EAGER: Exploring Place-Based Innovation for Sustainable Economic Growth and Community Well-Being: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Traditional economic development metrics such as short-term job growth may fail to capture the true impact of innovation ecosystem-building programs when it comes to reversing the longstanding trends of decline and promoting sustainable long-run economic development and community well-being. This research project aims to identify early indicators of success in building rural tech ecosystems that foster sustainable long-run economic growth that benefits communities. This study will use a mixed-methods approach, integrating both quantitative and qualitative research techniques, to investigate potential leading indicators of success in building rural innovation ecosystems that promote long-run community economic development and well-being. The study will involve three key activities: 1) designing and conducting a survey of communities in various stages of building rural innovation ecosystems to assess changes in knowledge, perceptions, skills, and actions necessary for the growth of rural tech ecosystems; 2) analyzing the effects of place-based innovation ecosystem building on various data-driven leading indicators such as tech job creation, venture capital investment, tech startups, and broader measures of community well-being; and 3) conducting qualitative case studies of rural communities that exhibit exceptional innovation ecosystem development, statistical outliers identified in the quantitative analysis. By identifying leading indicators of success for communities, economic development practitioners and stakeholders in rural areas may better align their strategies in building up rural innovation ecosystems toward successful and sustained community-centered economic development. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.