The Oklahoma City Innovation District is committed to forging economic, social and physical connections between the district and the vibrant neighboring communities. As a district, we are working with local partners to develop strategies in the areas of education, workforce development, entrepreneurship and business development, and placemaking and community-building. In partnership with the Northeast Oklahoma City Renaissance, the Oklahoma City Black Chamber of Commerce, RESTORE OKC and others, we aim to create broad-based economic opportunity that benefits the residents throughout the district and beyond.
Workforce Development: Design workforce training programs specifically aimed at linking community residents with employment opportunities.
Placemaking and Community-Building: Develop and sponsor programs and activities to engage with families, community members, and district employees.
Entrepreneurship and Business Development: Support an entrepreneurship and business development eco-system with a particular focus on minority- and women-owned businesses.
Education: Increase the number of students who are prepared for and exposed to district employment opportunities
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is an annual event In partnership with Exxon Mobile and Oklahoma State University. The event features guest speakers, interactive science experiments, lunch, and an opportunity for young women in the OKC community to learn about engineering in a fun way!
The goal of the program is to increase understanding and interest in science, technology, engineering and math-focused careers.
Innovation Week brings more than 900 high school students from school districts across the Greater OKC Metro to the Innovation District for an immersive experience with OKC organizations leading in innovation.
The week will have simulation activities created by Innovation District partners that will help spark students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math industries and bring exposure to organizations that make up the Innovation District’s ecosystem.
The Innovation District partners with Oklahoma State University and Baker Hughes to put on a series of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Summer Camps for middle school students running from June to July each year.
Each day, students experience a different STEM discipline, including engineering, architecture, healthcare and aerospace.
The FirstHand program – run out of the University City Science Center, a Philadelphia-based incubator – engages local residents in hands-on experience through interactive experiments and projects, as well as mentoring from Science Center resident companies.
In Baltimore, the University of Maryland-Baltimore CURE Scholars Program collaborates with three city schools to prepare sixth- to 12th-grade students for research and health care center careers at the university and other health institutions in the region.
The Chicago Anchors for a Strong Economy is a collective of Chicago anchors that serve as matchmakers between Chicago-area businesses and anchors that are looking to localize their economic impact via spending.
