Innovation
Today’s economy is powered by innovation. From the latest in clean tech to that new small business down the block, innovators develop new ideas, create jobs, and help regional economies grow. These investments will strengthen key drivers of the area economy in order to produce more competitive sectors, a stronger entrepreneurial culture, and a greater number of quality jobs.
READY-TO-GO
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Sustainable Mobility Hub ($36.5M)
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National Security Innovation Ecosystem ($161M)
LAST MILE
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Enterprise District
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Downtown Satellite Campuses
EXPLORATORY
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Sustainable Logistics Center of Excellence
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Annual Climate Readiness Summit
Innovation: Sustainable Mobility Hub
READY-TO-GO
Located in the heart of downtown, this hub will serve as a central location for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in the sustainable movement of people and goods, with ample space for meetings, workshops, and public events. CSUSB and UCR researchers, visiting scholars, private-sector leaders, public-sector actors, and local communities will come together to understand the current state of regional mobility and supply chain systems and develop a new vision for sustainable mobility that is grounded in a community-based perspective. It will house a leadership training program for business, government, and community-based organization stakeholders interested in sustainable practices. It will also encourage technology commercialization and company formation with help from the nearby Entrepreneurial Resource Center and will connect early-stage firms with opportunities to test and implement solutions that benefit area residents.
OBJECTIVES
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Establish the Inland Empire as a leader in sustainable mobility solutions
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Conduct community-informed research in order to advance clean tech, sustainable growth, and job quality in logistics
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Improve quality of life and health outcomes for area residents by implementing sustainable logistics and transportation
COST
Total: $36.5M
over five years
Innovation: National Security Innovation Ecosystem
READY-TO-GO
The NSF Regional Innovation Engines Project will build a coalition of academic institutions, nonprofits, companies, government entities and others intent on creating a model regional innovation ecosystem. Led by the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) and School of Entrepreneurship (SoE) at CSUSB, this effort will galvanize user-inspired research, technology translation and workforce development throughout the Inland Empire. Commercialization of national security innovations will be a central focus of this project. The innovation ecosystem will identify new ways to connect these innovations with a risk-taking entrepreneurial culture in order to drive user-inspired R&D and increase the translation of innovation to practice, which will in turn strengthen the regional economy.
OBJECTIVES
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Develop an effective ecosystem to support regional innovation economic development
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Commercialize technology innovations and support entrepreneurship
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Build a platform for regional innovation
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Ensure underrepresented inventors and founders have equal access to defense-related innovation, intellectual property, commercialization support, and funding
COST
Total: $161M
over 12 years
Innovation: Enterprise District
LAST MILE
An Enterprise District along the E Street Corridor will re-establish downtown San Bernardino as a landmark destination in the Inland Empire. Building on the heroic revitalization efforts underway at the historic Enterprise Building (320 North E St), the District will bring new life to this once-vibrant commercial corridor. Thoughtful rehabilitation of the iconic Enterprise, Harris, Heritage, and Woolworth Buildings will provide ample transit-accessible space for a number of Playbook projects. When combined with space for private-sector firms, this concentration of economy-shaping assets will boost innovation activity and encourage entrepreneurship, small business growth, and job creation in and around the downtown core. With close proximity to the San Bernardino Transit Center and sbX bus lines as well as the Downtown Arts Corridor, Carousel Mall redevelopment, and Heart of Mobility project, the Enterprise District will provide an ideal environment for workforce housing and local-serving businesses of all kinds, including restaurants, bars, coffeeshops, and boutiques.
A delivery team composed of decisionmakers from the Enterprise Building, the City of San Bernardino, CSUSB, Uplift SB, and other relevant stakeholders will identify specific project elements, seek out subject matter experts, develop cost estimates, and devise a roadmap for securing funds and phased implementation.
OBJECTIVES
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Cultivate a vibrant, amenity-filled downtown that encourages innovation, entrepreneurship, and small business growth
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Reestablish E Street as a dynamic commercial corridor and popular Inland Empire destination
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Boost activity in downtown San Bernardino during and outside workday hours
COST
To be determined
Innovation: Downtown Satellite Campuses
LAST MILE
The high level of transit accessibility in Downtown San Bernardino makes it an ideal location for satellite branches of regional academic institutions. Whether independently or as part of a larger shared facility, California State University San Bernardino; California Baptist University; San Bernardino Community College District; and the University of California, Riverside will establish a physical presence in the downtown core in order to expand access to higher education and pathways into quality jobs.
A delivery team composed of representatives from regional academic institutions and City staff will develop cost estimates and devise a roadmap for securing funding and phased implementation.
OBJECTIVES
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Expand access to training, services, and resources provided by area academic institutions
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Establish a physical presence for regional academic institutions in downtown San Bernardino
COST
To be determined
EXPLORATORY
Innovation: Sustainable Logistics Center of Excellence
A California Sustainable Logistics Center of Excellence in downtown San Bernardino will accelerate multidisciplinary, cross-sector innovation in order to address pressing challenges facing the logistics sector, including decarbonization and climate adaptation, skilled workforce development, and economic competitiveness and resilience. This 20,000-square-foot facility will bring together key stakeholders from industry, academia, and government in order to establish the Inland Empire as a global exemplar of next-generation sustainable logistics. Special emphasis will be placed on building capacity to deliver educational programs and experiential learning opportunities to students from high school to PhD.
The Center will provide access to facilities where academic and industry partners can conduct demonstration projects on innovative new technologies. Partners will be able to use onsite facilities as well as a network of testbeds and specialized equipment located throughout the region. UCR’s Entrepreneurial Proof of Concept and Innovation Center (EPIC) and CSUSB’s Entrepreneurial Resource Center (ERC) will help technology startups access specialized mentorship and seed capital for proof-of-concept demonstrations.
It will also support the formation of employer-led workforce development partnerships as well as collaborations among logistics companies on workforce development, decarbonization, and hyperconnected logistics models powered by multiparty networks and open synchromodal technologies.
A delivery team of key stakeholders will work together to identify project components, develop cost estimates, and devise a roadmap for securing funding and phased implementation.
OBJECTIVES
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Establish the Inland Empire as a global leader in sustainable logistics and supply chain innovation
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Expedite decarbonization at scale in the logistics sector
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Increase collaboration among industry employers, higher education, and other relevant stakeholders
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Strengthen career pathways into quality jobs within the sustainable logistics sector
COST
To be determined
EXPLORATORY
Innovation: Annual Climate Readiness Summit
The City of San Bernardino and Inland Economic Growth and Opportunity (IEGO) in conjunction with the California Air Resource Board (CARB), California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB), and University of California Riverside (UCR), will host an Annual Climate Readiness Summit for those working to end reliance on carbon-based fuels throughout the world. Each year, industry leaders in logistics, transportation, manufacturing, and materials science; subject matter experts; K-16 education and workforce development; state and local government; Tribal representatives; community-based organizations; private-sector investors; and philanthropies will convene to set broad aspirational goals and priorities, share solutions and lessons learned, and identify next steps. This destination event will attract global thought leaders and key actors in the fight for carbon zero.
IEGO and the Climate Solutions Team will serve as a delivery team for this annual event. They will design the program, identify speakers and workshop facilitators, develop cost estimates, secure funding, and oversee event production.
OBJECTIVES
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Position San Bernardino in the vanguard of climate action
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Provide a venue for sharing novel climate solutions and lessons learned
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Build community and encourage collaboration among those involved in the rapid decarbonization effort
COST
To be determined