On Monday, December 7, the Innovation and Technology sector was invited to engage in dialogue with Governor Deval Patrick around the future of the sector in Massachusetts and the role of the region as a technology hub.

· The whole event was streamed live to a web audience and allowed interactive questions during the event Q&A sessions.  Please click on this link to view the full video archive of the event here, and share this link with your community: http://tiny.cc/JDws1

· You can also find shared photo assets here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/matechhub/

The broader community was invited to share in the release of the findings from the University of Massachusetts’ Donahue Institute’s study, The IT Industry: Hub of the Massachusetts Technology Economy.

· Key findings reinforce Massachusetts role as a tech hub. In 2008, the IT industry pumped $65 billion into the state economy, 18 percent of state GDP. It is the state’s second largest sector (behind healthcare), and the industry leverages highly educated and well-trained workers; its firms are entrepreneurial and highly competitive; and it plays a central, catalytic role in the Massachusetts innovation economy.

· Massachusetts is a global leader in IT and digital innovation. Emerging sectors in robotics, digital media, digital gaming and mobile communications are transforming established markets, opening new business opportunities in arenas enabled by digital technology, such as cloud computing.

· Massachusetts is a magnet for investment in IT and digital technologies. Venture capital investment in the Massachusetts IT industry ranks second only to California, and Massachusetts draws the most IT grant dollars per IT worker in the nation. It far outpaces California on a per-IT worker basis in several major federal funding sources – including the Department of Defense, National Institutes for Health, and the National Science Foundation.

· Massachusetts is a highly competitive IT business location. It as one of the best regions in the world for opportunities for innovation and growth in a 2009 survey of IT businesses. Compared to California, it ranked high as an ideal business location, in categories including: access to world class research partners, presence of strong school systems, ease of commuting, access to cultural amenities and cost of housing

· The study reinforces the dynamic culture and framework for IT industry collaboration which now exists in Massachusetts. The study was commissioned by a consortium of corporate, industry association and government leaders including Verizon, Cisco Systems, AT&T, Comcast, EMC, IBM, the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, the Massachusetts Network Communications Council, the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, Microsoft, TechAmerica, and MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute. The strong support and leadership of Gov. Deval Patrick and his economic development team have been a critical factor.

Please download a copy of the full report here: http://bit.ly/7ZkioS

The release of the key findings was followed by a roundtable discussion with Secretary Gregory Bialecki; Harvard Medical School & Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center CIO John Halamka; EMC Corporation CTO Jeff Nick; iRobot CEO & Co-Founder Colin Angle; BzzAgent CEO Dave Balter; and Google Ventures Managing Partner Rich Miner about transformative trends in digital technology and their implications for growth and development of the Massachusetts knowledge economy.

Tweet!

During the event, we were tweeting from @innovateMAtech and using #tag: #MAtechhub. There was great participation during the proceedings, so we would like to invite you back for another tweetup to continue the conversation.

The event sparked questions and comments like:

· @CreateMA: @massgovernor We need to brag better - we need to tell our Tech success stories better. #MATechHub

· @eDougBanks: You can’t brand yourself until you know what you are. The Mass. tech community got to know itself better today. #MAtechhub

· @CommunispaceCEO: @colinangle asks “How do we make MA a cooler place to work?” #matechhub

· @CreateMA: “Fundamental shift in innovation at scale - time for inno is compressed - worldwide inno is exploding - make an inno network” #matechhub

· @eDougBanks: The Mass. “tech identity crisis” conversation keeps going to branding b/c tech here is still stuck in silos. #matechhub

We would like to open up these great insights for further discussion. Share your thoughts and please join us and special guests (TBD) on Twitter #MAtechhub on Thursday 17 Dec at 3pm – 4pm to continue discussing the future of the sector and explore the great thoughts raised during Mondays event.

Together, we can embrace the challenge of ensuring Massachusetts’ continued leadership and its premier place as a tech hub.

Mass Tech Hub Tweet-up: 17 Dec 3-4pm #MAtechhub (Special Guests to be announced!)