Once a rust-belt community, South Bend, Ind., has developed an enterprising strategy to connect partners, investments and infrastructure, helping the city become a Midwestern hub of high-tech research and economic growth.

A number of initiatives make up the playbook of South Bend’s technological transformation, starting two years ago when the Semiconductor Research Corporation’s Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI) selected the University of Notre Dame as the fourth of its national research centers.

A strong partner of the city, the South Bend-area university and its technical work in nanotechnology was attractive to NRI, whose goal is to advance research that will be the basis for the next generation of computer chips. Recognizing the importance of this Midwest Institute for Nanoelectronics Discovery (MIND), the city committed $50 million to support efforts to commercialize its resulting work.

As a result of such efforts, last year, MIND produced new prototypes related to computing architecture and energy efficiency. According to South Bend Mayor Stephen Luecke, technological innovation such as this can lead to new, ground-breaking industries.

Read the entire story in the National League of Cities article.