Collaborative Innovation Center as a New Service System to Drive Economic Development

Abstract

—This paper describes a model for a new service system, Collaborative Innovation Centers (CIC) that IBM has instituted to work with regional government, academia and business. While education, research and entrepreneurship are generally the three pillars of a CIC, the center can be tailored to emphasize one or two out of the three areas to meet the needs of all stakeholders. The CIC service system has proven to be a successful model for building a healthy ecosystem of public and private sector partnerships fueled by common goals and individual constraints, and enabled by shared resources, in-demand skills, and innovation. While the individual CIC goals may differ, regional economic development is a consistent outcome.