The Council on Competitiveness launched the Exploring Innovation Frontiers Initiative on June 9th 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia with a pioneering conference and dialogue, co-hosted with the National Science Foundation, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Georgia Research Alliance, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber. This foundational dialogue, national in scope and broad in vision, set the stage for the EIFI dialogue series – four dialogues anchored in regions of the country that embody the transformational changes to the process of innovation occurring in the United States.
Atlanta, Georgia was the ideal setting for the inaugural dialogue of the Exploring Innovation Frontiers Initiative (EIFI), a joint project of the Council and the National Science Foundation (NSF). On June 9th, local leaders G.P. "Bud" Peterson, Council Member and President of the Georgia Institute of Technology; C. Michael Cassidy, Council Affiliate and President and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance; and Hala Moddelmog, President and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber co-hosted a dynamic conversation of 100+ business, academic and national laboratory innovation stakeholders.
The day-long combination of plenary sessions, student interventions and moderated working groups - together with keynote remarks from France A. Córdova, Director, National Science Foundation - revealed that our nation's top talent continue to develop new methods and processes to boost innovation for their respective organizations, focusing considerable attention on improving and optimizing strategic partnerships. Public and private sector leaders moved the technology management community forward by sharing best practices in open innovation, and reflected on challenges their organizations face in an environment of decreasing federal investment in basic research.
The inaugural EIFI dialogue also encouraged participants to think more broadly about U.S. competitiveness policy. EIFI participants reflected on the social and economic context of innovation and the impact of innovation on communities across the country - directly addressing issues of diversity in the STEM fields, the relationship of innovation and inequality and the hollowing out of the middle class. These issues are arguably the defining challenges of this generation, and must be part of our overall approach to the innovation ecosystem and U.S. competitiveness.
The EIFI National Launch Dialogue offered a range of recommendations to optimize America's innovation ecosystem, including:
- Connect innovation to the social and moral challenges of the 21st Century - e.g., link public and private research and development investments to Grand Challenges in Engineering, Global Health, etc.
- Reorient higher education to focus on creating life-long learners, as opposed to developing the skill set de jour.
- Expand and open access to innovation infrastructure in communities across the country - e.g., position the MEP (Manufacturing Extension Program) to proliferate low-cost, self-organizing tools.
Event Materials
Primer
Post Report
Press Release
Agenda
Launch Dialogue Videos
Featured Video:
Links to all of the EIFI videos:
Opening Remarks from Deborah Wince-Smith
Visions, Goals, and Objectives of EIFI
Plenary Panel: Setting the Stage: Exploring New Models of Innovation
Plenary Panel: Untapped Innovation Capacity
Plenary Panel: Innovation to Prosperity
The Path Forward: Actionable Recommendations
EIFI Next Generation Innovators
Recent Georgia Tech graduate Partha Unnava and Founder and President of Wish for Wash, Jasmine Burton discuss pathways to creating a culture for innovation and entrepreneurship.
