Empowering Innovation: MI2 CEO Shares Insights with MIT REAP Partners

MI2 CEO Vijay Kamineni recently had the opportunity to present MI2’s work on a national (virtual) stage, as our partners at the MIT Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program (MIT REAP) invited Kamineni as a panelist to share MI2’s story on a panel focused on “Innovation Partnerships.”

[Image: REAP photos]

The virtual session was conducted for teams across the country currently taking part in the development award program for the U.S. National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines program. These multi-organizational teams come from regions throughout the U.S. and are utilizing the MIT REAP framework to consider effective ways to strengthen innovation ecosystems in their area around their research and economic development focus area.

[Image: REAP screenshot]

Kamineni talked with the panel about Kentucky’s participation in the MIT REAP program, the formation of AccelerateKY to continue that work, and the story of how the Metals Innovation Initiative was forged.

He also had a chance to share a broad overview of MI2’s mission, strategic focus areas, and initiatives, as well as highlight collaborations in our first 17 months, such as our Kentucky Metals Industry Guide produced in partnership with the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

Overall, the webinar served as a platform for sharing invaluable insights, models, and processes gleaned from developing something in practice that illustrates immediate value and significant potential for implementing the cross-stakeholder MIT REAP model in a particular place and around a particular comparative advantage industry.

[Image: REAP 2]

Kamineni joined alongside Harvard Business School’s Christian Ketels and Creative Destruction Lab's John Risley to talk about successes and lessons learned in building effective innovation partnerships, in a conversation moderated by MIT’s Dr. Phil Budden.

We really appreciate Dr. Budden and the MIT REAP team extending this opportunity to demonstrate what we have learned in our first 17 months.

Kentucky and Tennessee have partnered on an initiative that has received a development award from the NSF, called GAME Change, an initiative in which MI2 is involved. Also, MI2 partner AccelerateKY will be working with The Engine Accelerator on its new NSF Engines Builder Platform.