This Indiana-Illinois Competitiveness Conversations’ opening panel discussion highlighted the importance of strategic focus, collaboration, and innovation in maintaining and enhancing U.S. competitiveness. The speakers, each leaders of institutions with innovation central to their identity, advocated for leveraging regional strengths and fostering partnerships to address societal challenges.
The Hon. Deborah Wince-Smith, President and CEO of the Council on Competitiveness, opened the panel by expressing her gratitude to Purdue University President Mung Chiang, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert J. Jones, and Argonne National Laboratory Director Paul Kearns for their leadership and participation in this important conversation.
“America’s competitive advantage will not come from just one technology, but from the melding of many.”
The Hon. Deborah L. Wince-Smith
President & CEO, Council on Competitiveness
Dr. Chiang then shared a reflection, crediting his decision to join Purdue to the legacy of former president and longtime Council Member Dr. Mitch Daniels, and the university's commitment to excellence. He noted that Purdue's focus and winning streak in national competitions for regional tech hubs, hydrogen hubs, and electronic commons are testaments to both its strength and the Indiana-Illinois Corridor collaborative culture, collective resources, and capabilities and potential for the highest levels of innovation.
Dr. Kearns built upon Dr. Chiang’s comments by sharing the unique characteristics of the DOE National Laboratory System—particularly Argonne National Laboratory—which includes not only pivotal discoveries but also scientific leadership and scale. He also built on the idea of collaboration and partnership in the region, particularly between Argonne and Purdue, which is only growing. As an example, Dr. Kearns shared that Purdue is the most active user of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne.
"We have the unique opportunity through the DOE national laboratory system to bring our national user facilities to collaborations and the region with innovations such as Advanced Photon Source.”
Dr. Paul Kearns
Director,Argonne National Laboratory
The three institutions—Purdue, Argonne, and the University of Illinois System—are anchors of a robust ecosystem that harnesses advanced user facilities to support research in material science, energy, computing, and biology.
Dr. Jones also added that the region’s six R1 universities strengthen the innovation ecosystem by conducting cutting-edge research. He also pointed to the rapid growth of the agricultural sector in Illinois as a critical component of innovation, reinforcing that agriculture remains the state’s largest industry and exporter, harmonizing with Congressman Baird’s earlier comments.
Throughout the discussion, several themes surfaced from the panelists:
The Cohosts underscored the necessity for the United States to expand the geographic reach of innovation to places like the Indiana-Illinois Innovation Corridor. Ms.Wince-Smith noted that many Americans are not fully participating in the innovation ecosystem, which dramatically limits the nation’s collective capabilities and competitiveness. However, bringing more people into the innovation economy is something being directly worked on in the region.
“Most challenges in society are too complex for any one entity to solve alone. So, we need these public-private partnerships to find the best and most sustainable solutions.”
Dr. Robert J. Jones
Chancellor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Regarding building an innovation ecosystem, Dr. Chiang provided a critical idea he referred to as “curated densification.” Regions cannot be good at everything in the world, he argued, so to be globally competitive, regions must be strategic in where they invest. Dr. Chiang identified the Purdue Research Park as a point of success for this curated densification approach. It is focused on semiconductor production, centralizing semiconductor education, research, and manufacturing in the research park. The recent SK Hynix announcement to build a major FAB for AI chips at Purdue Research Park is bolstering this densification.
Dr. Jones emphasized the importance of public-private partnerships in driving effective and sustainable solutions. He highlighted the need for universities to partner with the private sector to not only spur innovation but also coordinate workforce development to support emerging industries. Dr. Chiang echoed the Chancellor’s sentiment, and he was excited to announce a collaborative memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed with Argonne National Laboratory earlier that day—underscoring the value of strategic partnerships.
The Chancellor also argued that complex societal challenges cannot be solved by a single entity. He reflected on a significant collaboration that resulted in the establishment of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, where universities united to secure $200 million in funding for quantum research. The Quantum Exchange is also an interesting case in collaboration, as its objective is to unify researchers from across institutions to foster innovation in quantum technology. With over 50 organizations now participating—including Argonne, the University of Illinois, and Purdue—the Quantum Exchange is already facilitating valuable interactions between researchers and industry leaders.
Dr. Kearns, on the topic of quantum, touched on the role of Argonne in national quantum research. He noted the lab's leadership in the Q-NEXT, one of the five Department of Energy National Quantum Information Science Research Centers focused on quantum interconnects, and highlighted Argonne’s partnerships with IBM and Verizon that allow for the integration of fundamental science and industry applications.
Another theme was the need to improve health outcomes, which again is being addressed through institutional collaboration in the region. Dr. Jones shared the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, as an example. The Biohub is a partnership between the University of Illinois, the University of Chicago, and Northwestern University that focuses on interdisciplinary research to address major health challenges like inflammation. Dr. Kearns then shared how The Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory—the world’s brightest high-energy x-ray light source—is crucial for understanding complex biological processes. The facility's advanced imaging capabilities can enhance drug design and therapeutic approaches, making it an invaluable resource for researchers aiming to make breakthroughs in the biosciences.
As this opening panel concluded, it was evident that all cohosts shared a strong commitment to “radical collaboration” across institutions to drive growth in the Indiana-Illinois Corridor. This focus on interdisciplinarity will enable the region to build a more productive, secure, healthy, and prosperous future.