Join Us!

Calling all collaborators! DECD has begun Strategic Plan implementation in earnest and wants your help. 

We appreciate the work that all Mainers are doing in support and alignment with the Strategic Plan. The request for collaboration and invitation to collaborate process is to help us identify and connect directly with existing or forming collaborations, rather than with individual organizations or companies. We define a collaboration as two or more organizations coming together around a common purpose. We do not define a single membership organization as a collaboration.

Questions? Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions document. Last updated March 4, 2021.

 

Request for Collaboration

Are you a part of an existing collaboration or initiative that aligns with the 10-Year Statewide Strategic Plan? Let us know about it through this Request for Collaboration.

 

Access Here (PDF)

Invitation to Collaborate

Are you forming a collaboration or initiative that aligns with the 10-Year Statewide Strategic Plan? Let us know about it through this Invitation to Collaborate.

 

Access Here (PDF)

 

One 10-Year Vision:

A Diverse & Sustainable Economy for Maine;
A Great Quality of Life and Good Jobs for All Mainers

Built on Two Pillars:

The Vision is built upon the nurturing of Talent and support of Innovation

Achieving Three Goals:

Grow Wages by 10%  •  Increase Productivity by 10%  •  Grow Workforce by 75,000

Taking Advantage of Four Opportunity Intersects:

Maine has the potential to take advantage of the areas where global trends intersect with Maine's strengths. When these areas are combined strategically, the opportunities for great jobs and a diversified economy are further multiplied.

Using Seven Data-Driven Strategies:

Grow Local Talent   •   Attract New Talent   •   Promote Innovation   •   Build Ubiquitous Connectivity   •   Provide Supporting Infrastructure   •   Maintain Stable & Predictable Business Rules   •   Promote Hubs of Excellence

 
 

Request for Collaboration

For Existing Collaborative Efforts and Networks

10-Year Statewide Strategic Plan Implementation

INTRODUCTION. In 2019, The State of Maine developed the Maine Economic Development Strategy: A Focus on Talent and Innovation, a 10-Year Statewide Strategic Plan. The non-partisan plan, developed with the input and work of over 1,500 Mainers, aims to foster collaboration among the public, private, non-profit, and education sectors to grow and diversify Maine’s economy. The Economic Development Strategy is a dynamic roadmap designed to be relevant and flexible over the next ten years with a core message: there is a place in Maine’s economy for everyone.

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is leading the initiative and is responsible for oversight of its implementation. To achieve the vision of the plan over the next ten years, this work must be done in collaboration and partnership with other government agencies, business leaders, non-profits, and private organizations across multiple sectors.

DECD and the Executive Steering Committee assembled to oversee the plan’s implementation recognize that there are multiple roles State government will play in the implementation of this plan and that many existing or envisioned collaborators within Maine are interested and eager to align their work with the Plan’s vision, goals and strategies. To solidify and make explicit the role of key collaborations to the Plan’s success, the Maine DECD has developed this Request for Collaboration.

INVITATION. We invite collaborating partners within, across, and between the Plan’s seven outlined strategies, identified actions, and described opportunity intersects of food/marine, forestry, making/manufacturing, and technical/scientific services. We think of these intersects expansively and include the technological competencies needed to future-proof these opportunities. We also invite collaborators who bring expertise and energy through the additional areas of focus recommended by the Economic Recovery Committee report including Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; Entrepreneurship; and Climate-Friendly/Clean-Tech development. We envision collaborations within Plan implementation to be expansive and evolving but should tie to the vision and goals of the Plan. The role of collaborating partner will be both relational and transactional, but is not a traditional contractual role. If you have a project or initiative that can help us accelerate achievement of one or more of the three goals of the Plan, we'd like to hear from you.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES. The implementation of the Plan is guided by the following principles: Focus on outcomes; Learn from data; Arc towards action; Build in strategies around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; Design for user experience; Improve before invent; Incorporate communication, outreach and awareness at every step; Learn and incorporate learning as we go.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? As part of the implementation process, we will select and designate Strategic Plan implementation partner collaborations. Those selected will:

1. Be acknowledged and promoted as an arm of the Plan implementation team;

2. Co-create, with DECD and other partners, a two-way communication stream with the implementation team to ensure alignment of purpose, early identification of issues, coordination and navigation of potential tensions across strategy areas;

3. Be explicitly responsible and celebrated for successes within agreed upon strategy actions;

4. Co-develop and marshal resources for projects in collaboration with full team, including access to FEMA long-term recovery structures;

