M Institute partners with Future Cities Institute to empower mid-sized businesses to participate in digital growth hotspots around the world’s great cities.
London, January 9, 2012 M Institute today announced its partnership with Future Cities Institute, the Auckland-based organisation focused on empowering local communities in the digital world. Thanks to the expertise of the two organisations in medium enterprise and innovation hubs, this partnership aims to empower mid-sized businesses to participate fully in growth opportunities in the digital world, which are most often found in city-based hubs.
Through this partnership, city governments focusing on innovation and growth will be able to build specific policy, planning and economic development strategies that include the full participation of mid-sized businesses in their local economies. In addition, these mid-size companies will be supported to participate in programmes that enhance their international growth opportunities through greater integration with the increasingly open and interdependent global mosaic of cities-based innovation ‘hot-spots’ around the world.
The Future Cities Institute believes that cities are the engines of national economies, and in the power of people in local communities to create and sustain cities as great places to live and work. A core driver in this successful urban economic growth is mid-sized companies with between 100-500 employees. Recent research in Asia Pacific by the Metro Group of Polytechnics (New Zealand), has shown that on average mid-sized companies are the most productive in an economy, spend considerably more on R&D than smaller ones, and are more intensively innovative.
"As growth becomes more elusive around the world, the focus among policy-makers, businesses and citizens align," says Jyoti Banerjee, director and co-founder of M Institute. "We see this this partnership as a critical element in working with city, regional and national governments, academia and industry to stimulating discussion and knowledge on the development of national competitiveness and local innovation via mid-sized company success and internationalisation."
“We are pleased to partner with Future Cities Institute as we feel our respective strengths are amplified when we work together. We need mid-sized businesses to be properly understood, celebrated and let free to do what they do best: build economic value. We feel our joint platform with Future Cities Institute will enable the essential thinking in this area to be carried out, and built into the working of city communities worldwide.”
“It is because of the key role that mid-sized businesses play in the development and sustainability of local economies that The Future Cities Institute is excited about this partnership with M Institute,” said Malcolm Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of FCI.
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