The Global Institute on Innovation Districts

Bruce Katz, a valued member of the GIID Board, recently participated in?La Innovación desde las Ciudades, hosted by Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá. In his presentation, Bruce explored the?next wave of innovation districts, highlighting how macro forces and strategic investments are reshaping these hubs. These districts are evolving from centers of discovery to dynamic spaces that?both discover and deliver. He showcased examples of this transformation, where some districts are embracing new partners and initiatives while others are forming entirely anew. Bruce also unpacked the disruptive dynamics driving this shift and shared insights into what it means for policy and practice. The event,?Ideas que transforman, brought together over 200 global experts to discuss strategies for advancing smart, sustainable cities. Hosted by?Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá, the event reinforced Bogotá’s ambition to grow as a hub of innovation, anchored by the Campus de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación. Stay tuned as we continue to spotlight transformative ideas shaping innovation districts worldwide. #InnovationDistricts #NextWaveInnovation #BruceKatz #SmartCities #GlobalInsights #BogotáInnovation

Building on the momentum of our inaugural issue, GIID Research Review 2 is now out for districts in our Global Network. The Review is packed with clear, actionable insights on how to advance the practice of innovation districts. This edition features findings from a comparative analysis of 23 innovation districts across ten countries and five global regions (2022–2024), exploring the district dynamics, from global-local connectivity to how the role of place shapes innovation performance. Examples of takeaways on R&D strengths in niche sciences and technologies: ??Districts are both globally wired and locally networked— Districts combine global knowledge exchange with strong local ties, enabling them to stay ahead in cutting-edge techniques and effectively translate?knowledge into practice. ??Scientific discovery and technology development increasingly require convergence—?Frequent, interdisciplinary collaboration in certain districts creates unique synergies, leading to groundbreaking discoveries. ??Innovation districts are powerhouses of emerging technology and R&D breakthroughs—?This increased visibility can attract investment, strengthen industry partnerships and accelerate innovation while enhancing the district’s global influence. This is just a glimpse of what’s inside the GIID Research Review, a resource created to provide busy districts in our Global Network with concise, insightful research to fuel their work. Stay tuned for deeper insights from our geospatial analysis, including how physical assets and place-based attributes power the "place-innovation nexus." #GIIDResearchReview #InnovationDistricts #Insights #DecisionMaking #GlobalNetwork

Sustainability in action across innovation districts GIID has explored the strategies of innovation districts within the Global Network to advance sustainability. This visual snapshot captures a wide array of sustainability initiatives currently in motion—spanning rooftop solar PV, rainwater harvesting, clean mobility, and more. One key insight: Some districts are leveraging pilot projects as a powerful entry point to drive meaningful, sustainable change. In these districts, these pilots aren’t just isolated experiments—they represent the groundwork for broader, scalable efforts that can redefine sustainable urban development. However, in many districts, the ability to lead on sustainable development, energy transition, and decarbonization strategies is limited. Why? Leaders cite fragmented or insufficient financing, limited government subsidies or incentives, and technical infrastructure barriers. As districts are a natural place to test new technologies and infrastructure, GIID will be partnering with private partners actively undertaking district decarbonization strategies.? #Sustainability #InnovationDistricts #SustainableDevelopment #GreenFuture #GIIDResearch #PilotProjects

We are thrilled to share that Discovery Square Innovation District in Rochester, Minnesota, United States of America, has joined our Global Network Advance program. Patrick Seeb, Executive?Director of the Destination Medical Center (DMC) Economic Development Agency, said: "We are thrilled to join the latest cohort of the Global Network of Innovation Districts. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to drive economic growth and foster innovation in Rochester, MN. By collaborating with GIID, we are excited to leverage global best practices and cutting-edge strategies to further our vision of creating a vibrant, inclusive, and dynamic innovation district." We can’t wait to get started on our work together!

Connecting Innovation Districts – lessons from our global network I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting, with Julie Wagner and Igor Ozeran, the first session of the Global Network Connect program on behalf of the The Global Institution for Innovation Districts. Over the two sessions GIID has welcomed participants from innovation districts in Australia, Canada, Chile, Israel, Japan, Sweden, UK and the US. The program connects participants to inform their own thinking and practices, based on the experiences of their peers. It is immensely fruitful because the participants are all deeply involved in the day-to-day operation of these districts. A few takeaways from our group discussions may be of wider interest: 1)???????The pandemic has driven the need for experimentation and transformation. Some are still struggling with low-occupancy rates, and so are moving away from the property-led models that bought them into being and moving toward developing a portfolio of investments, funded by ‘core organisations’ with a long-term interest in more inclusive forms of growth. 2)???????New governance models are emerging. Districts find it challenging to align their own objectives to multiple tiers of local, regional and national/federal funding pots. Working closely with the tiers to co-design strategy, is one way districts are starting to influence new routes to funding. 3)???????Attracting and involving young people is hard. Opening the minds of young people to entrepreneurship, high-quality jobs and training available within innovation districts can be challenging, particularly if your district is out of town. Some districts are starting to create stronger links with higher-profile, more established districts, closer to city centers, using these as a bridge or gateway to attract and exchange talent and ideas. This cross-pollination is starting to drive a mission-based approach, using innovation to address decarbonisation, or poverty and inequality; issues that particularly appeal to younger people. 4)???????Strengthening a districts’ unique value proposition is on the pathway to investment. What makes your district distinctive? It may be a set of enabling technologies, the way you leverage land, the actors engaged in your district, or your unique research and development capabilities. But identifying your core capabilities is hard. It requires a solid evidence base demonstrating the strength of the business and research ecosystem and how these translate into IP and growth; and it requires deep discussion with partners to build consensus around a few priorities to sharpen your story. We’ll return to these issues and address other priorities in our next session and look forward to keeping in touch with colleagues over the next 12 months. Do get in touch if any of these themes resonate and you’d like to more, or if you would like to connect with our network. @The Global Institute on Innovation Districts #GlobalNetwork #innovationdistricts

