How Can Industry Focus Influence an Innovation Ecosystems Development? Past and Emerging Lessons from the Research Triangle Region (North Carolina)

The success of Research Triangle Park (RTP), and its larger area of innovation, in igniting the IT and biotechnology industries aided the significant transformation of the regions economy. In addition to the operations of the RTP, industry support organizations played an important role in strengthening the ties between universities, industry and government to fortify the innovation ecosystem. RTPs economic developers, in focusing at the outset on downstream recruitment of established R&D branch plants, created an opening for supporting institutions to buttress industry and economic growth through upstream activities like seeding new business development and building university and industry linkages. As the region evolved, so has this development approach. We compare and contrast the support for IT and biotech with the emergence of the clean technology industry today. We then offer ideas to enhance cleantechs growth and lessons learned from the RTP innovation areas collective experience in seeding propulsive and transformative industries.