In today’s challenging economic climate, politicians, entrepreneurs, and concerned citizens alike search to answer a very important question: What does it take to stimulate business activity in our local communities? The answer is quite simple: Innovation! Whether developed in the basements and attics of some inspired individuals or dreamed up by professional scientists in multi-million dollar commercial R&D labs, new technology spurs effective economic growth. (Just ask Gary Shapiro who posits in his recent book, The Comeback, that “innovation will restore the American Dream.”)
Daily headlines boast daily of the advances made by industry moguls like Apple and crowfunding start-ups like Scott Wilson and his MINIMAL design studio. What many Americans don’t know is that the next big idea may currently be in development at a local university. In the coming days, we will tell readers more about a proven way to take advantage of the government-sponsored economic stimulus incentives to start or grow your business: have a conversation with one of the folks at your local university’s technology transfer office.