New research from GIID: The power of proximity in global innovation Our upcoming GIID research uncovers an intriguing truth: while invention is increasingly global, local proximity still matters in sparking new technologies. We analyzed patent data from a major European metropolitan region, focusing on backward citations that inventors include to credit prior relevant research. Here’s what we found: ? Nearly 45% of recent inventions in this region reference local discoveries as inspiration. ? Yet, less than 6% of total citations on these inventions are tied to locally generated research or technologies. This reveals that while local ideas ignite new innovations, they form only a fraction of the extensive knowledge base required for technological breakthroughs today. Interestingly, this varies by tech type. In the fields of chemistry and materials, more than half of all inventions drew inspiration from local sources, but local contributions made up less than 5% of total citations. Stay tuned for more insights as we explore how proximity and global networks intersect in shaping modern innovation! #Innovation #ProximityMatters #GlobalNetwork #TechBreakthroughs #GIIDResearch #LocalInnovation #TechTrends #PatentData

Financing is a common but complex challenge that many innovation districts face in the course of their development. And what is it that makes it complex? The multi-dimensionality of district financing is crucial to take into consideration when forming a strategic approach to this challenge.? ? The GIID Global Network Connect recently gathered for their first session, bringing together 18 districts, each with their own priorities ranging from “place development and activation” to “financial sustainability” and “securing long-term commitments to our vision.” ? Led by GIID President, Julie Wagner, GIID Board Chair, Tom Osha, and strategic advisor to GIID, Philip Dyer, the districts engaged in roundtable discussions on how these priorities can be addressed within their individual districts and ultimately how they all rest on the foundation of district financing in its many dimensions. We identified and explored 10 of these dimensions together and we’re sharing five of them here below: ? ? Initial financing for planning and strategy around the district’s development. ? Financing for horizontal infrastructure including roads, streets, and sidewalks. ? Financing for vertical infrastructure – construction of new or refurbishing of existing buildings. ? Financing for innovation infrastructure – supporting the formation of incubators, accelerators, gathering spaces, and flexible labs. ? Financing for startups – fostering innovative businesses and companies so that they can come to scale within the district.? ? GIID will continue to examine the different dimensions of district financing and the effect they have on district development in the coming months. What are the other dimensions that you would include on this list? #InnovationDistricts #InvestmentReady #GIIDNetwork #PublicPrivatePartnerships

It is wonderful to have Bogotá Science, Technology and Innovation Campus (DCTIB) join the 2024-2026 Global Network program. ANDREA CAROLINA ALVAREZ CASADIEGO, Gerente de Proyectos Especiales, Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá, said: “Being part of the Global Network represents an excellent opportunity to advance our strengthening process and contribute to the Bogotá Science, Technology, and Innovation Campus's goal of generating significant social and economic impact in the region. This connection allows us to exchange knowledge with colleagues from around the world and share our progress and experiences on an international stage, thereby enriching our mutual growth.” We are looking forward to working together!

Unlocking the potential of districts: Building blocks that matter At GIID, we believe that thriving districts are built on strong foundations: various actors, strategic land use, and robust infrastructure. Districts' basic building blocks are essential for leveraging new advantages and fostering innovation. We’ve been deep into geospatial data analysis across 23 districts in the Global Network, focusing on what really fuels innovation: ? The diversity and number of economic actors energizing district ecosystems. ? The extent of physical assets (land and buildings) that anchor institutions own or operate within and around each district. ? The infrastructure that connects these actors, sparking new levels of collaboration. Our insights reveal distinctive opportunities and highlight persistent, place-specific challenges limiting physical growth in many districts. Stay tuned to learn more about what we see across districts! #InnovationDistricts #Infrastructure #GIIDanalysis

Last week, a group of 10 districts – five and then five – met to share their detailed strategies for how to evolve as a district. ? Five districts focused on interim- and medium-terms steps necessary for developing an effective governance structure. In some cases, it means creating an early host committee for an event, for others, it means creating a more informal committee to test who really leads. ? Five other districts outlined comprehensive strategies for strengthening their Unique Value Proposition. What a mouth full of a phrase but it basically means their set of strategies that seek to make their district more competitive, inclusive and/or sustainable. What did we learn in our deep sessions together? Districts are focused and ambitious. They are holding internal strategy sessions to fill out very detailed GIID templates to ensure they ask hard questions early and assess the feasibility of key strategies. In short, these two groups of districts in the Advance Network Tier have turned out to be a terrifically ambitious and thoughtful group. Once we can share some of their impact, we will share—as our goal is to help as many districts learn about how to advance with the help of their peers and GIID. #InnovationDistricts #GIIDGlobalNetwork #DistrictDevelopment # #GovernanceStrategy #UniqueValueProposition #PeerLearning #Collaboration