Building Rural Innovation Ecosystems
As part of our wrap up session for the innovation series, this Thought Exchange will draw from the previous seven sessions and the varied experiences of participants to discuss the best pathways for rural communities to develop and support innovation ecosystems in their communities.
Innovation is not a solo sport. We need to work with other organizations and (mostly) other people to cultivate ideas and take hold of opportunities. Rural communities have strong social networks that are critical to their resilience. How can a person spark innovation that honours the culture of the community? This Thought Exchange will look at the networking approaches and tactics that have helped drive innovation in both rural communities, conservation and agriculture.
Innovation is meant to support the people it touches, but people can also support innovation by providing ideas and helping with resources. Involving people in all parts of innovation is critical to ensure the innovation is relevant and meets the ultimate outcomes.
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Yuliia Marcinkoski is a Strategic Growth Executive with over a decade of experience in international business and economic development. She has successfully led initiatives across sectors such as manufacturing, energy, life sciences, defence, aerospace, and agriculture, fostering foreign direct investment for Alberta and market entry strategies.
Yuliia Marcinkoski
With a vast network across North America and Europe, Yuliia excels in relationship development, investment strategies, and sustainable business growth. Born and raised in Ukraine, Yuliia continues her passion for sustainable development, youth mentorship and civic engagement. She mentors tech-enabled innovative startups and is a board member of multiple non-profits.
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Resources
Ecosystem Pie Model
This guide outlines how to do this mapping by reviewing each section and considerations.
Talmar, M., WALRAVE, B., PODOYNITSYNA, K., HOLMSTRÖM, J., & ROMME, A. (2018). Ecosystem Pie Model: Methodological Guidelines. For the qualitative modeling of innovation ecosystems. Eindhoven, Niederlande. Verfügbar unter: https://www. ecosystempie.com/guidelines.pdf Zugriff am, 14, 2020.
Throughout this series, literature has been reviewed before and after each session to identify solutions for communities trying to understand the essential efforts happening in their communities. The Ecosystem Pie Model will help individuals in their community map their existing innovation ecosystems or help create one. In most cases, individuals and organizations have a network already built, but looking at it from this viewpoint may help coordinate resources better. This activity can be done individually, but as we've learned throughout our discussions, creating this map as a team effort may be the most useful. This may also best serve communities if it is done as an ongoing effort. The greatest effort will be made at the outset, but updating it regularly may help the community build, improve and sustain it over the longer term.
Resources
Talmar, M., Walrave, B., Podoynitsyna, K. S., Holmström, J., & Romme, A. G. L. (2018). Ecosystem Pie Model: methodological guidelines for the qualitative modeling of innovation ecosystems. Long Range Planning. Retrieved November, 8, 2022.
1
Hoffecker, E., Vogel, S., and Adomdza, G. K. (2021). Facilitating Innovation Ecosystem Strengthening: Lessons from the Next i2i Program. Cambridge: MIT D-Lab.
2
Miles, M. P., & Morrison, M. (2020). An effectual leadership perspective for developing rural entrepreneurial ecosystems. Small Business Economics, 54(4), 933-949.
3
Bankova, Y., & Tsvetanova, T. (2023). Rural areas’ development and competitiveness through innovation ecosystems. In SHS Web of Conferences (Vol. 176, p. 01005). EDP Sciences.
4
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This is the space to describe the service and explain how customers or clients can benefit from it. It’s an opportunity to add a short description that includes relevant details, like pricing, duration, location and how to book the service.
Item Title Two
Use this space to promote the business, its products or its services. Help people become familiar with the business and its offerings, creating a sense of connection and trust. Focus on what makes the business unique and how users can benefit from choosing it.
Item Title Three
Use this space to promote the business, its products or its services. Help people become familiar with the business and its offerings, creating a sense of connection and trust. Focus on what makes the business unique and how users can benefit from choosing it.
Item Title Three
Use this space to promote the business, its products or its services. Help people become familiar with the business and its offerings, creating a sense of connection and trust. Focus on what makes the business unique and how users can benefit from choosing it.
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Register for online learning
If you would like to learn more about building or nurturing a rural innovation ecosystem, register through our online learning platform. This is where we will upload relevant videos from our Thought Exchange event and any shared resources. Learning this way will bring together all of the information in a step-by-step process for individuals and teams. We will draw from the learning in the first seven sessions on innovation and academic literature. This process will continue to evolve as more people contribute to the knowledge and new trends emerge.