5. Build cross-strategy connections beyond their own institutions or collaborative network.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR US? From inception, the State’s 10-Year Economic Development Strategy was built to be a flexible roadmap designed for use by multiple stakeholders and not solely State government. Ten years spans multiple administrations and legislatures. We recognize that for a Statewide Strategy to be effective, it must live both within and outside of Augusta. We need reliable, collaborative partners in industry, education, non-profits sectors and local communities to achieve the vision and goals of this plan. We believe identifying and developing explicit collaborative partnerships is the first step. We anticipate those selected will:

1. Accelerate achievement of one or more of the three goals of the Plan;

2. Communicate progress and challenges associated with accomplishing action items identified within the Plan;

3. Work towards the common goals, recognizing that it may mean compromise on individual priorities of participating organizations within the collaboration.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR MAINE? More resources focused on top priorities. More organizations pointing toward a common north star. More efficient use of resources, and faster progress across the state.

ARE YOU IN? TELL US YOUR STORY. We envision collaborators participating in the Plan implementation in different ways. Tell us how your existing collaboration wants to participate and how you envision interacting with the State in the implementation. Give us the who, what, when, where and how of your collaboration and what results and data tell you that your collaboration is on the right track. If you have membership-based or 501(c)(4) or (c)(6) organizations within your collaboration, what agreements do you have in place to navigate conflicting priorities between overall collaboration efforts and the interests of individual members? Tell us which of our goals your work connects with and how. Let us know what resources you can bring to the table and what resources we must marshal together. Tell us the role you envision the State playing in the areas of interest to you. Finally, tell us about your collaboration’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. How do these concepts guide your collaboration’s strategies and goals? The Maine State Government’s definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion are included below for your reference.

Please give your story in five pages or less using the above paragraph as a guide and send to Julia Trujillo Luengo, Director, Economic Development Coordination, julia.trujilloluengo@maine.gov, with a cc to Economicplan.decd@maine.gov. The Steering Committee will review submissions on the second Wednesday of each month, on a rolling basis. Please send us your information by close of business on the second Monday of the month for consideration in that month's Steering Committee meeting. If you submit after the second Monday of the month, your submission will be reviewed in the following month's Steering Committee meeting.

Questions? Call Julia at (207) 624-9898. Need to read up on the plan? www.mainestrategicplan.com

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AS DEFINED IN MAINE STATE GOVERNMENT. Research has found that having diverse experiences and perspectives at all levels of our organization improves organizational and team performance, innovation, and service delivery. (Sources: McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Harvard Business Review). In Maine State Government, diversity, equity, and inclusion are defined as follows:

Diversity: A representation of the fact that people have individual, unique characteristics, and the practice of including or involving people from a range of these unique characteristics. These characteristics include protected classes such as race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, physical or mental disability, religion, age, marital status, and other categories in certain contexts. Characteristics may also include life experiences, ethnicity, cognitive approaches, language and communication style, tribe, caste, and socio-economic status.

Equity: Identifying and removing barriers to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources for all.

Inclusion: The act or practice of creating a collaborative, supportive, and respectful work environment that allows employees to participate and contribute by removing barriers, discrimination, and intolerance.

Please consider these definitions when you describe your collaboration's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. If your collaboration has a different understanding of these terms, please tell us how you define them.

Invitation to Collaborate

For Newly Forming Collaborative Efforts and Programs

10-Year Statewide Strategic Plan Implementation

INTRODUCTION. In 2019, The State of Maine developed the Maine Economic Development Strategy: A Focus on Talent and Innovation, a 10-Year Statewide Strategic Plan. The non-partisan plan, developed with the input and work of over 1,500 Mainers, aims to foster collaboration among the public, private, non-profit, and education sectors to grow and diversify Maine’s economy. The Economic Development Strategy is a dynamic roadmap designed to be relevant and flexible over the next ten years with a key core message: there is a place in Maine’s economy for everyone.

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) is leading the initiative and is responsible for oversight of its implementation. To achieve the vision of the plan over the next ten years, this work must be done in collaboration and partnership with other government agencies, business leaders, non-profit and private organizations across multiple sectors.

DECD and the Executive Steering Committee assembled to oversee the plan’s implementation recognize that there are multiple roles State government will play in the implementation of this plan and that many existing or envisioned collaborations within Maine are interested and eager to align their work with the Plan’s vision, goals and strategies. To solidify and make explicit the role of key collaborations to the Plan’s success, the Maine DECD has developed this Invitation to Collaborate.

