Benefits of Joining the Network
Benefits of Joining the Network
Innovation centers that join the network benefit in many ways, including by:
- Enhancing their resources and services on sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation;
- Increasing access to experts in entrepreneurship and sustainable development at innovation centers to facilitate exchange of best practices that will support innovation center operations and its users (including youth and community);
- Providing increased opportunity for staff, students and the user community to participate in international exchanges;
- Leveraging efforts to access funding and opportunities for collaboration; and
- Gaining visibility and demonstrating leadership in sustainability and innovation and promoting user (community and youth) innovation projects across North America.
Network Resources
The EcoInnovation Network is established to provide the following services:
Access to resources provides members with capacity-building tools to enhance sustainability education on business and innovation for their users.
- Curriculum: Materials and training to educate and equip staff and users (including youth and communities) with the information and tools needed to successfully launch and grow a business aligned with sustainable development goals.
- Contact database: A database of formed relationships for potential resource partnerships related to manufacturing and funding.
Relationship-based services support the building of relationships among innovation centers and their users and with the sustainable business community, industry and government. Relationship-building services include:
- Events: Recurring events, including workshops, panels, and speaker series, offered in-person and online, provides valuable information to membership as well as help to facilitate the connection between members.
- Project-sharing: Members collaborate on mutually beneficial projects and share case studies.
Advancement initiatives improve the network’s public visibility and knowledge-base by producing quarterly or annual reports on best practices and offering an annual innovation challenge, like the CEC’s North American Youth Innovation Challenge (YIC). Advancement initiatives include:
- Reports and knowledge transfer: Regular publications to share best practices as it relates to innovation and entrepreneurship for sustainable development, including reporting metrics, member and network highlights, industry trends, and available resources.
- Conferences and competitions: Annual or biannual program to promote green growth initiatives and to provide opportunities for networking and engagement related to green advancement. This could take place in conjunction with complementary network events.
