We’ve seen some growth in local ‘hackerspaces’ and labs — and there have been some interesting proposals to make these more available (such as including them in libraries). Rob Carlson is taking this even further with suggestions to encourage “Garage Biotech” in his proposal, ”Fostering Economic and Physical Security Through Public-Private Partnerships and a National Network of Community Labs” (PDF).
“In short, I proposed that the U.S. government facilitate the founding and operation of community biotech labs as a means to improve the pace of innovation and reduce the attendant level of risk.”
(Full post at: http://www.synthesis.cc/2011/12/the-national-bioeconomy-blueprint.html)
In his proposal, he applies data from recent Kauffmann Foundation studies on innovation and job growth to Biotech:
Start-ups and small organizations are at the heart of both innovation and job creation in the United States. A recent re-analysis of Census Bureau data published by the Kauffman Foundation determined that 100% of net job creation in the United States is due to start-up companies. Companies in their first year of business create an average of 5.7 jobs, for a total of 3 million new jobs per year nationwide, while “all other ages of firms are net job destroyers.”
Small firms are also responsible for an impressive array of innovations now driving the U.S. economy. Table 1 includes a list—literally A to Z—of important innovations provided by small firms during the 20th century. Mature products based on these technologies are unlikely to be mass-produced in garages, but garage innovation played a critical role during their development.
(More at: http://www.synthesis.cc/library/Building_a_21st_Century_Bioeconomy.pdf)
The idea that these kinds of spaces (can) have a significant role in encouraging innovation feels pretty engrained here at NMTC, hance our support for The Hive, Quelab and the Santa Fe Complex and their activities. But… it feels like we should say more on why.
For me, the biggest unique value I see is in the opportunity to bring different kinds of talented people together in a semi-public space for the making or doing of something. While we like to help serendipity along with a variety of networking events, actual collaboration really builds the kinds of connections that can build friendships, companies and sometimes both. Lowering the threshold for those kinds of interactions – and having cool gear – helps make innovation a little more likely.
To a fair extent, that’s why we also support events like the NM and Global Game Jams (coming soon!), Mobile Apps Challenges and BarCampABQ. We’ve met great people and seen some great results at each. While it may seem that each of these places and events is for ‘people who do that sort of thing’ we often find that it’s with the involvement of new people with talents outside these circles that real innovation occurs.
One of the things I reflect on at the Complex is how much diversity it takes to build up a creative community. In a bigger city, you might be able to open a lab and populate it with people who self-identify with belonging in such an environment. In Santa Fe, we have found that we need to make efforts to invite everyone in — not just the technical workers, but a great variety of other potential partners, customers, teacher, supporters, and just moms and dads of future innovators. Santa Fe of course has a great wealth of interesting people, but there is still that last big step of letting them see how they can contribute to our current and future tech/innovation economy.
Indeed, As a part of the founding team at Quelab, (an Albuquerque Makerspace/Hackerspace) this is very much close to my heart!
Over the last 18 months ive been living the dream of getting people together to learn/explore/invent/teach each other all the neat things that so many people just don’t know or understand. It feels to me like im part of the whole that will help build the future.
I have friends that are involved in Makerspaces across the globe. And making new ones all the time, there is a great biotech hackerspace in SF called BioCurious, that is working very much on the idea that you don’t need $$$$$$ to do cutting edge biotech research. The whole openhardware/software movements are just getting started and may very much be as big for innovation as patents were(sadly they have stopped being about keeping secrets from getting locked up forever), sadly now days patents are more about keeping things locked up until they are so out dated nobody could use them. Or stifling innovation due to fear of lawsuits. But I digress.
The thing that most recently caught my eye is China is looking at financing up to 100 hackerspaces, this is amazing news, and really makes me hope some philanthropists may be interested in closing the China/USA hackerspace gaps!
Quelab has been open since July 2010, and we have only barely been able to dip our toe into what we would ultimately like to be doing, a lot of this has been due to a lack of available members, and the lack of capitol (to be honest as many small startups we spend a lot of our time/energy on trying to make sure we can keep the doors open and the lights on. But as we grow it becomes more and more possible. We just got our status as a NM Nonprofit, and have Fiscal sponsorship so we can look into grants and funding which would really help. If anyone knows anyone who would be willing to be a volunteer grant writer that is a piece of the puzzle we are still missing.
If anyone is interested in helping us out, has questions or is just interested in participating, look us up!
And don’t forget the emerging role of virtual and pop-up labs, organized around particular projects, challenges, or opportunities. At the Santa Fe Innovation Park, we say: “The City is the Park.” And we mean it.
While a cool and interesting place is good, the sense that the lab is defined by the team (as in, “the City is the Park”) is also important. Especially in NM where we’re a little more spatially challenged