Arizona State University Hosts U.S.-Brazil Innovation Learning Lab

Fernando C. Jimenez from the Arizona Commerce Authority presents “Brazil Week” in Arizona proclamation to ASU’s Rick Shangraw and Julia Rosen, along with Chad Evans from the Council on Competitiveness. 

UPDATE:

The U.S.-Brazil Innovation Learning Lab and its role in "Brazil Week," hosted last week at Arizona State University, received attention from The Arizona Republic and the Arizona State University news service.

In Darek Sarley's recap of the event from Arizona State University, he quotes the Council on Competitiveness' Senior Vice President Chad Evans, who explained the meeting’s importance.

“These Innovation Learning Labs are meant to be a catalyst to drive not only policy development that is supportive of innovative ecosystems, but also the development of concrete partnerships. There is very interesting work going on here at ASU and SkySong has been a key driver in terms of developing some of these important partnerships.”

Read the full article.

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The Council on Competitiveness, the Brazilian Agency for Industrial Development, and Arizona State University and ASU SkySong -- led by its president and Council member Michael Crow -- are hosting a U.S.-Brazil Innovation Learning Lab today to explore opportunities in both nations to form partnerships that will spur innovation and entrepreneurship. The event caps off SkySong's Brazil Week celebrating "the ongoing dialogue and emerging partnerships between ASU and Brazilian universities, government, and business."

The U.S.-Brazil Innovation Learning Lab -- the first in 2011 and the next in a series of over 10 Labs across the Western Hemisphere's two largest economies -- will feature a proclamation of "Brazil Week" by the office of the Governor of Arizona. Two panel discussions -- and a set of entrepreneurial spotlights -- will follow the proclamation. Council Senior Vice President Chad Evans will kick off the meeting with ASU Associate Vice President for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Julia Rosen, and moderate one of those conversations, highlighting the power of entrepreneurs to create innovation hotspots, firm formation and new jobs.   

Innovation and the U.S. relationship with Brazil is increasingly a top priority for the Obama Administration. After the president's State of the Union touted the importance of entrepreneurship for job creation, the Administration followed-up with a Startup Initiative that is leveraging public-private partnerships to create more successful entrepreneurs. Today, Council member Jim Phillips, chairman and CEO of the nanotechnology NanoMech, is hosting Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to discuss issues surrounding innovation.

President Obama is also planning a visit to Brazil in March to meet with new President Dilma Rousseff, and explore ways to expand the US-Brazil partnership. Specifically, clean energy, agriculture and global growth are areas where the two countries can work together to provide innovative solutions to the grand challenges of the 21st century.