At a Central Otago District Council meeting yesterday, it decided to support a Central Otago innovation hub concept and grant $8000 for a day-long development workshop.
The idea for the technology-based hub was created in conjunction with Greg Bodeker, of Bodeker Scientific, Richard Tyree, of Farm Solutions, and Tara Druce, of Druce Consulting.
Council economic development manager Warwick Hawker said innovation was key to the future development of the region.
''Without innovation key industries will fall behind. The innovation hub concept is well explored around the world now.''
Government agency Callaghan Innovation was interested in establishing innovation hubs in the regions, he said.
The workshop would help determine the vision of the hub through discussion with the community, he said.
Dr Bodeker said a clear vision would help people line up behind the idea.
''With CSST [The Centre for Space Science Technology] we were very clear what the vision was and got a lot of buy-in from people.''
The hub would be an incubator for technology start-ups, which could develop into profitable businesses.
It would be attractive to people aged 18 to 30, as often there was little keeping young people in the region, he said.
Organisers would work to ensure people from all areas of Central Otago were involved in the workshop.
The hub would likely be located in Alexandra, partly so it could somehow leverage off the success of the CSST. The group had also talked to the Otago Polytechnic Cromwell campus.
Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan said it was an ''absolutely superb'' thing for the council to support.
Councillor Nigel McKinlay questioned whether there was appetite for an innovation hub.
Dr Bodeker said the interest was low, but it was a ''chicken and egg'' situation whereby appetite would increase as the hub was formed.
The council also received a request for $30,000 a year for two years from the Central Lakes Innovation Centre of Knowledge (Click), which wants to establish a similar hub in Alexandra, as well as others in Wanaka and Queenstown. The council followed the recommendation of Mr Hawker to deny this funding.
Click was formed by the Wellington innovation hub, Creative HQ, Saskia van der Geest, of Arrowtown, and Jose Ganga, of Queenstown.
Mr Hawker said he was concerned about its ongoing business model, which involved selling training to existing businesses. It also required a ''significant'' contribution from the council, he said.
He welcomed Click's involvement in the other innovation hub idea.
Council infrastructure services manager Julie Muir said the Click proposal involved the council entering the new territory of essentially funding a private business.
