Regional News: Southern Oregon’s Own Innovation Hub

You may have heard about a recent initiative to create a Regional Innovation Hub plan. This is in fact true and after about a year of ongoing work, a business plan for the Southern Oregon’s Regional Innovation Hub is available to peruse here.

The effort was made possible through a Business Oregon grant to SOREDI, who served as the fiscal agent for this project. Several other regions in the state also received planning grants and are now in the midst of submitting grant applications for implementations of their plans.

Consultant, Civic* Possible was hired to lead the effort and after about ten months of community engagement and interface with nearly 80 community members, including surveys, interviews, and codesign workshops, the planning process was completed.  This process was overseen by a committed group of 14 individuals representing businesses, entrepreneur support organizations (ESO’s), and higher education, referred to in the plan as the “Hub Group.”

An informal steering committee of five, nominated by the larger Hub Group, is working now on the initial steps of implementation, which include formalizing partnerships, applying for round two funding from Business Oregon, and handling other details that arise which includes writing a job description for a potential “Ecosystem Steward” and determining which entrepreneurial support organization (ESO) may be best suited to employ this person going forward.

If you have questions or would like to be involved further in this effort, please reach out to any member of the steering committee, as follows:
Abigail Schilling
Colleen Padilla 
Jim Teece 
Marshall Doak
Taneea Browning 

This effort to create a Regional Innovation Hub directly connects to multiple tactics within the Innovation and Entrepreneurship initiative within the region’s 2020-2025 One Rogue Valley Strategy, to leverage regional assets to strengthen the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Southern Oregon.