St. Louis, MO – On Tuesday, June 6th the Council on Competitiveness and Washington University of St. Louis hosted the Mid-Western Regional Dialogue of the Exploring Innovation Frontiers Initiative (EIFI) at the Cortex Innovation District in St. Louis, Missouri.
The EIFI travelled to Washington University in St. Louis to understand better how the University and greater St. Louis region collectively have built a robust ecosystem in which entrepreneurs and new businesses are flourishing – and bringing to market the new innovations that will drive productivity and the future competitiveness of the city and region. In addition, EIFI sought to capture some of these local best practices in its ongoing effort to showcase promising strategies and results for the rest of the country. Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Mark Wrighton reflected on the region’s current and growing success – built up over many years of hard work. He noted that leaders on campus, in the city and in the surrounding region have been “trying to create a region here in St. Louis where we could spawn new science and technology-based companies. Our region will be stronger if we have a strong investment in science and engineering.”
Taking place over the course of a day, the EIFI Midwest Regional Dialogue convened innovation leadership from around the St. Louis region to discuss entrepreneurship, the engine of America’s innovation economy. Conversation focused on creating a supportive environment for America’s entrepreneurs to succeed, as they are central component of innovation models serving as the conduit from which the results of R&D efforts are moved into the marketplace to create value.
Participants at the Dialogue hailed from academia, industry and government, highlighting the criticality of developing local and regional partnerships to enhance innovation capacity in the United States. The conversation built off opening remarks from Council President and CEO Deborah L. Wince-Smith and Chancellor Wrighton reviewing the state of innovation in America – with both leaders underscoring the absolute centrality of empowering America’s key institutions and workforce with sufficient funding and support as a key component of enhancing America’s productivity and prosperity. In addition, NSF Director France Córdova emphasized the critical importance of this EIFI Dialogue in helping the NSF achieve its mission. She noted, “[the NSF has] been at the forefront of creating models in which innovation is encouraged across science and engineering,” and this Dialogue’s focus on innovation in entrepreneurship models and best practices will contribute to these efforts.
Significant insights surfaced during discussion amongst the 40+ private and public sector innovators around the table, including the importance of building: momentum in a region; industry presence which attracts additional talent to the region which can further support and enhance new business; and awareness of resources available to entrepreneurs and startups.
