Is California Losing the Race for Global Innovation?
Tue, May 26 2015 - 6:00pm
Robert D. Atkinson, Ph.D.; President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
Growing threats to California’s leadership in global innovation pose urgent challenges for Bay Area firms as well as national, state and local policymakers. California has already fallen to third position behind other U.S. states in innovation competitiveness. California’s biotech leadership is under threat from higher government R&D investment in countries like China and Scandinavia and more attractive regulatory regimes in markets such as Europe. In IT China’s rising export prowess and its growing restrictions on sales by foreign firms limit future growth and put increased pressure on margins. European regulators hold very different views on everything from Google’s competitive behavior and the safety of GMO crops to the need to let data cross national borders.
In an array of emerging IT applications such as health, smart cities and mobile finance, foreign nations lead America. To top it off, Washington is consumed in political struggles, leaving little space for a robust innovation and competitiveness agenda. In an informal dialogue, we will discuss the gamut of challenges, their potential impact and actions needed to sustain U.S. and California innovation-based competitiveness.
