A warm hello to our Spindle community,

We hope that you have all had an enjoyable summer and welcome to the September edition of our newsletter. As science and innovation leaders, we have all been hyper-tuned to the multitude of ways that the pandemic has impacted our world over the last few years, including our social fabrics, economic engines, healthcare services and education systems. Of course, we are also aware that the pandemic has not necessarily caused, but rather illuminated existing challenges that have been compounding and intensifying over many years within the complex multifactorial systems that shape our societies.

• imminent challenges in the health system including staffing shortages, workforce burnout and ER backlogs
• lack of healthcare access and poor outcomes for vulnerable and marginalized populations
• mental health, addiction and the opioid crisis
• economic diversification in regions that rely heavily on extractive industries
• STEM job pipelines and youth job readiness
• cultivating innovation economies to address the climate emergency

As science and innovation leaders, each one of us is also honing our expertise and working toward an organizational objective to improve life for our communities and society at large. But what will it take to broaden that mission beyond organizational and sectoral boundaries? To work together to nudge and influence the complex web of interconnected issues that have led to these seemingly insurmountable challenges to begin with? Because no one entity can possibly tackle these problems single-handedly. 

• Community engagement, partnership and leadership
• Innovator alliances and networks
• Shared data systems
• Intergovernmental communication, collaboration and integration
• Interorganizational governance structures, trust and transparency

Stay tuned for the results of the survey and ways that you can get involved in making a difference.