INVITATION. Do you want to be a part of the Plan’s implementation? We invite collaborating partners within, across, and between the Plan’s seven outlined strategies, identified actions, and described opportunity intersects of food/marine, forestry, making/manufacturing, and technical/scientific services. We think of these intersects expansively and include the technological competencies needed to future-proof these opportunities. We also invite collaborators who bring expertise and energy through the additional areas of focus recommended by the Economic Recovery Committee report including Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; Entrepreneurship; and Climate-Friendly/Clean-Tech development. We envision collaborations within Plan implementation to be expansive and evolving but should tie to the vision and goals of the Plan. The role of collaborating partner will be both relational and transactional, but is not a traditional contractual role. If you are building a collaboration or initiative that can help accelerate achievement of one or more of the three goals of the Plan, we'd like to hear from you.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES. The implementation of the Plan is guided by the following principles: Focus on outcomes; Learn from data; Arc towards action; Build in strategies around diversity, equity, and inclusion; Design for user experience; Improve before invent; Incorporate communication, outreach and awareness at every step; Learn and incorporate learning as we go.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? As part of the implementation process, we will select and designate Strategic Plan implementation partner collaborations. Those selected will:

1. Be acknowledged and promoted as an arm of the Plan implementation team;

2. Co-create with DECD and other partners, a two-way communication stream with the full implementation team to ensure alignment of purpose, early identification of issues, coordination and navigation of potential tensions across strategy areas;

3. Be explicitly responsible for and celebrated for successes within agreed upon strategy actions;

4. Co-develop and marshal resources for projects in collaboration with full team, including access to FEMA long term recovery structures;

5. Build cross-strategy connections beyond their own institutions or collaborative network.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR US? From inception, the State’s 10-Year Economic Development Strategy was built to be a flexible roadmap designed for use by multiple stakeholders and not solely State government. Ten years spans multiple administrations and legislatures. We recognize that for a Statewide Strategy to be effective, it must live both within and outside of Augusta. We need reliable, collaborative partners in industry, education, non-profit sectors and local communities to achieve the vision and goals of this plan. We also need new ideas, new people and new energy if we are truly to nurture talent and innovation. We believe identifying and explicitly supporting forming collaborations is a key part of the long-term implementation process. We anticipate those selected will:

1. Accelerate achievement of one or more of the three goals of the Plan;

2. Communicate progress and challenges associated with accomplishing action items identified within the Plan;

3. Work towards the common goals, recognizing that it may mean compromise on individual priorities of participating organizations within the collaboration.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR MAINE? More resources focused on top priorities. More organizations pointing toward a common north star. More efficient use of resources, and faster progress across the state. Support for innovative ideas.

ARE YOU IN? TELL US YOUR STORY. We envision collaborators participating in the Plan implementation in different ways. Tell us how your forming collaboration wants to participate and how you envision interacting with the State in the implementation. Give us the who, what, when, where and how of your collaboration, why something new is needed, and what data tells you that your collaboration is the right approach. Tell us what resources you can bring to the table and what resources we must marshal together. Tell us the role you envision the State playing in the areas of interest to you. If you plan to include membership-based or 501(c)(4) or (c)(6) organizations within your collaboration, what agreements will you put in place to navigate conflicting priorities between overall collaboration efforts and the interests of individual members? Tell us which of our goals your work will accelerate and how. Finally, tell us about your forming collaboration's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. How will these concepts guide your collaboration's strategies and goals? The Maine State Government's definitions of diversity, equity, and inclusion are included below for reference.

Please tell us in five pages or less using the above paragraph as a guide and send to Julia Trujillo Luengo, julia.trujilloluengo@maine.gov, with a cc to Economicplan.decd@maine.gov. The Steering Committee will review submissions on the second Wednesday of each month, on a rolling basis. Please send us your information by close of business on the second Monday of the month for consideration in that month's Steering Committee meeting. If you submit after the second Monday of the month, your submission will be reviewed in the following month's Steering Committee meeting.

Questions? Call Julia at (207) 624-9898. Need to read up on the plan? www.mainestrategicplan.com

DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION AS DEFINED IN MAINE STATE GOVERNMENT. Research has found that having diverse experiences and perspectives at all levels of our organization improves organizational and team performance, innovation, and service delivery. (Sources: McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Harvard Business Review). In Maine State Government, diversity, equity, and inclusion are defined as follows:

Diversity: A representation of the fact that people have individual, unique characteristics, and the practice of including or involving people from a range of these unique characteristics. These characteristics include protected classes such as race, color, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, physical or mental disability, religion, age, marital status, and other categories in certain contexts. Characteristics may also include life experiences, ethnicity, cognitive approaches, language and communication style, tribe, caste, and socio-economic status.

Equity: Identifying and removing barriers to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources for all.

Inclusion: The act or practice of creating a collaborative, supportive, and respectful work environment that allows employees to participate and contribute by removing barriers, discrimination, and intolerance.

Please consider these definitions when you describe your collaboration's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. If your forming collaboration has a different understanding of these terms, please tell us how you define them.