The future of national and regional competitiveness will depend on our ability to compete in the conceptual economy where the most important contest is being fought in the arenas of ideas, learning and delivering new kinds of value to the marketplace. In the conceptual economy, higher education is more important for America’s regions than ever. Universities and colleges are a principal source of high value-added human capital and intellectual capital.

Yet despite the growing connection between regional development and higher education, there is a clear consensus that regional developers have not, as a rule, captured the full benefit of their higher education institutions. As companies become more dependent on high-skilled workers and access to cutting-edge knowledge, their decisions on where to locate facilities often include consideration of access to higher education. This guide offers suggestions for regional development practitioners and university economic developers on practices that can align their interests and remove obstacles to collaboration.

Cooperate is the result of a partnership between the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative, which has provided funding, and the Council on Competitiveness. Both the ETA and the Council on Competitiveness share the belief that an economy is no longer defined by the political boundaries of a city, county or state. This regional concept promotes partnerships among key community players, including K-12 schools, community colleges, adult education centers, universities, regional employers and community economic and workforce development organizations.

The Council on Competitiveness has become a respected thought leader and partner to policy makers committed to promoting regional innovation. Working alongside federal, state and regional partners, the Council has worked on major national policy initiatives and participated in regional economic development efforts in nearly 20 U.S. regions.