EDA engaged the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) and its partners (National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation, State International Development Organizations, and the American Manufacturing Communities Collaborative) to research the barriers to strategic alignment, educate stakeholders, and provide technical assistance to increase collaboration and co-investment. These Issue Briefs use case studies to discuss how states and EDDs can work together to improve outcomes in several important strategic area including aligning the CEDS development process, infrastructure, building relationships and more.