A defining characteristic of innovation districts is their horizontal relationships—connections across actors and sectors spanning research universities and medical institutions, companies and smaller firms, start-ups, and intermediaries.

Throughout April, Halifax-area companies and institutions intensified their efforts to combat the impacts of COVID-19, both individually and collectively.

Over the last few decades, innovation activity has become concentrated in clusters or ecosystems, where finance, academia, industry and entrepreneurs rub shoulders to allow the free flow of ideas.

As countries begin to relax their regulatory measures for COVID-19, cities, states, and national governments are reeling from the economic shocks. The number of shuttered companies, retail, restaurants, and small-family owned businesses has rolled back economic progress—with communities living in poverty experiencing outsized impacts. The degree to which our prosperity has so precipitously declined calls into question earlier ambitions and ideals of a strong, more egalitarian society.

The Net Zero programme plans to boost UK sustainability scaleups — and help the country reach its net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050.