Dear Council on Competitiveness Community,
One quarter through our 40th anniversary year, and the imperative to focus and act on the future of U.S. competitiveness has never been greater. This time next month, we will have a major update on our Board’s first meeting in 2026 – during which they, along with our Executive Committee and National Commissioners, will begin shaping a bold, national “call to action” for 10X recommendations that could shape the country’s next 40 years.
But between now and then, we are firing all cylinders to ensure the United States is the world’s pre-eminent platform to develop and deploy a converging set of revolutionary, platform technologies — from AI to quantum, fusion and advanced nuclear, next-generation bio and commercial space. If we do this, the opportunities for our country will be remarkable. Ensuring policies are in place to guide effectively the United States into the future has never been more critical.
This past month, the Council launched the first edition of its 2026 “Competitiveness Conversations Across America.” This Maryland edition, “Unlocking American Innovation in the AI and Quantum Era,” took place March 23–24 across Morgan State University in Baltimore and the University of Maryland, College Park. My co-hosts — Dr. David K. Wilson, President of Morgan State University, and Dr. Darryll J. Pines, President of the University of Maryland, College Park — helped convene more than 200 regional and national leaders to hear from 60+ speakers, spanning industry, academia, government, and the national laboratories. From Governor Wes Moore, who spoke passionately about how Maryland is aligning its extraordinary assets with strategy and policy, to leaders from U.S. Congress, MITRE, Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Department of Energy, NIST, NSF, IonQ, the Capital of Quantum, not to mention the presidents of many of the region’s world-class universities — the Conversation offered a fascinating step inside Maryland's approach to place-making innovation, which has seeded the growth of one of the nation’s premier hubs for AI and quantum research and deployment to the global marketplace.
Our next stop is Omaha, Nebraska, April 29–30, where Dr. Jeffrey Gold, President of the University of Nebraska System, and I will bring together leaders from across Nebraska, the Midwest, and the country to share best and next practices in growing one of the world’s most significant bio ecosystems. In Nebraska, we will explore how research universities, industry, and policymakers are collaborating to scale biomanufacturing, strengthen supply chains, drive economic growth, and bolster national security. If you have not yet registered, please consider doing so. You will not want to miss this. Register here.
Looking further ahead, July 20-21 we surface in San Diego for our third 2026 edition of the Competitiveness Conversations. Dr. Pradeep Khosla, Chancellor of the University of California, San Diego, and his team will shine a light on the full San Diego innovation stack – helping leaders from around the country understand how this community is elevating place-making innovation across transformative computing, biomanufacturing, agile space and autonomous systems, and more. Save the dates. More details to come.
Thank you for your leadership and partnership in advancing U.S. competitiveness. We share below a small snapshot of the work you are leading. At this defining moment — the Council's 40th year alongside the nation’s 250th — we are doubling down on a shared conviction: that the next 250 years of American prosperity will be determined by what we choose to build, scale, and lead together.
Sincerely,
Deborah L. Wince-Smith
President & CEO
Council on Competitiveness
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Read the full edition of the March 2026, Compete Connect newsletter, including much more about the Council's upcoming engagement opportunities and initiatives led by Council Members, below:
