Mayor Bowser Announces $5 Million Investment to Catalyze Innovation Districts

(Washington, DC) This week, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Workplace of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Financial Improvement (DMPED) made a $5 million funding to assist the event of two innovation districts – the Penn West Fairness and Innovation District (“Penn West”) led by the Golden Triangle BID in partnership with George Washington College and the Mobility Innovation District (MID) led by the Southwest BID. An innovation district is an space the place current economies and infrastructure are leveraged to spur new concepts for development, growth, and inclusive prosperity. 

“We already know that Washington, DC is dwelling to a number of the brightest minds and most passionate change-makers on the planet. Now, as we make our comeback, we’re how we herald contemporary concepts and make our prosperity extra inclusive,” mentioned Mayor Bowser. “These innovation districts will guarantee DC stays town of alternative for employers, innovators, and anybody who’s thinking about launching huge concepts to construct a extra equitable and sustainable future.” 

Positioned alongside Pennsylvania Avenue, west of the White Home, inside one of many area’s densest job facilities, Penn West is targeted on 4 sectors that have already got a robust presence inside the innovation district: well being, authorities, schooling, and finance. Along with the USA federal authorities companies and the White Home, the innovation district will leverage the distinctive presence of close by worldwide growth organizations, such because the World Financial institution, Worldwide Financial Fund, Worldwide Finance Company, and the European Union Delegation to the USA. The imaginative and prescient is for Penn West to turn out to be the world’s vacation spot for uniting digital expertise with public coverage, fairness, and social impression. A $2 million grant to the Golden Triangle BID will assist the event of Penn West. 

“This partnership with Mayor Bowser’s administration and the George Washington College will catalyze the Penn West Fairness and Innovation District,” mentioned Leona Agouridis, Government Director of the Golden Triangle BID. “With our distinctive location simply west of the White Home, we’re bringing collectively a longtime enterprise group, a world class college, worldwide organizations, and the federal authorities. By harnessing the ability of startups, accelerators, giant corporations, and researchers, we are going to create an ecosystem that grows DC’s tech sector, fosters fairness and inclusion, and cultivates technological options that can change the world.”  

DMPED can be partnering with the Southwest BID to create DC’s first-ever Mobility Innovation District (MID). The MID will enhance equitable entry for residents and guests in Southwest and create a worldwide innovation hub to indicate how mobility innovation could make a metropolis extra equitable, sustainable, secure, and affluent. Drawing on Southwest’s distinctive belongings—established neighborhoods, new large-scale mixed-used developments, regional points of interest, and proximity to the Nationwide Mall—the MID will entice mobility corporations that deliver new expertise to market and create jobs in DC, and it’ll have interaction the Southwest group to enhance neighborhood entry and high quality of life.  

For instance, the MID will implement a driver-operated shuttle that can serve Southwest and enhance entry inside the neighborhood to Metro, together with for SW residents, staff, and guests, in addition to an Autonomous Car (AV) shuttle.  A pilot program – “Mobility Pockets” – will present a stipend to a gaggle of residents to share information on their transportation patterns. Outcomes will inform additional growth of the shuttle and complementary transit service. A $3 million grant to the Southwest BID will assist the event of the MID. 

“The Mobility Innovation District isn’t nearly progressive modes of transportation,” mentioned Steve Moore, government director of the Southwest BID. “It is about reworking the neighborhood economic system and enhancing the expertise of entering into and round Southwest for our neighbors. We’re unleashing the following wave of innovation and entrepreneurship and linking fairness with sustainability to empower the local people. Via this partnership with Mayor Bower’s administration, we’re elevating DC as the worldwide chief on this motion.” 

The District of Columbia was not too long ago ranked because the world’s prime hub for entrepreneurial expertise by the International Cities Expertise Competitiveness Index (GCTCI) on account of its means to draw and nurture entrepreneurs in a strongly linked, world metropolis. 

“DC has a number of the world’s most progressive universities, analysis facilities, and firms,” mentioned Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio. “The creation of the innovation district will permit us to leverage the distinctive strengths town already has and entice high-growth industries that can present new alternatives to our communities.” 

Deputy Mayor Falcicchio introduced the Penn West Fairness and Innovation District on the Massive Concept CONNECTpreneur Discussion board, the place he highlighted the District of Columbia’s efforts in catalyzing innovation within the DC. The Bowser Administration additionally not too long ago introduced the Serving to Our Folks Endure (HOPE) initiative, a $92 million initiative to catalyze well being innovation within the life sciences and deal with well being disparities within the District of Columbia in partnership with 4 establishments: George Washington College, Kids’s Nationwide, Nationwide Heart for Well being Disparities at Howard College, and Whitman-Walker. The District will apply to the US Division of Treasury for funding to advance HOPE within the coming weeks.  

All alternatives for entrepreneurs trying to develop their enterprise in DC could be discovered at clearly.dc.gov.   

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