MedTech I.Q.

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Next Generation Social Networks: 3Helix in a Pioneering Network of Networks [Collaboration]

Colleagues,

Please see the third in a series of four posts from MedTech-IQ member Dr Leigh Jerome, as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF) study on "Next Generation Social Networks". Be sure to add your voice to the periodic surveys that accompany the study, and link to the 3Helix network, http://www.3helix.org/, for more information & networking opportunities.

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Next Generation Social Networks: 3Helix in a Pioneering Network of Networks
by Leigh Jerome
(third of a four-part series)


Link to Part 1: Next Generation Social Networking: Collaborative Innovation (first ...

Link to Part 2: Next Generation Social Networks: The promise of transformative coll...


As a global community we are plagued by intractable problems including disease, terrorism, poverty and illiteracy. Our conventional public and private bureaucracies are designed to solve stable problems for established constituencies through centrally managed programs and policies. These structures are not sufficient to address the messy problems we are facing today. By blending knowledge from multiple individuals and linking small networks and vertical silos, we can create integrated solutions that span diverse constituencies. Improving the knowledge base of developed and developing countries and making cross-sector linkages to apply new knowledge will stimulate innovation, contribute to greater intellectual capital, market creation, economic growth, job creation, wealth and a higher standard of living. This third article of four about next generation social networking will describe a National Science Foundation sponsored enterprise now underway with 3Helix to create global value chains of research and development.

Effective alliances between government, academia, and industry, or triple helix partnerships, show great promise for creating new value chains that can efficiently move science-based knowledge from discovery to commercialization. The importance of collaboration is widely accepted; however, knowledge has become increasing specialized and trapped in discipline and sector silos. The successful and quick transfer and application of academic discovery has demonstrable benefits for developing economies. Collaborative research endeavors offer hope for developing new scientific advances and solving critical problems fundamental to our maturing global community.

The development of innovative solutions to complex problems requires cross-cutting knowledge exchanges where elite scientists share their frames of reference and knowledge sets with other specialists outside of their respective fields. Social networking sites offer a robust and versatile platform for cross-cutting knowledge exchange with collaborative technology capabilities including messaging, wikis, blogs, profiles and continuous updates. Social networking platforms represent new opportunities to expand co-located innovation systems into global, distributed opportunities for innovation.

The Institute for Triple Helix Innovation (http://www.triplehelixinstitute.org) is a national non-profit resource for the discovery and evaluation of collaboration technologies, a champion for distributed cross-cutting organizational structures, and an arbiter of triple helix best practices. The Institute's mission is to accelerate the transfer of knowledge for innovation, profit and the social good. MedTechIQ is a Web 2.0 information network dedicated to academic "Pioneers", small business "Colonizers", established industry "Consolidators", and "Intermediaries" (funders, investors, strategic partners, policy-makers), and to their use of the 3C's of "Content, Community & Collaboration" in discovering up to date information, creating online communities, uncovering new collaborations and accelerating the translation of medical innovation from "Laboratory to Market".

The engineering of triple helix partnerships has coincided with the emergence of technological and scientific discovery that together promote a tighter coupling of information flows across customary boundaries The Institute for Triple Helix Innovation has been awarded a two-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to study innovation and virtual networks (Examining the Link between Informal Social Networks and Innovation: Using Netometrics to Quantify the Value of a Distributed Hetarchical Network). Data collection is underway now for this NSF enterprise. Your participation is strongly encouraged.

We have come up with a plan for linking together several networks to encourage knowledge exchange, bridge gaps and facilitate cross boundary collaboration. This is pioneering work to enable collaboration between people across traditional boundaries and offer tremendous opportunities for new innovation events. So, the plan is to first create a link between http://www.MedTechIQ.com and the Institute for Triple Helix Innovation's colleague network, www.3Helix.org. Thereafter, we will add other networks to the 'network of networks' every couple of weeks. At this point of development, our linkages will take the form of cross-network visibility on each of all affiliate networks' homepages. The affiliate networks currently planned for this initiative are: www.3Helix.org, www.MedTechIQ.com, www.abdeo.com, and www.larta.org The linking options will continue to evolve along with new software developments as they become available.

The current project aims to create the first true network of networks, where elite scientists and innovators across academia, government and industry are able to blend knowledge sets and accelerate the transfer of this knowledge for innovation, profit and the social good. From these opportunities, the development of a thick network can stretch beyond where co-location is possible and can create profound collaboration potential.

References

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Calestous, J. & Yee-Cheong, L. (2005). Innovation: Applying knowledge in development. UN Millennium Project Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation. http://www.unmillenniumpro ... ents/Science-complete.pdf

Dawes, S.S. and Eglene, O. (2004). New models of collaboration for delivering government services: A dynamic model drawn from multi-national research. Center for Technology in Governmen’, Online. Available HTTP: http://dgrc.org/dgo2004/disc/presentations/collaboration/dawes.pdf (accessed 30 December 2008).

Greve A and Salaff JW (2001). The development of corporate social capital in complex innovation processes. Research in the Sociology of Organizations 18, 107-134.

Seline, R. (2008). 21st century academic research enterprises: Linking know-what to national grand challenges and regional economies. New Economic Strategies, briefing paper 4.

Snyder WM and Briggs X de S (2003). Communities of practice: A new tool for managers. IBM Center for The Business of Government, Washington, DC. [WWW document] http://www.businessofgovernment.org (accessed 06 June 2008).

UK, Department of Trade and Industry (2003). Competing in the global economy: The innovation challenge. Available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file12093.pdf (accessed 13 May 2009).

Verburg, R.M. (2007). Guest Editorial: ‘The limits of virtual work.’ The Electronic Journal for Virtual Organizations and Networks, 9, Special issue: 1-8. Online. Available HTTP: http://www.ejov.org/projects/264/Issues/eJOV%20Special%20Issue%20.L... (accessed 30 December 2008).

Wessner C W (2002). Government-industry partnerships for development of new technologies. National Research Council, Board on Science, Technology and Economic Policy, National Academies Press, Washington, DC.


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