Introducing America’s Innovation Highway: Transformative Collaboration Up And Down I-25 To Improve U.S. Competitiveness In Climate Resiliency & Quantum Computing

Session Overview

The I-25 Corridor serves not merely as a transportation route but a vital link connecting an emerging innovation ecosystem spanning Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. All along I-25, businesses, universities, national laboratories, labor, and all levels of government are collaborating to establish a new regional identity focused on cutting-edge research and development that is positioning the corridor as a center of economic prosperity for the nation. On this panel, leaders from the three states discussed how their innovation resources are increasingly interconnected and the benefits that come from this regional approach to economic development.

Key Session Insights

Comparing the I-25 Corridor to other great trade routes of history like the Camino Real, the Silk Road, and the Roman Roads, Council on Competitiveness President and CEO Deborah L. Wince-Smith noted that physical infrastructure is crucial for linking people together, but today intellectual infrastructure is just as important. Collaboration and idea exchange are as critical to building an innovation ecosystem as physical mobility between locations. To kick-off the discussion, she asked the panel of leaders how the three Mountain West states are building the necessary intellectual infrastructure, and if it has truly become inter-state, or if state lines are still getting in the way.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Director Martin Keller has had a long career spanning the globe and was impressed by the way the three states in the Mountain West are collaborating, especially over the past five years. An ethos of “let us get it done together” did not mean that the states have no differences, but rather that those differences were a source of strength, not just tension. This growing collaboration is being recognized; while venture capitalists used to treat the Mountain West as “flyover country,” today the interest in the region has grown dramatically, and the momentum continues.

University of Colorado Boulder Chancellor Dr. Justin Schwartz added that, in his career, he has spent time at Florida State, NC State, and Penn State, and that at each of those schools and the cities they resided in, he was involved in conversations around economic development. But only one of those places – NC State and the Research Triangle – had achieved the “gold standard” for innovation-based economic development. Why? Because NC State had collaborated with Duke University and the University of North Carolina to bring the Research Triangle to life, and had the enthusiastic backing of the state government. One organization alone cannot create an innovation ecosystem; it takes a multilateral, regional approach. To work through differences, all players must maintain a growth mindset, rather than a transactional one.

University of Wyoming Vice President for Research and Economic Development Parag Chitnis, bringing the perspective from Wyoming, noted how his school is only fifty miles from Ft. Collins, CO, where Colorado State University is located. The close geographic distance makes collaboration between Wyoming and Colorado universities natural, something that Colorado universities have been happy to facilitate — for example, letting him “crash” the monthly call among Colorado university VPRs. Today, despite serving a state with one-tenth the population and GDP of Colorado, the University of Wyoming has collaborations with every major university and national laboratory in the Mountain West, leveraging the school’s expertise in physics to enhance quantum work. Finding and using these complementary advantages, according to Dr. Chitnis, is crucial for regional integration going forward.

Elevate Quantum CEO and Regional Innovation Officer Mr. Zachary Yerushalmi recalled how his mentor, entrepreneur and chess grandmaster Dave Norwood, asserted an innovation ecosystem consisted of three things: ideas, people, and money. Yerushalmi, however, ventured to add a fourth ingredient: “collaborate or die.” He sees it as unlikely that the region could surpass competitors like California or China in the artificial intelligence race, so the Mountain West must find an industry where it can lead. To Mr. Yerushalmi, quantum is that industry, and if the region does not seize the opportunity now, it will miss out on generations of economic growth.

Colorado-Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine CEO Mr. Mike Freeman shared the story of how it only took him 24 hours to get the presidents of four Colorado universities on board to submit a joint proposal based on climate and life sciences when the Build Back Better grants were announced. Similarly, when the NSF Engines program was announced, despite having no standing at NSF, Colorado universities asked his nonprofit Innosphere to lead a proposal. Both examples are emblematic of the region’s ability to come together quickly to pursue large-scale projects; success in those applications despite more than five hundred competitors proves the effectiveness of this cooperation. What’s the key to success? Mr. Freeman said it is trust built over many years. Dr. Chitnis also acknowledged that Innosphere’s ability to move faster than universities was a key driver of the region’s success. Mr. Yerushalmi added Innosphere is also willing to “lean out” and seek new partners and opportunities to partner as a distinctive advantage.

