A new study by the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council makes the case for a greater sense of urgency around the issue of innovation – defined as “when a new idea, process or technique is applied to deliver benefits to a person, organization or community.” It also provides concrete steps that can help innovation become the centerpiece of the state’s economy.
With per capita gross state product in 2004 of $40,425, Rhode Island is not only behind the New England average of $48,237, but it is even lagging the national average of $40,778.
Research and development spending per capita in 2002 was $1,533, compared with $1,958 and $2,233 in Connecticut and Massachusetts, respectively. Venture capital investment – a sign of risk-taking and innovative companies – was $1.86 per $1,000 of gross state product in 2001, versus $4.06 in the U.S. and $9.84 in New England.
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The numbers are sobering, but they are not hopeless. The council’s recommendations make sense and are doable. Two are particularly interesting: the creation of a Rhode Island Collaborative Research Alliance, and the initiation of an incentive to attract and retain serial entrepreneurs to the state. With concerted effort, maybe our next discussion won’t be about a study, but rather innovation and new jobs.
Have you seen the new GTECH building in downtown Providence? It looks like a cousin to the controversial Old Stone building on South Main Street, which itself is a powerful reminder of modernist instincts gone wrong. It looks outdated before it’s even completed. Glass can be beautiful, and the renderings of the company’s new headquarters showed a building that seemed light and airy, a tribute to the clean development that information age jobs can bring. But as the building nears completion, the glass looks faded and dull, and the panels between the window bands look more gunmetal gray than reflective of a bright sky. But maybe it’s more than just the execution of this vision. One has to wonder whether the design process was thrown out the window in order to remove any obstacles to keeping GTECH from going to Massachusetts. Across the street, where the old train station was repurposed as the home of the Rhode Island Foundation, great care was taken when two buildings were added to the complex to keep them in character with the original brick. In a few months, the Intercontinental Hotel will be rising from the ground next door to GTECH. One can only pray that the commission did a better job on this project. If not, it may be time to redesign the design committee itself.
