Innovation-Based Economic Development ... - Innovate Holyoke

Innovation-Based Economic Development Strategy for Holyoke and the Pioneer Valley
27 minutes commuting. Nationally, commuters travel about 25 minutes to get to their place of
employment.
Figure 32: Mean Travel Time to Work in Minutes (2009)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Holyoke Region Massachusetts United States
Source: US Census Bureau, 2005-2009 American Community Survey
2.6 Innovation Ecosystem
There are certain metrics that can help assess whether a region has historically supported innovation.
These include measures such as the number of patents filed, research and development spending, the
availability of private capital to support innovation, and others. This section presents the existing
―innovation ecosystem‖ for Holyoke, the region, and the Commonwealth, based on the data and
information available to help make this assessment.
2.6.1 Patents Filed
In 2009, Massachusetts residents filed 3,696 patents, accounting for 4.5 percent of the total patents filed
by U.S. residents. 15 Table 19 provides detail on the Springfield MSA organizations that filed patents, as
well as the number of patents filed. Callaway Golf in Chicopee filed 79 patents during the five-period
between 2003 and 2007. The University of Massachusetts also filed a relatively large number of patents
in the region, 21 during that same period.
15 US Patent Office, Calendar Year General Patent Statistics Reports by Geographic Region 2009
MASSACHUSETTS TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATIVE 2-39
2-39 MASSACHUSETTS TECHNOLOGY COLLABORATIVE