South Must Shift Values to Accommodate Knowledge Economy, Report Says

Promoting the policies and harnessing the habits that will make innovation central to a Southern way of life requires a fundamental shift in the approach to knowledge itself, says the latest report by the Southern Growth Policies Board.



The report, Innovation with a Southern Accent: The 2006 Report on the Future of the South, offers recommendations for 13 states and Puerto Rico to transition the region into a more knowledgeable, innovative and prosperous South.



In preparing the report, Southern Growth hosted retreats, community forums, policy dialogues and surveys involving about 4,000 southern residents. In a section titled, "Listening to the South", the report provides details on the concerns voiced by participants regarding technology and innovation. According to the report, six major themes emerged from the discussions, including:

• Strengthen math and science education;
• Create a culture of innovation and learning;
• Increase awareness of career options, including entrepreneurship;
• Ensure broadband access and computer literacy;
• Promote innovation across business sectors; and
• Target regional strengths.

The report is centered around three knowledge flow topics, including the creation of knowledge, the accumulation of knowledge, and the application of knowledge. Strengths within the region include high research output in nanotechnology, a growing number of biotech companies, and increased employment within information technology fields.



While the South has innovation bright spots, they are scattered throughout the region, which contributes to part of the problem. Because resources are scattered, very few areas have a critical mass of innovation resources to stand alone, the report states. Even existing resources are not networked in meaningful ways to leverage into world-class innovation hot spots, the report adds.



Building a southern economy based on innovation requires a cultural shift toward valuing and celebrating knowledge. For example, the report asks, is it known to southerners that they lag the nation in economic growth, innovation, and educational attainment? And, is it accepted in the southern culture that these are unchangeable conditions? The report stresses the importance of valuing knowledge, accompanied by a civic and political commitment. Recommendations include:

• Increase the creation of knowledge in the South. Suggestions include enhancing and leveraging the region's university-performed and federally performed R&D.
• Increase the accumulation of knowledge by raising awareness of math and science careers, ensuring teacher quality, retraining the workforce in technology-driven fields, and designing a strategic recruitment plan for developing knowledge-driven clusters.
• Increase the application of knowledge by building a venture-related innovation funding capacity, supporting and nurturing entrepreneurs and leveraging university technology assets and business support capacity.
• Launch the Southern Innovation System, a series of multi-state, sector-specific and infrastructure related initiatives designed to enhance the South's competitive position.

A section of the report is dedicated to Puerto Rico and each of the 13 states. Each state page provides a survey summary completed by policymakers, which includes the target industries for economic development within the state and information on legislation and polices enabling certain economic development programs and initiatives. Innovation with a Southern Accent: The 2006 Report on the Future of the South is available for purchase from the Southern Growth Policies Board at: http://www.southern.org/pubs/pubs.shtml



Links to this report and 4,000 additional TBED-related research reports, strategic plans and other papers can be found at the Tech-based Economic Development (TBED) Resource Center, jointly developed by the Technology Administration and SSTI, at: http://www.tbedresourcecenter.org/.



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