News & Updates

Dear Council on Competitiveness Members and Friends, For four decades, an extraordinary group of members and leaders have defined, strengthened and stretched the Council on Competitiveness—a tradition that continues as we welcome our next Chair. The Council’s Board and Executive Committee have unanimously elected Mr. J. Erik Fyrwald, CEO of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. […]

Washington, DC, August 28, 2025 — Today, the Council on Competitiveness (Council) will announce Mr. J. Erik Fyrwald, CEO, IFF, as its next Chair. The announcement comes in advance of the Council’s September 17-18, 2025, Executive Committee and National Commissioners Meeting in Lafayette, IN, which is themed around the future of the bioeconomy, and will bring […]

The United States faces an increasingly urgent challenge: a growing dependence on China, its economic rival and geopolitical adversary, for critical technologies that underpin both national security and economic stability. Critical minerals for most emerging technologies are now almost wholly mined and processed in China. The United States heavily relies upon China for manufacturing tools […]

In the spirit of working to accelerate innovation and advance U.S. competitiveness, the Council is excited to share a robust lineup of key events in the months ahead: Want to learn how to engage in these upcoming events? Read the full July edition of the Compete Connect newsletter below:

AI, biotech, quantum, and other breakthrough technologies are reshaping the global economy — and the race to lead them is intensifying. While the United States invested a record $940 billion in R&D in 2023 (approximately 79 percent of which was conducted by business), other nations are moving fast to scale innovation and claim leadership in […]

How can commercial space operations increase manufacturing competitiveness on earth? How did we get here? In 1990 NASA began planning for the development of a commercial space-launch industry. In 2005 NASA officially implemented the Commercial Orbital Transportation Service program, to bring cargo to the International Space Station (ISS). The result was the emergence of many new […]

As we approach the Nation’s 249th birthday, the Council on Competitiveness is accelerating toward an action-packed second half of 2025 — and we invite you to be part of it. Looking forward, we are set to advance critical work on the global stage with a Council delegation traveling to Australia in July. This fall, we […]

The year 2025 is poised to be pivotal for biotechnology and health sciences, a highly dynamic and competitive sector fueled by rapid innovation, lucrative market potential, and an enduring demand for advancements in research and development. Emerging technologies such as gene editing, designing synthetic organisms, and genomic sequencing are revolutionizing the field. The integration of […]

The Council on Competitiveness is deeply saddened to mark the passing of John Young, Founder of the Council on Competitiveness and former CEO of Hewlett Packard, a visionary leader whose manifold contributions have ignited U.S. competitiveness for four decades. As Chairman of President Reagan's Commission on Industrial Competitiveness — tasked with exploring ways to strengthen the competitive […]

Seagoing trade is one of the cornerstones of our modern, globalized economy. More than 70 percent of the world’s trade by value is shipped by ocean, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the volume of goods traded has grown from 6 billion tons in 2000 to nearly 13 billion tons today, […]