New Hampshire's high tech sector is centered within the Greater Nashua region, thanks to the presence of corporate giants like BAE Systems and Kollsman, and a thriving entrepreneurial infrastructure evidenced by the presence of companies like Ektron and ActiveEdge. The region's highly educated workforce, in part due to Nashua's proximity to major educational institutions such as Harvard and MIT, is important to maintaining the high tech sector in the region. Southern New Hampshire's future economic viability will rely primarily on the ability of Greater Nashua's business community to find new ways of promoting and sustaining the continued growth of its high-tech sector.

The Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce and the City of Nashua will spearhead a strategic effort to promote this new focus on southern New Hampshire's tech sector. The Chamber, in partnership with the City of Nashua, will host a special High Tech Summit in 2007. This Summit will be a direct product of the Chamber's High Tech Summer Luncheon Series occurring in July/August 2007, during which the current status and future of Greater Nashua's high tech sector will be explored.

The Summit will specifically explore the need and desire demonstrated by Greater Nashua's public and private sectors for the development of a High Tech & Research Park with Tech Incubator space.

The need for a Research Park is not new to the City, nor is it unique. The most successful regions of the country for recruiting high tech companies share a common characteristic in that they each have thriving high tech and research parks.

If Greater Nashua hopes to compete in this ever-changing industry, we must embark on this initiative. The Summit in November will serve as that starting point.