Nature or nurture?  There is no doubt that the innovation gene is prevalent in San Diego.  However, a strong case can be made for San Diego’s environment of collaboration as the dominant force for success in technological creation.  Two new resources announced within the last two weeks support that argument. 

Calit2 Federal Funding Portal @ CONNECT

The enormity of the funds originating from Federal programs and grants is both an opportunity and a problem.  The smart people of UCSD have automated the process and are collaborating with CONNECT to make the resource available to local innovators and entrepreneurs.  Working with the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) CONNECT has developed a new set of tools to help member companies and local entrepreneurs identify federal research funding opportunities.  Click here to access Calit2 Federal Funding Portal @ CONNECT.

The X Lists

Last week Xconomy rolled out the X Lists, “the region’s best resource for innovators and entrepreneurs”.  Much of the entrepreneurial process is about accessing information and identifying people who have answers as efficiently and quickly as possible.  The X Lists are a great place to begin the journey from not-knowing to knowing.  Click here for Bruce Bigelow’s description of this valuable resource.

The overused words-of-wisdom about real estate are location, location, location.  Maybe the same should also be said about entrepreneurial innovation.  The cornucopia of resources available at the San Diego location provides a winning advantage to those who seek to grow their enterprise through innovation.

Quick.  How many automotive firms are there in the United States?  Way more than I ever dreamed.  The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE attracted entries from 111 teams of which 88 are from the United States.  Competing for the $10 million jackpot are names we recognize  like Tesla Motors and those we do not including my favorite,7K Hamsters, which unfortunately did not make the cut.  On Monday the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE announced that 43 teams with 53 vehicles from 18 US States and 11 countries had made it through the stringent Design Judging phase.  Making the short list were two San Diego innovators, Aptera and SSI-Racing.  These teams will now be entering the final competition events that will be taking place from May 2010 with the announcement of the winners that Fall.  A no-show in the competition was Fisker Automotive.  I guess the opportunity to score $10 million looks like chump change compared to the $529 million loan the Federal government is sending their way. 

The goal of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is to inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that help break our addiction to oil and stem the effects of climate change.   Click here for contest details. 

The X Prize Foundation is the brilliant vision of Dr. Peter Diamandis.  In May we were fortunate to have Dr. Diamandis share an evening with us at the MIT Enterprise Forum.  Click here for Bruce Bigelow’s article in Xconomy.

is approaching their first anniversary in San Diego.  They have a unique approach in their coverage of local innovative economies.  At this time their focus is limited to three high-tech clusters, Boston, Seattle and San Diego.  We can assume that more cities will be added in time.  In San Diego, Bruce Bigelow heads up the Xconomy news effort.  His frequent coverage of the clean tech sector in San Diego is highly regarded.

Last evening I represented CleanTECH San Diego at a reception in a private residence to honor their Xconomists.  Xconomy has the enlightened strategy of aligning with several key thought leaders in each of their three cities.  The Xconomists are leading technologists, scientists, and business innovators. Click here for the impressive list of San Diego Xconomists who share their views and insights.