News & Updates

The Exploring Innovation Frontiers Initiative (EIFI) is a national, public-private effort to accelerate the over-the-horizon, transformative innovation models that will drive U.S. competitiveness in the coming decades. This initiative was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Engineering, Office of Emerging Frontiers of Research and Innovation (EFRI).

The Exploring Innovation Frontiers Initiative (EIFI) is a national, public-private effort to accelerate the over-the-horizon, transformative innovation models that will drive U.S. competitiveness in the coming decades. This initiative was sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate of Engineering, Office of Emerging Frontiers of Research and Innovation (EFRI).

This report represents a distillation and concentration of the critical outcomes from a series of distinctive, expert dialogues designed to uncover new recommendations to strengthen the spectrum of innovation—from discovery to deployment in the marketplace. Transform connects threads from across the national and regional dialogues to drive powerful recommendations and construct a roadmap to a […]

Public-Private Effort Accelerates Transformative Innovation Models On June 9, 2015 in Atlanta, the Council on Competitiveness, Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Research Alliance and Metro Atlanta Chamber—with the support of the National Science Foundation—hosted the first in series of dialogues as part of the Exploring Innovation Frontiers Initiative (EIFI). EIFI is a national public-private effort […]

The Council on Competitiveness (Council) has been working on regional economic development since it launched its Clusters of Innovation project in 1999 in cooperation with Harvard professor Michael Porter. As a leadership body, the Council focuses on those issues that increase U.S. productivity, innovative capacity and global competitiveness, the key elements that drive the Council’s […]

Prepared by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the Council on Competitiveness.

One of the biggest challenges in implementing regional development efforts is recruiting business leaders who lend their insight, influence and financial resources to these projects. The Council believes that having actively engaged business executives is critical to almost any regional effort, be it focused on talent development, transportation, energy sustainability or comprehensive efforts to build regional […]

In Retooling for Growth, experts present new frameworks, cutting-edge analysis, and innovative policy solutions through which the nation's government, business, civic and community leaders can sculpt a sustainable and supportable economy for older industrial areas. The unique focus on rehabilitating weak market cities outlines ideas for reshaping the role of public agencies, the workforce, business […]

The future of national and regional competitiveness will depend on our ability to compete in the conceptual economy where the most important contest is being fought in the arenas of ideas, learning and delivering new kinds of value to the marketplace. In the conceptual economy, higher education is more important for America's regions than ever. […]

The Mid-Michigan Innovation Team, through a Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant from the Department of Labor, has made significant progress in addressing the challenges facing the Mid-Michigan region. This assessment was presented by Randall Kempner, vice president for regional innovation at the Council, at the Mid-Michigan Innovation Team Town Hall Meeting in […]