Programs &
Initiatives
Innovation District Skills Alliance (IDSA)
The Innovation District Skills Alliance creates career pathways for high-barrier residents from neighborhoods surrounding Oakland, such as the Hill District, Hazelwood, and Homewood, to support inclusive growth of the Pittsburgh Innovation District. By training participants directly in the skills needed for a selected position and providing them with supportive services, graduates of this program are connected with lucrative positions within local universities and companies. Uniting job-seekers with university work can be transformative by providing family-sustaining wages, benefits, and union opportunities.
Build Back Better
In 2022, the Southwestern Pennsylvania region was awarded a $62.7 million federal Build Back Better Regional Challenge grant by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to build up the region’s robotics and autonomy technology sector. As part of that award, the Expanded Opportunities for Entrepreneurship project focuses on creating opportunities within the robotics sector for diverse small businesses and underrepresented technologists in our region.
Promoting Emerging Entrepreneurs in Robotics (PEER) Fellowship
The PEER Fellowship was created for underrepresented technologists, people who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Colour (BIPOC), women or from rural areas in the Southwestern Pennsylvanian innovation economy, to guarantee that the future of technology is created by all.
I Made It! Market
Established in 2007, I Made It! Market is dedicated to connecting residents with small, local businesses through year-round, accessible marketplace.
I Made It! Market’s vision and dedication to supporting our neighborhood’s small businesses is why the Pittsburgh Innovation District has partnered with Carrie Nadine, the Director of the organization, to bring a monthly market to S. Craig Street.
Craig Street
S. Craig has been a long-standing corridor between Oaklands two largest universities and cultural assets. Lined with locally owned restaurants, retail, and specialty shops, and close proximity to the Carnegie Museums and Library, S. Craig Street is a constantly growing asset in the Pittsburgh Innovation District.
The Innovation District has expanded it reach in 2023 to dedicate resources into improving the aesthetics, community connections, and business relationships in the corridor.