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INTEC (Inland Northwest Technology Education Center) helps define economic prosperity

There are three key words that seem to be surfacing a great deal these days in Spokane. They are technology, innovation and collaboration.

Taken individually they are important, but taken collectively they begin to redefine the economy and image of Spokane and our region.

Randy Long
Special to The Spokesman-Review

More importantly, they can bring about opportunities for economic prosperity.

Interestingly, these are three of the main words upon which INTEC (Inland Northwest Technology Education Center) http://www.intec-center.org/ was conceived and founded.

INTEC has a fundamental mission to focus on high-tech work force development through collaboration, and always with an eye toward innovation.

Even the dictionary finds it difficult to define the word "technology" concisely and in universally understood terms; quite frankly, it means different things to different people.

# For Spokane, let’s define it as the critical technology economic drivers for our region, namely: Information Technology (hardware and software)

# Telecommunications (wireless, broadband and network infrastructure)

# Biotechnology (including health-care related activities)

# Energy Technology (optimization, reliability, infrastructure and security)

These sectors provide the broadest opportunities for economic growth and success in the technology arena for our region.

"Innovation" is handled a bit more easily by Webster. It is simply the "act of introducing something new." When you couple the first two words, technology and innovation, a more complete picture of an innovation economy begins to emerge.

In Spokane, we are supporting innovation through the nurturing of existing technologies and the development of emerging technologies. Emerging technology happens through research initiatives, the traditional attraction or recruitment of leading edge technology companies, entrepreneurial activities, and by technology transfer. Technology transfer is simply the act of taking promising research and developing it to a commercially viable stage.

The first two words begin to define where we are going but the third, and I think the most important word, "collaboration," is how we are going to get there.

Collaboration means to work together, especially on work of an intellectual nature. Even if you have opportunities in the areas of technology and innovation, it is an uphill battle without the right people and organizations working together, in a positive way, to make it happen.

At the very least a noncollaborative approach takes a great deal more time. There are those who think that technology is already dead or at least dying in Spokane. Fortunately, we have a large collaboration of people and organizations who firmly believe otherwise.

In spite of the current economy and business climate, there are some very real opportunities available to grow our innovation economy; it just requires a concerted effort, some creativity, and most importantly, people working together toward a shared vision.

INTEC is a living example of the power of collaboration in Spokane. In our first 18 months of existence we have:

•Partnered with Washington State University, the Regional Chamber of Commerce and with Inland Northwest Health Services on a biotechnology cluster Study.

•Partnered with the Community Colleges of Spokane on a bioprocess technician training program.

•Partnered with Gonzaga University and private sector companies to develop an energy technology education project.

•Partnered with K-12 on numerous projects to benefit our students

•Partnered with SIRTI and the EDC on an innovation plan.

•Partnered with Technet and SIRTI on entrepreneurial education.

•Partnered to bring in more than $2 million in grant dollars.

These as well as numerous other programs and projects were possible because many different groups and individuals came together to pursue a shared vision. That vision is one of Spokane as an emerging innovation economy that can provide economic opportunities for current workers and their children.

As anxious as we all are to see things happen, especially well paying jobs, building an innovation economy is neither easy nor fast. The reality is that progress is being made through sometimes small, but very steady, steps.

Our community should celebrate its many successes in this area, but keep focused on the work ahead. At the LaunchPad event on Nov. 8, a collaboration of technology organizations and other interested parties will unveil a blueprint for technology success in our region.

I hope you will join with us to hear about this exciting plan and that you will become a part of the collaboration in this important vision for our community.

Ideally, the next word that will be surfacing around the area will be "consensus."

We will be taking collaboration, and our region, to an entirely new level.

Randy Long is chief executive officer of Inland Northwest Technology Education Center.

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