Turning to the question of financial sustainability, Ms. Wince-Smith asked how the Mountain West can build funding resilience in the face of an uncertain federal investment environment. Mr. Freeman made the case for speed. His organization has created a venture capital fund for Wyoming-based innovators, with one coming this year for Colorado. To him, a mix of venture capital, philanthropic, private, state, and federal money are all needed to create long-term sustainability, not relying too much on one source.

Mr. Yerushalmi said that, while he was not yet “concerned,” financial sustainability had become an area of significant focus for Elevate Quantum. But, given the importance of quantum as a technology the United States must lead on, the region needs to sure up its sustainable financing.

Leading in quantum technology is undoubtedly beneficial, it is not sufficient for the Mountain West argued Dr. Keller. Rather, the region will achieve its greatest success by developing and integrating its supply chains, energy resources, minerals, and practical applications. This approach will enable a seamless integration of supply chains from start to finish, using locally sourced materials to produce locally designed technologies for local customers, all powered by regional energy. Dr. Keller believes the Mountain West has the potential to excel in this area like no other region in the country, a view supported by Dr. Chitnis supported. The University of Wyoming Vice President of Research and Economic Development noted that mining—particularly the extraction of critical minerals—could play a crucial role in ensuring that smaller communities outside the I-25 corridor are not neglected, something he recognizes as a significant potential loss to the strength of the region.

One of the reasons that Dr. Schwartz argued that the Mountain West is well positioned in the long term is that regional players like Elevate Quantum and the CO-WY Engine are already thinking that way. The quantum economy is coming, and the investments in it will be enormous. But in Dr. Schwartz’s view, investors will only want to put their money in regions they know are climate resilient to safeguard their bets. Otherwise, the region could lose out to other places in the United States, or even overseas, who are more resilient to the climate shifts.

Ms. Wince-Smith then asked about strategies to strengthen the region's manufacturing sector and protect American innovations from being commercialized by countries like China. Mr. Yerushalmi, thoughtfully offered an example of why a thoughtful approach was necessary, pointing out how after the Russian invaded Ukraine, German industry faced devastation due to the loss of access to affordable energy and skyrocketing prices that followed. To mitigate disruptions and expand the manufacturing base of the region in this era of rapid disruption, Dr. Schwartz suggested focus. “You can do anything, but you cannot do everything,” he said. 

To end, Ms. Wince-Smith noted how the Mountain West had recently captured the opportunities offered by increased federal science and technology investment. In the Trump Administration, a renewed focus on domestic manufacturing offered an opportunity to build on the already strong foundation. In five years, what will the Mountain West look like she asked. Will it become a center for supply chain integration for quantum and climate resilience technologies?

For Dr. Chitnis, it must be a hub of innovation — particularly in these two industries — for the region to progress. Climate resilience and quantum technologies are of critical importance, as are the minerals required to support them. Thankfully, the Mountain West has the materials, and through regional integration and collaboration, can leverage them to build a robust and resilient quantum and climate economy. Dr. Keller agreed it was better to produce minerals in the United States than in Africa or other places without strong labor or environmental laws, but he argued the country needs to encourage companies to set out on those ventures. Over the next five years, he saw an opportunity with the Trump Administration to significantly streamline regulation, making it easier to build new industries. Mr. Freeman expressed his frustration at times with the comparatively small footprint of manufacturing in the Mountain West. He hopes one outcome of the Conversation will be increased collaboration aimed at boosting the manufacturing sector in the region.

Ms. Wince-Smith left participants with one final word of advice: not to be captured by the “tyranny of incremental change.” Now was a time for big ideas and big moves that changed the course of the region, and set it on a path for future prosperity.