Saturday, February 19, 2005
The United States is in danger of losing its leadership role in science and innovation, a position it has held with a firm grip since the end of World War II.
That's the message this week from The Task Force on the Future of American Innovation, a coalition of high-tech industry, scientific societies, and higher education associations.
The report uses a set of benchmarks to show that other regions and nations, particularly the rapidly developing economies of Asia, are aggressively pursuing the U.S., and may soon catch up.
You can find the report on the Task Force web site. Go.
Read this report in parallel with the final report of the National Innovation Initiative, released in December 2004. Download the report.
My brother, Hunter, and I were discussing these reports this weekend. (Hunter was the city planning director for Cleveland for 20+ years and now runs an economic development center at Youngstown State. Learn more.)
He analyzed the situation this way: "For the American economy, innovation is like breathing. When you stop, you die."
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Resource: Report on U.S. position in global innovation
