American business executives are enthusiastic about innovation prospects globally, according to a new survey released today by the Council on Competitiveness, a finding that is consistent with the growing evidence of significant investments abroad in science and technology. On the home front, the survey found that executives are neutral to slightly positive about the innovation climate in the Untied States.

"This survey should serve as a wake-up call to business leaders across the United States," said Deborah L. Wince-Smith, President of the Council on Competitiveness. "Innovation is perhaps the single most important factor in maintaining the U.S. competitive advantage in global markets and in driving a higher quality of life in the long-run, and it must be integrated at all levels into our corporate cultures."

This Op-Ed is a clarion call to action for business leaders across Georgia and the entire southeastern United States.

"Regions across America that hope to encourage the development of innovation are not only competing with other areas in the United States, but against a global innovation climate that is robust and growing. Atlanta's rivals are no longer Birmingham and Chattanooga --- they now include Belfast, Beijing, and Bangalore. ... Picking up the pace of American innovation will be the single most important factor in our economic success in the 21st century. Our ability to do that depends on whether we will have the talent to compete globally, whether capital will flow freely to our ideas and businesses, and whether we are quick enough to reform policies that support innovators --- from our aging health care system to our outdated communications laws."

To read more of the Op-Ed, please click on the link above.

To view the Council's "2005 National Innovation Survey", please visit the Innovation Resources page on www.InnovateAmerica.org

The Council on Competitiveness will join Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and other committed stakeholders to launch the first regional summit of the National Innovation Initiative (NII) at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The Innovation Summit will kick off a series of events promoting regional events on a national basis as well as in the South. The Summit will gather CEO’s, university presidents, and labor leaders to discuss how to promote innovation in the Southern region's economy, institutions and culture in the 21st century.

The event will also serve as the Council’s annual meeting, culminating with a dinner to honor Duane Ackerman, our chairman.

The Council on Competitiveness co-hosted "Strategies For Global Prosperity: A U.S.-Japan Innovation Summit" as the culminating event of the 2005 World Expo. The summit brought together two of the world’s most innovative nations through launching a dialogue between U.S. and Japanese private sector thought leaders to discuss major innovation challenges, trends and opportunities facing our two countries. The participants discussed ways in which our two countries can work together to share ideas and best practices to strengthen national and regional innovation ecosystems. Participants identified ways to integrate seamlessly large, emerging economies - that are increasingly focused on innovation-based growth strategies - into the global trading system. Complementing the Council’s strategic goal to carry forward the NII recommendations internationally and engage Asian thought leaders in the global innovation dialogue, the Council hopes this summit will launch an annual bilateral discussion series that provides a framework for future relations with other Asian countries.

For more information on the Council's International Initiative and our activities, please visit our website: www.compete.org