Advancing Pennsylvania’s Entrepreneurial and Innovation Economy
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
The Department of Community and Economic Development is focused on growing the economy of Pennsylvania. The Department recognized a need for external resources to support their work.
The Department is working to restore funding to programs that support entrepreneurship and innovation-based economic development but lacks political support to do so. Existing assets include a legacy of solid programs, such as the statewide Ben Franklin Network.
PA DCED engaged Fourth Economy to produce wide-ranging benchmark data to illustrate where the state is positioned relative to other states in its innovation and entrepreneurial activity. The findings demonstrated that the state has been losing ground over the past decade, coinciding with significant budget cuts.
Our Approach
Fourth Economy conducted an initial data analysis and then held two convenings with over 50 entrepreneurial and innovation-focused stakeholders. These Build Sessions were designed to create actionable strategies to reestablish a commitment to Pennsylvania’s innovation and entrepreneurial economy and improve the state’s competitive position.
The Results
The final report was released by Governor Wolf in January 2020 in conjunction with his announcement of a $14.3M proposal to begin implementation of the PA Innovation Plan, which addresses identified recommendations in the report.
Location
Pennsylvania