OSCAR

Rhode Island has the requisite independence, innovation and determination to make something transformational happen. Let’s get started. Presidents Simmons and Dooley

The question is do we have trust in each other to get started. We always list our amazing resources and strengths . . . scale, access, capacity, natural assets. What we need to focus on is the governances that manage these resources, and learn to trust them.  We need to believe they are willing to take risks for each other and for their shared vision. We need to change a culture. I’m not saying a new accent, I’m talking a new attitude.

We have always focused on the transactions between government, academic and industry sectors. The taxes, the tuition, the sales — all about the get and never about the give. And in this Projo oped, two highly regarded university presidents give their commitment — not take, but commit to Rhode Island.  They offer what is possible, not what is limiting us.  It is time to take them up on their offer and see what can be possible.

In recent study at Harvard, “Effects of University Innovation on Local Economic Growth and Entrepreneurship” by Naomi Hausman on 1/23/11, we are reminded of what universities make possible if we embrace them, and we should really leverage this opportunity. Remember Silicon Valley, North Carolina’s Research Park, and even Boston Route 128! Were they not transformative to the local economy? and weren’t they conveniently located next to universities?

The statement is not “let’s get started” it’s more like “what are you afraid of?” Come on, we got the sectors to agree to travel to Houston together, next stop. . . disneyland! That’s pretty magical!

In this TEDTalk from 2005, Smart Mobs author Howard Rheingold puts forth a very convincing defense of the value of collaborating. After probing deeply into the alternative theories and puzzles about how we interact, he suggests that we’re now entering a new phase of economic and social cooperation. Certainly, we are living in a new technological, academic and entrepreneurial environment that lets us work together like never before. OSCAR is committed to keeping this collaboration at the forefront of all our work, from the Green the Knowledge District Initiative onwards to making Providence a Smarter City for the decades beyond our reach.

This “Map of Scientific Collaborations from 2005 – 2009″ (http://collabo.olihb.com/) by Olivier H. Beauchesne  at science-metrix,inc. says it all. And if you experienced it. . . there is no need to read on, but to feel this absolute work of art made up of people who share values. It is our future, and it will bring solutions to the challenges we face today.

We talk about collaboration. We use and sometimes overuse the word to position for many rewarding outcomes. But if we stop for one moment to understand what it means to truly collaborate, we will never underestimate this word’s value again. It is not something that you label or add into a grant. It is not something you create from the top-down.

Collaborating means people trusting and sharing values enough to engage in a shared vision. It takes leadership with integrity and connectivity among people who believe in each other. Once you have this — you have the power to change the world.

Thank you Olivier H. Beauchesne and science-metrix,inc for sharing your view. Thank you to collaborators around the globe for finding each other! Go forth and innovate!