Earlier this year, in January to be exact, Gov. Deval Patrick called for the establishment of an industry-led framework for collaboration in the Massachusetts IT sector. As part of that direction, 18 leaders convened to facilitate the organizing process for this new initiative, which is currently called the Massachusetts IT Collaborative.
As an IBMer living in Massachusetts for the past eight years, it’s been fantastic collaborating with our colleagues from Verizon, 38 Studios, MIT, iRobot and others representing a true cross-section of vibrant segments of the IT sector from academia, industry, and government.
This Organizing Committee has been meeting regularly to discuss how best to develop a cross-sector collaborative suited to the digital economy with a focus on increasing the competitiveness of the digital sector in Massachusetts.
To date the conversation has revolved around creating an industry-led, collaborative, adaptive and self-sustaining framework to launch initiatives and projects that will enhance our prospects for economic growth and opportunity.
A second emergent theme is to better understand and appreciate that what we traditionally think of as the IT sector is undergoing a transformation. We need to collectively understand this renewal and reinvention, and extend that understanding to leaders through the public and private sector who shape policy and the allocation of resources.
I’m really looking forward to June 10, where we’ll bring together more than 100 people across Massachusetts to invigorate a dialogue which supports the continuing renewal of our legacy of innovation in the Commonwealth. We will use products of the conversations and break-out groups to develop and suggest how we can collaborate more effectively, how we can better communicate the strength and vitality of the sector, how we can identify new pathways venture formation and retention, job growth and economic prosperity.
The June 10 gathering provides an opportunity to engage in the collaborative process and join the conversation. As an IBMer, I’m thrilled to be a part of this project. And as a Massachusetts resident, I am honored to be part of the dialog.
This post was written by Mohamad Ali.
This entry was posted on Friday, June 5th, 2009 at 7:54 am and is filed under Blog, Innovate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
