The path toward innovation is paved with collaboration. That concept is clear to us at AT&T because connecting people to greater possibility is our purpose. With connection at the center of our work, collaboration happens all around us. We know we’ll find positive results when people of various backgrounds are connected and working together for a common good.
It’s in this spirit that AT&T joined with OhioX – a Buckeye State nonprofit focused on innovation and technology – to present the 3rd annual GovTech Summit this week at the Ohio Statehouse. It’s an opportunity for people in both the public and private sectors to engage together in demos, expos and conversation focused on technology. Through this kind of collective effort, the ideas, infrastructure, and talent needed to foster innovation around the state will grow.
Examples of public-private partnerships around the state show the force multiplier they provide. When the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and BroadbandOhio assembled a plan to strengthen Ohio’s broadband and 5G workforce, they sought input from private industry and the education sector on how best to build that pool of talent. AT&T Connected Learning Centers are able to bring free internet access, computers, and educational resources to Cleveland neighborhoods with the help of local community organizations that had already identified students and families who can use those services. And the recently announced Columbus Rising Project will bring digital life skills to Near East Side families through collaborations with local government, AT&T, and others.
Participants at this week’s GovTech Summit came from tech companies large and small, tech incubators, education organizations and local governments. And they weren’t just seated in rows, listening to speakers describe what public-private partnerships could do. They were one-on-one, face-to-face, discussing successful small collaborations that could be brought to scale. They were bouncing theories off each other, imagining the ways technology will change transportation, health care, food service, manufacturing, and every other type of business in our state in the next decade. They shared ideas for new ways to connect more Ohioans to our digital economy. Collectively, these are the people who can partner on policy issues, clearing the way so technology can transform communities, bringing opportunities for growth.
Collaboration is the way to find the best path forward. As technology is being infused into every industry and every facet of life, we can enhance the technology in our communities with collaboration between the private and public sectors. The OhioX GovTech Summit is dedicated to these public/private connections, and we’re excited to support the event, and to see the greater possibilities the Summit participants are about to uncover.
