Articles

Here is a good article on how Madison, Wisconsin is concentrating development downtown and providing the foundation for the growth of an IT cluster. The article highlights the importance of an urban research university in developing new clusters. Companies locate close to university campuses in order to connect a brainpower.

Technology stalwarts Google and Microsoft will open offices in the downtown area, primarily to tap into computing talent at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Google's engineering office will focus on hardware and software systems design, and the Microsoft's advanced development lab will concentrate on database research.

Read more.

Baltimore County has moved ahead with a focus on computer gaming as a growth industry.

This Sunday's newspaper carries three articles which provide you an overview of how this new cluster is starting to develop.

• In the ever-expanding video-game industry, Baltimore County is the place to be
• Gaming industry appears to be recession-proof
• Where being a nerd is cool
  

Oregon's governor is focusing on green jobs and sustainability. He sees green technology or clean technology as a useful organizing principle for the state's strategy.

Under this umbrella, the governor is including on a wide range of targets including green building, solar power, electric cars, and clean technology entrepreneurs. You can read more about his strategic thinking from this article.

According to a recent press release, Ohio is moving ahead with a new network to provide training in polymers. The network will support the state's 2,800 polymer firms. Read more.

These types of networks are increasingly important for supporting competitive companies. But the idea is not new. Here's an example of a polymer training network operating in Ireland.

Three years ago, the UK set up a simlar network. Learn more.

The Piedmont Triad Partnership probably does the best job of any WIRED region in getting its story out across the wires.

A couple of weeks ago, the Piedmont Triad Partnership announced that it had contracted with the Automation Federation to manage its advanced manufacturing cluster. Here's a brief story on the announcement. Note that it appears in a UK publication, Manufacturing Talk.

The lesson: even small announcements can carry ripples.

The governor of Kansas has put together the Kansas Innovation Consortium, a group of high level business executives designed to promote key clusters in the state. From the state press release. 

Executive Order 08-02 brings together key industry clusters within the Kansas economy. These industries, animal, plant, and life sciences, health, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, and energy, show exciting possibilities for future economic growth. The Kansas Innovation Consortium will work to attract new investments in research and development within these industries as well as ensure a prepared workforce.

You can read more here .