considers the intensity with which infrastructure and resources are used. Think of this intensity as the power of community: a distinct resource shifting available infrastructure and resources into a source of comparative advantage.
The NUtech Example
Marketing and licensing are NUtech’s main vehicles for introducing UNL intellectual property into the Lincoln innovation ecosystem and beyond, processes that are enhanced in at least three ways, one of which is difference-making intensity and engagement.
NUtech’s mission promotes economic development and improved quality of life, conveying a clear sense of purpose to each supported project.
Entrepreneurship is encouraged through programming and sponsored events. Building an upskilled entrepreneurial population increases the chances that UNL innovations will find their way to market.
Strong, collegial relationships with other ecosystem members enable a higher degree of momentum-creating speed and intensity. Brad Roth: “The ability to access resources is extremely high here.”
Ecosystem Infrastructure: Nodes in the Network
Within Lincoln there is supportive innovation infrastructure like NUtech and local economic development groups; physical innovation infrastructure includes UNL and Nebraska Innovation Campus. Each piece of infrastructure is like a node in the ecosystem, all interconnected.
The other major nodes in Lincoln’s innovation ecosystem include Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development (LPED), City of Lincoln, Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, and local capital providers. External nodes include Invest Nebraska, NMotion, the National Science Foundation’s Great Lakes Region I-Corps Hub, Nebraska Business Development Center, small business offices located across the state, and given UNL’s Land Grant status in Nebraska, access to Ag-Tech locations statewide. Burgeoning relationships are forming with Omaha, Kansas City, Wichita, and St. Louis.
Operationalizing the Mesh Network
Each node in the ecosystem is connected to the other to some degree, making it akin to a mesh network. Following the analogy, the more power each node generates, the greater the output of the network, and the more resilient it becomes. Researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs are more likely to encounter great people, develop new ideas and solve bigger challenges, all while adding their own energy to the network.
While interconnectedness is true of many innovation ecosystems, in Lincoln, as Brad puts it, 'Hey, you need help, I'll try to help you. If I can't help you, we'll find somebody that can.' In other words, the level of community engagement in shepherding knowledge from the lab to market is high. Brad estimates that there are likely 100 or more startups underway at any given point in time, impressive given Lincoln’s population of 293,000.
"It's such a collaborative and collegial environment. It's fantastic.”
~ Brad Roth
This isn’t accidental. Support for entrepreneurs is high, not just for researchers and students but the community as well. “About 15% of the bandwidth in our programming has gone to community teams.”
There is a major payoff when each node of the mesh is operating at full capacity. UNL faculty and students love the area, “They're fiercely attached to Nebraska.” That attachment is matched by enthusiastic support from engaged leaders in the ecosystem. Greater availability of capital is always desired but there are sources, ranging from R&D matching funds to seed and venture. Student-run Husker Venture Fund, and non-dilutive investment from LPED’s LaunchLNK are among the seed options. NMotion, originally a UNL-based local accelerator, directs $100k of investment into each startup selected for its Accelerator or Venture Studio programs. Invest Nebraska and others comprise a suite of backers ready to scale more advanced startups.
One of the challenges caused by the high level of support found in Lincoln is to charge the network with more skilled labor. The ecosystem is maturing; more people are gaining the know-how to go beyond ideas into proofs of concept, minimum viable products, and full-scale roll-outs. “There is a flow of employees among startups, they populate some of the new startups. Some of them start their own companies.”
While the innovation system hums along, the demand for people is growing; job openings sit at around 20,000.
Conclusion
The stewardship and real-world application philosophy Lincoln, Nebraska demonstrates in its innovation ecosystem is particularly noticeable through the power of community lens. While a qualitative measure, high levels of engagement and intensity have a transformative capacity. The 'power of community' in Lincoln is not just a buzzword but a tangible asset, demonstrated by high levels of engagement and resource utilization among ecosystem members.
NUtech Ventures is a useful case study for how the 'power of community' can drive innovation and economic growth, not only developing local know-how but attracting new talent. This is not by accident but by design: as communities worldwide grapple with the challenges of the digital age, Lincoln's approach offers valuable lessons in leveraging community power for growth and quality of life.
This article offers insights into Lincoln's innovation ecosystem based on in-depth conversations with a key stakeholder, representing part of a large, multifaceted community.
