Rural Innovation Network

Building solutions through cross-country collaboration

Launched in 2019, the Rural Innovation Network is a one-of-a-kind, national community of practice working to advance the economic future of small-town America.

Through this network, the Center on Rural Innovation brings together diverse leaders from communities advancing their tech economies and provides them with a range of customized solutions to pressing challenges. Offerings include:

Entrepreneurship mentorship and support
Federal funding assistance
Tech talent training programs
Data insights
Peer learning events
Working groups

The Network supports and connects rural communities, enabling leaders to learn from and support each other while also accessing a broader community of economic development organizations, philanthropy, businesses, and government agencies.

Rural Innovation Network communities

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Rural Innovation Network programming

To help meet their ambitious goals, Network members receive a range of support and guidance that includes best-in-class programming to unlock tech talent in rural America, investment opportunities for promising companies, and grant applications. As a national leader in developing rural tech economies, the Network team equips members with the services, tools, and capacity to create sustainable change and scale their economic revitalization efforts.

Tech-based economic development solutions

The Rural Innovation Network team supports communities as they create programs to scale tech startups and innovative ideas while building a fully functioning tech economy. By partnering with leaders from government, business, and philanthropy, our team meets communities where they are and supports their long-term goals and vision.

Our collaborations generate multifaceted strategies, tools, and funding for communities that help them advance their tech economy — this includes supporting the creation of accelerators for early-stage entrepreneurs, hosting pitch events, assisting in community dialogues, and narrative shift opportunities.

Workforce readiness strategies

Tech jobs offer an important pathway to prosperity for rural workers. However, existing training programs often do not meet the unique needs of rural learners and employers.

Together, Network staff and community leaders build tech workforce development strategies and programs, identify gaps between tech training and local employer needs, engage key stakeholders and partners, and create customized resources. Communities are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources to activate a workforce that meets the needs of today’s employers, and residents have the skills to get well-paying tech jobs.

Network members can work with CORI and our national collaborators to develop partnerships with higher education institutions, tech training programs, internship and soft-skill support programs, and employer engagement strategies.

Community of practice

The Rural Innovation Network is an exclusive community of practice that provides support and connections for rural communities. The Network gives leaders the chance to learn from and support each other as a collective of peers tackling similar issues and driving toward a common goal.

Network members can also access a wider community of economic development organizations, philanthropy, business, and government agencies.

As part of their membership, Network members can access at no or low-cost:

Nationwide networking and peer learning opportunities, including:
- The annual Rural Innovation Network Summit — a members-only gathering where attendees can connect with and learn from each other and outside experts
- An exclusive online platform for ongoing dialogue and member-only resources supporting inclusive ecosystem building
- Network-only webinars and workshops
- Working groups on inclusive tech culture building and tech-based ecosystem building
CORI’s network of national experts on topics including rural economic development, inclusive tech ecosystem building, the impact of diversifying tech, and community engagement
Customized 1:1 consultation on community engagement planning and inclusive recruitment practices
Strategic partnership opportunities, local and national media coverage, and national speaking opportunities

Network members also receive priority access to CORI’s workforce and tech talent development programs, as well as our entrepreneurship support services.

Join the Rural Innovation Network

If you would like to be part of our growing collective, please get in touch with our team about the options that could be available to your rural community!

Connect with our team

Meet our communities

Today, these local leaders are focused on educating and training local residents in tech skills (especially those traditionally excluded from the tech industry), employing them in new economy jobs, and empowering them to launch startups that will drive a prosperous 21st-century economy. Diverse in geography, economic origin, and demographics, these communities represent the full spectrum of rural America.

Building solutions through cross-country collaboration

Rural Innovation Network communities

For the best experience, please view on desktop.

Rural Innovation Network programming

As part of their membership, Network members can access at no or low-cost:

Join the Rural Innovation Network

Meet our communities

Learn more

Ada, Oklahoma

Pine Bluff, Arkansas

Traverse City, Michigan

Emporia, Kansas

The Berkshires

Platteville, Wisconsin

Red Wing, Minnesota

The Rural Edge: Waterville, Maine

Portraits of a community: Ada, Oklahoma

Portraits of a community: Taos, New Mexico

The Rural Edge: Springfield, Vermont

A rural community of practice

The future is digital

The Rural Edge: Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Four reasons rural coworking matters

The Rural Edge: Durango, Colorado

AI on the banks of the Mississippi River

The Rural Edge: Wilson, North Carolina

Building inclusive ecosystems from the start