News & Updates

Overview What are the key factors to building an innovative economy? Kicking off the Tennessee Competitiveness Conversation, global business leaders with major operations in Tennessee explored the key pillars of innovation as articulated in the Council’s “National Commission on Innovation & Competitiveness Frontiers”—highlighting both key challenges and opportunities for Tennessee, particularly within the automotive and […]

Overview With the United States facing unprecedented challenges at home and abroad—from economic inequality to geopolitical tension to climate change to energy and national security—innovative solutions are needed more than ever. Innovation can foster the development of sustainable technologies, create new economic opportunities, and promote collaborative solutions to global issues. But innovation is often an […]

On June 12, 2024, members of the Council on Competitiveness Board, Executive Committee, and National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontiers Commissioners met virtually to take stock of the Council’s 2024 work agenda to date, and to discuss the next steps across the Council’s policy and programs portfolio leading up to the December 2-3, 2024, […]

In their "How Tennessee can leverage its core strengths to become an economic powerhouse in America" op-ed published in The Tennessean, the hosts of the Council on Competitiveness’ inaugural Competitiveness Conversation — Deborah L. Wince-Smith, Council on Competitiveness CEO, Daniel Diermeier, Vanderbilt University Chancellor, and Donde Plowman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Chancellor — argue Tennessee should not mimic Silicon Valley nor the Research Triangle to establish […]

From April 25-26, 2024, the Council on Competitiveness held the first installment of its landmark "Competitiveness Conversations Across America Series," under the auspices of the National Commission on Innovation and Competitiveness Frontiers. Hosted in Nashville, Tennessee in partnership with the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and Vanderbilt University, this event, " Competitiveness Conversation: Tennessee – Redefining Place […]

Nashville, Tennessee - April 25, 2024 – To maintain competitiveness in the evolving global economy, the United States must expand its innovation footprint. Recognizing this imperative, the Council on Competitiveness (Council) has unveiled under the auspices of its National Commission on Innovation a new series of regional summits branded "Competitiveness Conversations Across America." The inaugural […]

On September 21, 2023, the Council on Competitiveness convened its Fall and 28th Technology Leadership & Strategy Initiative (TLSI) Dialogue, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. Nearly two dozen leaders from technology companies, universities, and national laboratories gathered to explore the issues, challenges, and opportunities shaping the U.S. innovation ecosystem.

The Council kicked off on March 27th and 28th the next important phase of its National Commission with a launch summit at the University of California, Davis. The purpose of the Summit – which included 100+ leaders from across the nation, representing the Council’s Board, Executive Committee, National Commissioners and many other innovation stakeholders – was to take stock […]

In its first face-to-face meeting since the onset of the pandemic, the Council’s Executive Committee and National Commissioners assembled at Gallup’s DC headquarters to review and critique a new concept paper for “phase 2” of the National Commission – and endorse the re-launching of the Council’s policy-generating Commission Working Group Community. In addition, meeting participants […]

Together with its Mountain West Innovation Summit co-hosts and National Commissioners Dr. Ed Seidel, President of the University of Wyoming, Mr. Greg Hill, President and COO, Hess Corporation, and Dr. John Wagner, Director of Idaho National Laboratory, the Council brought together leaders from across the country from academia, national labs and industry last week to benchmark national […]