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The full "InnovateAmerica" report by the U.S. Council on Competitiveness is now available online in PDF format. You can download it here. The report was presented at a National Innovation Initiative Summit in Washington DC yesterday by G. Wayne Clough, president of Georgia Institute of Technology, and Samuel J. Palmisano, chairman and chief executive officer of IBM Corp. The opening resolution of this landmark report says it all:
"Innovation will be the single most important factor in determining America's success through the 21st century... America's challenge is to unleash its innovation capacity to drive productivity, standard of living and leadership in global markets. At a time when macro-economic forces and financial constraints make innovation-driven growth a more urgent imperative than ever before, American businesses, government, workers and universities face an unprecedented acceleration of global change, relentless pressure for short-term results, and fierce competition from countries that seek an innovation-driven future for themselves. For the past 25 years, we have optimized our organizations for efficiency and quality. Over the next quarter century, we must optimize our society for innovation."
That's a pretty powerful statement. It not only speaks to the importance of innovation to America, but also to any country that seeks economic success and prosperity for its people.
The report goes on to outline a broad set of recommendations in the areas of talent, investment and infrastructure that will help to bring about this innovation-centric future. It also does a great job of describing "The New Shape of Innovation" (how innovation is happening in new ways in the 21st century) and the current "Innovation Ecosystem" (the policy environment in which companies must innovate, and the resources/infrastructure that can be leveraged to enable further innovation).
In short, this report is a must-read for every innovator and entrepreneur! |
