Corporate, education, labor leaders meet April 5-6 to set national innovation priorities

WASHINGTON, DC – More than 200 of the nation’s top corporate executives, university presidents, labor leaders, and policy makers will gather in San Diego on Thursday and Friday, April 5-6, to set a national action agenda for boosting technological innovation. The second National Innovation Summit is sponsored by the Council on Competitiveness in cooperation with the University of California and UC San Diego.

“Innovation drives America’s growth, and maintaining our lead in innovation should be among our nation’s highest priorities,” says Raymond V. Gilmartin, Council chairman and chairman, president, and CEO of Merck & Co., Inc. “The National Innovation Summit will help create the road map to further boost the innovative capabilities that are central to the nation’s long-term economic performance.”

Gilmartin adds that the San Diego meeting builds upon the accomplishments of the first Summit, held at MIT in 1998, which helped generate bipartisan support for federal investment in research and development.

“Three priorities will shape discussion at the 2001 Summit – leading in science and technology research and development, boosting workforce skills, and strengthening regional partnerships to support innovation,” says John Yochelson, Council president. The report and proposed innovation agenda resulting from the Summit will be presented to President Bush, the 107th Congress, and the nation’s governors, he continues.

“Both the timing of this important event, within the first few months of our new presidential administration and new Congress, and its location in the heart of wireless communication and biotechnology growth, greatly enhance our ability to have an impact on national priorities,” notes Robert Dynes, chancellor of the University of California, San Diego.

Among highlights of Thursday’s program, beginning at 1:45 p.m. (PDT), are presentations by U.S. Representatives Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), chair of the House Science Committee, Connie Morella (R-MD), member of the Technology Subcommittee of the House Science Committee, and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus; James Hunt, former governor (D-NC); and Michael Porter, professor, Harvard Business School.

MIT President Charles Vest will lead a panel discussion on technological transformation, featuring participants Rita Colwell, director, National Science Foundation; Daniel Goldin, administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration; William R. Hambrecht, W.R. Hambrecht & Co.; David Baltimore, president, California Institute of Technology; and John Hennessey, president, Stanford University. Friday’s program will open at 8 a.m. with addresses by Lawrence Lindsey, assistant to President Bush for economic policy; Governor Tom Ridge (R-PA); and Stephen Goldsmith, special advisor to the President and former mayor of Indianapolis. Breakout sessions will then focus on policy recommendations on maintaining leadership in discovery research, increasing the number of American scientists and engineers, strengthening K-12 math and science education, and advancing regional clusters of innovation. Summit participants will reconvene to focus on recommendations for U.S. innovation priorities before adjourning at 12:30 p.m.

All Summit proceedings will be televised live and web cast (accessible via www.compete.org) as the result of a grant from NASA and a partnership with UCTV (University of California Television). The Summit is also supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Sloan, Irvine, and Dr. Scholl Foundations.

The Council is a nonpartisan forum of 212 corporate chief executives, university presidents, and labor leaders, working together to set a national agenda to strengthen U.S. competitiveness while boosting the standard of living for all U.S. citizens.

# Editor’s note: A media briefing will follow the conclusion of the Summit at 12:30 p.m. (PDT) on Friday, April 6. All Summit sessions are open to the media; call Phair or Sabicer for registration information