In Maine, innovation comes in many forms
This year we’ve broadened the scope of this publication, which for two years was the Startup Hub.
This year, reflecting the desire to encompass more of the innovation community in Maine, including startups, we’re calling it Innovation Hub.
Innovation can take on many forms, from the brainstorming that goes on in giants like WEX Inc. and IDEXX Laboratories to the projects that emerge from garage workshops.
I’ve been particularly interested in the ideas and inventions that are coming out of higher education, and for this issue went to visit University of Maine’s Ferland Engineering and Education and Design Center. The building is literally structured so that the downstairs is devoted to woodworking and machine shops. As you go up to the higher floors you see more lab space, till the top floor is devoted to clean biotech labs. Innovation is part of a broader strategy to educate students in meeting spaces that are adjacent to lab spaces, so they’re combining theoretical learning with hands-on training. As UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy says, “You’re an innovator as soon as you get in the door.”
This issue also stays true to the entrepreneur culture by looking at innovations coming out of startups. We talk to principals at Rarebreed (which came out of the IDEXX family tree), as well as Simply Homes, FieldStack, pumpspotting and GoodGames.
Innovation Hub includes a directory of resources for businesses at different stages of development. There’s also a list of Maine’s largest patent holders.
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