Ann Arbor SPARK joins global network of innovation districts

Ann Arbor SPARK has joined The Global Institute on Innovation Districts (GIID) Global Network, allowing it to collaborate with over 50 innovation districts in 14 countries.

A press release on SPARK’s GIID membership defines innovation districts as “compact, connected environments” that are “working to strengthen how research institutions, companies, startups, and communities come together to drive innovation and economic opportunity.” In contrast with “traditional, isolated research parks,” it describes innovation districts as “more integrated, collaborative ecosystems designed to support both economic growth and quality of life.”

“When you’re engaged in the work we do, we want to identify resources and benchmark ourselves,” says Paul Krutko, president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK. “We do benchmarking in the U.S. comparing places like Madison, Wis., and Boulder, Colo. We are always interested in finding the right group to gain insights from. This effort is global in nature, with U.S. participants, Europe, Asia, and elsewhere. We saw it as a level of engagement that would be interesting to us.”

Krutko says SPARK’s principal reason for joining the network is to build relationships.

“We counsel early-stage companies that are looking to have a service or a product they intend to sell in the U.S. and overseas,” he says. “When you build relationships like this network, you have an easy referral. For example, we developed a relationship with an entity in London called Here East, a tech center on the former site of the Olympics. They brought 10 early-stage companies in the sustainability space to southeast Michigan. It’s a two-way street. We want to be able to find partners that are functioning at the same level we’re functioning at.”

Participation in the GIID Global Network will provide SPARK with access to research, peer collaboration, and global best practices. Over the next two years, SPARK will take part in GIID’s Empower program, engaging in strategic sessions with other districts to address shared challenges and explore new approaches to growth, investment, and inclusion.

“With this new organization, we’re specifically looking at the measures others are using to see impact,” Krutko says. “We are actively looking to help our local companies. We’re looking for ways we can learn from elsewhere.”