Invest and grow of an innovation economy in DC. Focus on iBed job creation and competitiveness for the 21st cent. DC Innovates, Inc
DC needs to establish a 21st century economic development framework that will foster an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem with the goals of expanding new job and business opportunities for the residents of the District of Columbia. The District has been the proverbial 'hole-in-the-donut' as compared to its suburban MD and Northern VA counterparts. So, even though the District is:
home to several leading universities and is the geographical center of the Greater Washington DC Metropolitan Region
located in proximity to perhaps the largest federal R&D centers including the NIH, Navy Medical, Fort Detrick/USAMRIID and others
located in proximity to one of the highest concentrations of science, technology and innovation clusters and assets
...it continues to miss the economic benefits and spillover effects of being in such proximity from an innovation and TBED standpoint because it is not prepared. This is most poignantly seen if we assess the District's potential in comparison to its reality as measured by tech-focused entrepreneurship, new company formation, job creation, 21st century workforce development and intellectual property protection (i.e. patents). Yet, despite those observations, the opportunity remains before the District to adopt a much more competitive posture and become a vibrant member of the growing NoVA-DC-MD innovation ecosystem.