On December 14, 2011, The Innovation Economy partners hosted "Innovation and the Global Marketplace: A Discussion on American Innovation, Trade and the Next 10 Million Jobs."

During the event U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton explored the critical connections between American jobs, economic growth and U.S. relationships around the world, through issues like trade agreements, public diplomacy, global innovation patterns and policies, the impact of technology on international relationships and geopolitics, and the rapidly changing global marketplace.

Check back soon for full video and more event photos.

PBS NewsHour’s Hari Sreenivasan previews the upcoming “Innovation and the Global Marketplace: A Discussion on American Innovation, Trade and the Next 10 Million Jobs” event, which features a conversation between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer. Watch LIVE on Dec. 14 starting at 8:45 a.m. EST. For more information.

Follow The Innovation Economy on Twitter (@InnovationEcon) for real-time event updates and check out the official event hashtag #IEglobalmkt for LIVE tweeting from the event.

Over the next 20 years, the size of the global middle class is set to grow dramatically from 1.8 billion (today) to potentially 5 billion people in 2030, according to a 2010 Brookings Institution report.

In light of our increasingly interconnected world and expanding global middle class, The Innovation Economy conversation this year has focused on the vital role of innovation in the global marketplace, specifically – the critical connections between American jobs, the exchange of ideas, global trade and U.S. relationships around the world.

Earlier this year, we hosted a conversation at The Aspen Institute with Ambassador Ron Kirk, United States Trade Representative, on how best to access the promise of global markets, the connection between open markets and the innovation economy, and the priority of saving and creating American jobs as we pursue economic growth.

Next week, we will continue that conversation with a discussion about how both the global and American innovation economies will be impacted as markets and the global middle class expand.  In particular, how does this expansion influence competition, education and innovation within and between nations?

As the culmination of this year’s discussion on the global innovation economy, we invite you to join The Aspen Institute, PBS NewsHour and Intel Corporation on Wednesday, December 14, at 8:45 a.m. EST to watch the LIVE webcast of:

INNOVATION AND THE GLOBAL MARKETPLACE

A Discussion on American Innovation, Trade and the Next 10 Million Jobs

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, interviewed by Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor, PBS NewsHour

The event will explore the critical connections between American jobs, economic growth and U.S. relationships around the world, through issues like trade agreements, public diplomacy, global innovation patterns and policies, the impact of technology on international relationships and geopolitics, and the rapidly changing global marketplace.

This half-day event will be webcast live on www.TheInnovationEconomy.org. 

Follow The Innovation Economy on Twitter (@InnovationEcon) for real-time event updates and check out the official event hashtag #IEglobalmkt for LIVE tweeting from the event.

EVENT PROGRAM:

Innovation, Trade and Creating the Next 10 Million Jobs

A discussion on the intersections among innovation, economic growth, job creation and global trade.

•  C. Fred Bergsten, Director, The Peterson Institute for International Economics
• Myron Brilliant, Senior Vice President, International Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Thea Mei Lee, Deputy Chief of Staff, AFL-CIO
• Karen Mills, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
• Moderated by Jeffrey Brown, Senior Correspondent, PBS NewsHour 

A Zero-Sum Game? The Expanding Global Marketplace and the Innovation Economy

A conversation on the impact of the burgeoning middle class in China, India and around the developing world.

• Lael Brainard, Under Secretary for International Affairs, U.S. Department of the Treasury
• Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, Center on U.S.-China Relations, Asia Society
• Robert J. Shapiro, Co-Founder and Chairman, Sonecon, LLC
• Moderated by Paul Solman, Business and Economics Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

Innovation and American Jobs

Insights on the policies that will enhance American technological innovation and facilitate job creation.

• Tom Connelly, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, DuPont
• Jim Rogers, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Duke Energy
• Andy Stern, President Emeritus, Service Employees International Union
• Moderated by Vijay Vaitheeswaran, China Business, Finance & Technology Editor, The Economist

In last Saturday’s weekly address, President Obama underscored the vital importance of education to America’s global competitiveness and our long-term economic growth.  Speaking at Intel’s Hillsboro, Oregon campus, the President stated:

If we want to win the global competition for new jobs and industries, we’ve got to win the global competition to educate our people.  We’ve got to have the best trained, best skilled workforce in the world. (President Barack Obama, Feb. 19 Weekly Address)

Investing in and improving education is vital to our country’s future – particularly in the fields that are leading our technology-based innovation economy: science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

We saw further evidence of this during this past December’s “Education for Innovation: A Digital Town Hall,” with the release of a new report on STEM education from The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF): “Refueling the U.S. Innovation Economy.” 

For over a half century, science-based innovation has powered America’s economy, creating good jobs, a high standard of living, and U.S. economic and political leadership. Yet, our nation’s global share of activity in STEM-focused industries is in decline, jeopardizing our status as the world’s leader in innovation.  Moreover, there is clear evidence that the United States is consistently not able to produce enough of its own STEM workers in key fields (e.g., computer science, electrical engineering), even though the best universities for studying these subjects are U.S.-based. (ITIF, Refueling the U.S. Innovation Economy)

The urgency in this report, underscored by President Obama’s recent statements, demonstrates both our need and our ability to improve U.S. education and ignite a culture of curiosity in our students and our classrooms.  During his weekly address, President Obama illustrated the enormous potential of America’s youth:

One young woman, Laurie Rumker, conducted a chemistry experiment to investigate ways to protect our water from pollution.  Another student, named Yushi Wang, applied the principles of quantum physics to design a faster computer chip.  We’re talking about high school students.

So these have been a tough few years for our country.  And in tough times, it’s natural to question what the future holds.  But when you meet young people like Laurie and Yushi, it’s hard not to be inspired.  And it’s impossible not to be confident about America. (President Barack Obama, Feb. 19 Weekly Address)

By investing in education, we will help to create the next generation of innovators that will build U.S. global competitiveness, drive sustainable economic growth and, as the President said, win the future.

Watch the full video of President Obama’s February 19 weekly address, below.

On Tuesday, December 7, Gwen Ifill, Senior Correspondent at the PBS NewsHour, spoke with U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan about the results of the newly released 2009 PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) study which evaluated students around the world in math, science and reading literacy.  She spoke with Secretary Duncan at a live digital town hall hosted by The Innovation Economy and our partners on the subject of “Education for Innovation.”  Watch Gwen Ifill’s PBS NewsHour interview with Secretary Duncan below and click here to watch full video of the town hall.

On Monday, President Obama hosted the White House Science Fair as part of the Educate to Innovate campaign; an effort to improve the participation and performance of America’s students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

Check out a great excerpt from President Obama's speech below, along with video from The White House Blog:

...when you win first place at a science fair, nobody is rushing the field or dumping Gatorade over your head. (Laughter.) But in many ways, our future depends on what happens in those contests -- what happens when a young person is engaged in conducting an experiment, or writing a piece of software, or solving a hard math problem, or designing a new gadget.

It’s in these pursuits that talents are discovered and passions are lit, and the future scientists, engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs are born. That's what’s going to help ensure that we succeed in the next century, that we're leading the world in developing the technologies, businesses and industries of the future.

Welcome to The Innovation Economy Blog. 

This digital forum will continue our ongoing conversation on the vital role innovation plays in strengthening and sustaining the economy.

We invite you to regularly visit this space to read and comment on a variety of viewpoints from leading experts in education, policy, business and academia. We also encourage you to follow us on twitter at @InnovationEcon.

Together, we can sustain and foster the spirit of innovation that drives economic recovery and ensures long-term sustainable growth.