A new “innovation district” seeking to promote public-private partnerships has launched in Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard.
The National Innovation Quarter, or “National IQ,” promises “to solve the most pressing challenges at the intersection of national competitiveness and technology,” according to a press release.
Founding partners include numerous public and private organizations such as Amazon, Northrop Grumman, Arlington Economic Development, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), JBG Smith and Virginia Tech.
“National IQ will deliver year-round programming and notable initiatives, including innovation challenges, investor summits, product showcases, an international soft-landing program, and startup accelerators, all designed to drive economic and innovation outcomes,” the press release says.
National IQ Acting President Michael Hauser, managing partner at SAIC, told ARLnow that the goal is “to create the intersections of people and ideas around technology for national competitiveness.” Potential programming could include events, conferences, hackathons, pitch competitions and other initiatives to support greater connectivity.
“One of the biggest challenges our region has right now … is enormous friction, traffic, distance, lack of central place for these things to happen,” Hauser said. “What innovation districts do, is they create a center of mass that can generate the participation, the enthusiasm, the buzz, the platform for awareness.”
Affiliated programming currently listed on National IQ’s website includes an event recognizing influential women in government contracting, a talk about strategic capital investment and a demo day connecting Ukraine’s defense technology cluster with U.S. investors and defense experts.
Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti said the launch carries significance for Arlington and National Landing’s economy and identity.
“By fostering a collaborative environment for entrepreneurs and industry leaders, we are ensuring that Arlington remains a premier global destination for technology and economic opportunity,” he said in the press release.
Sponsors for the initiative include Auterion, Bloomberg Industry Group, the Consumer Technology Association and the Silicon Valley Defense Group, among many others. The 501(c)(6) organization’s website lists three anchors for the “National Landing ecosystem”: the Pentagon, Amazon HQ2 and Virginia Tech.
A formal kickoff event took place yesterday (Wednesday), but National IQ is still seeking an executive director and plans to expand its presence over the next few months.
“This is all about becoming a magnet for folks who want to participate at the intersection of technology and competitiveness and national security, to come from everywhere, to do business here, to be on these programs, to be engaged in these meetings, to participate in these meetups, to contribute in these technology exchanges,” Hauser said.
Hauser noted that National Landing already has a lot of physical infrastructure to support this kind of programming. He hopes that National IQ can build on what already exists to support more conversations, participation and partnerships.
“What customers are asking for is networks to come together and bring them novel solutions to big, hard challenges, and that’s what the NIQ aims to accomplish,” Hauser said.
