Believe In Ohio - A Program Of The Ohio Academy Of Science - 1500 West Third Avenue - Suite 227 - Columbus, Ohio 43212 - 614.914.5095
Email: BelieveInOhio@ohiosci.org - Facebook: www.facebook.com/BelieveInOhio - Twitter: https://twitter.com/weBelieveInOhio/
Copyright 2013-2014
It's Time to Believe in Ohio Again
An Introduction to the Innovation Economy of Ohio
During the latter part of the 19th Century and continuing into the 1960's, Ohio was one of the most innovative and entrepreneurial states in the country. Beginning in the 1960's and 1970's, however, Ohio lost tens of thousands of jobs annually with few new industries and jobs created to replace them. In 2002, Ohio decided to do something about the problem and created the “Ohio Third Frontier”, a $2.1 billion program to revitalize our state. Today, after years of hard work the many programs of the Ohio Third Frontier have collectively begun to come to fruition and have been the catalyst for the creation of Ohio's Innovation Economy of the Future. It's time to Believe in Ohio again. Help us spread the word!
There are now dozens of venture development organizations, incubators, and accelerators in Ohio to help Ohioans pursue their ideas and dreams. Many of the leading STEM research and development programs in the world are right here in Ohio. Virtually every major Ohio college and university now has a significant entrepreneurship program to help students pursue their dreams. Today, Ohio has one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in the nation. It's time for you to find out more.
Over the last two years, the Believe in Ohio program has traveled to every corner of the state to video the innovators, entrepreneurs and STEM researchers and practitioners who are creating Ohio's innovation economy of the future. In the process of shooting nearly 150 videos, Believe in Ohio talked with more than 275 men and women of all ages, races and backgrounds who collectively told the story about Ohio's Innovation Economy of the Future. Click on any of the links below to find out more.
Select a Region to Explore The Innovation Economy of Ohio
During the latter part of the 19th Century and continuing into the 1960's, Ohio was one of the fastest growing states in the nation. During that same timeframe, Ohio was also one of the most innovative, entrepreneurial states in the country with such giants as John D. Rockefeller, Charles Brush, Harvey Firestone, Benjamin Goodrich, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers, Charles Kettering, John Patterson, William Proctor and James Gamble creating whole new industries that brought jobs and prosperity to Ohioans. However, beginning in the 1960's and 1970's our state entered a period of decline as tens of thousands of jobs were lost annually with few new industries and jobs developed to replace jobs lost.
By the 1980's and 1990's Ohio was being referred to as part of the “Rust Belt” with words such as growth and prosperity being replaced by words like economic decline and brain drain. Indeed, many of Ohio's youth ceased to “Believe in Ohio” and chose to leave our state to create their futures elsewhere.
In 2002, the State of Ohio decided to do something about its problems, and with bi-partisan support created the “Ohio Third Frontier” which is an unprecedented $2.1 billion program to revitalize our state. Although little known to Ohio's citizens and students, as a result of the Third Frontier, literally dozens of programs have since been created to help develop the new technology-based products, companies, industries and jobs of the future. Today, after a dozen years of hard work and investment, collectively these programs have begun to come to fruition and create Ohio's Innovation Economy of the Future. Today, Ohio has one of the most vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems in the country and is once again a great place for its citizens and students to create their future.
One of the most significant of the Ohio Third Frontiers programs has been its “Entrepreneurial Signature Program” that divided the state into six regions, each with a lead venture development organization established to be a catalyst for regional economic growth and entrepreneurship. Click on each organization's logo at the right to learn more:
The Ohio Third Frontier – The Story About Ohio's Return to Entrepreneurial Prominence
Headline Topics
Explore Some of Ohio's Many Entrepreneurial STEM R&D and Commercialization Initiatives
Ohio Third Frontier Regional Entrepreneurial Signature Programs
The Believe in Ohio program invites high school and college students and their instructors to take a virtual field trip into the innovation economy of the future that is being built in Ohio. This can be done through a series of six, free, regionalized, online courses.
Altogether, each regionalized version of the “Introduction to the Innovation Economy of Ohio” course includes 60-90 videos featuring Ohio's leading entrepreneurial and innovative organizations and thought leaders who will discuss how Ohio's innovation economy of the future is being developed. Course videos may be viewed as part of a structured online course for high school or college credit, or as individual videos based on viewer interest. Each video has an online assessment quiz.
Course videos can be viewed from the Believe In Ohio website, on regional websites, on iTunes University (for iPhone, iPad and Apple computer users), or on the State of Ohio's iLearn web-based platform. On the iLearn platform individual student progress and quiz grades can be easily tracked by teachers.
Click on the map at the right to explore the online course for your region of Ohio.
Believe in Ohio is a free new program from the Ohio Academy of Science that helps high school students prepare for the future. The program was developed in collaboration with Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio with the support of the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio General Assembly. Find out more about the Believe in Ohio program at www.BelieveInOhio.org.
Ohio Teachers & Students – Explore the “Introduction to the Innovation Economy” Online Course for Your Region of Ohio
While the Innovation Economy of Ohio includes dozens of venture development organizations, incubators, and accelerators all across Ohio, an equally important part of Ohio's Innovation Economy are the extensive array of world-class research and development and STEM commercialization programs and initiatives that bring ideas and innovation to Ohio's vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ohio's outstanding universities and industry and governmental research and development centers are creating the future everyday. Listen to some of Ohio's leading STEM researchers and practitioners describe how they are changing the world.
A successful entrepreneur must be passionate, learn to take reasoned risks, work hard, be persistent and believe in themselves. While people often point to famous entrepreneurs as role models, that can also strengthen the stereotype that only a select few can become entrepreneurs when the reality is that ideas both big and small are important, and that anyone, regardless of age, sex, or background can become an entrepreneur if they so choose. Click here to listen to more than 70 entrepreneurs of all types (primarily from Ohio) tell their stories and offer their advice and counsel.
The Ohio Means Jobs website offers a wealth of information for Ohioans about career planning, job preparation training and job searching. Click here to visit the site and learn more.
The Ohio Academy of Science is a membership based, volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization and the leading organization in Ohio to foster curiosity, discovery, and innovation and to unite all who value education, science, engineering, technology, or their applications, for the benefit of society. For more information, visit their website at www.ohiosci.org.
Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio is a not-for-profit corporation that promotes student and community awareness as to the challenges and opportunities the innovation economy will present in the future. In addition, it provides educational programs and materials to help develop the entrepreneurial, economic, business and scientific literacy and 21st Century skills that will be needed in the future, such as Believe in Ohio's "Introduction to the Innovation Economy of Ohio" online courses. For more information, visit their website at www.eeohio.org.
About The Ohio Academy of Science and Entrepreneurial Engagement Ohio
