The United States – since its beginning – has most fundamentally been about exploration, opportunity and discovery; about new beginnings; about setting out for and challenging the frontier. Today, as science and technology are rewritten in atomic, digital and genetic codes, America finds itself at an historical juncture shaped by two unprecedented shifts: in the 21st century, the world is becoming both more competitive and more interconnected; and where, how and why innovation occurs are all in flux.
If globalization is the new playing field, then innovation is the way you play the game in the 21st century. Leadership in innovation will unleash the productivity and economic growth that will underpin America’s prosperity. The ability to rapidly translate knowledge and insights into new high-value products and service is imperative to addressing many of the grand challenges facing the United States and the world.