MEDIA ADVISORY: Measuring Innovation in America and Its Impact on the Economy

Experts to Address Study of Innovation Friday, Nov. 21, 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. EST, Fairmont Washington, D.C.

WHAT:

As part of the 2008 Kauffman Symposium on Entrepreneurship and Innovation Data, experts will have a panel discussion on "Developing New Data for the Study of Innovation." During this discussion, the panelists will address the challenges of promoting and measuring innovation in America.

The discussion will involve the report from the "Workshop on Developing a New Research Data Infrastructure for the Study of Organizations and Innovations," which was hosted by the Conference Board in July and funded by the National Science Foundation. The experts at the workshop discussed limitations to the current understanding of innovation in businesses and its role in the economy and global business environment. During the panel discussion on Friday, participants will consider the workshop report's recommendations for the development of new data and research for the study of innovation.

WHO:

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
The Conference Board
National Science Foundation

WHERE:

Fairmont Washington, D.C.
2401 M. Street NW
Washington, D.C.

WHEN:

Friday, Nov. 21, 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. EST

WHY:

Concern that the United States may be under-investing in innovation and in the factors that give rise to innovation is growing. Because few meaningful measures of innovation are available, there is scant capacity to identify and predict how investments in innovation will affect the nation's competitiveness. Developing a program to create the business microdata needed to study the what, how and why of innovation is vital for understanding the sources and drivers of national productivity gains and increases in living standards.

The discussion is taking part in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week, which culminates on Saturday, Nov. 23.

MEDIA NOTE:

To review the complete workshop report, "Workshop on Developing a New Research Data Infrastructure for the Study of Organizations and Innovations," visit www.conference-board.org/events/nsf/.