As Tennessee continues to build momentum in its innovation economy, leaders from industry, education, government, and nonprofits will gather in Nashville this week to discuss how other communities can learn from the state’s successes and more. , discussed the challenges and opportunities ahead.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville President Donde Plowman and Vanderbilt University President Daniel Diermeyer, along with Competitiveness Council President Deborah Wince-Smith, hosted two days of dialogue on Vanderbilt’s campus to discuss mobility, energy, , focused on Tennessee’s role in the future of energy and other innovation ecosystems. and manufacturing.
“We know Tennessee has a great story to tell about how we can leverage our strengths to drive innovation and build a knowledge-based economy,” Plowman said. “Bringing smart and creative leaders together to discuss ways to generate new ideas and strengthen collaboration will help us build on that momentum.”
Topics covered during the event included meeting the industry’s evolving workforce needs, how to foster new ideas through public-private partnerships, and how to create a collaborative entrepreneurial ecosystem in which startups thrive. , and how to invest in the infrastructure that attracts and retains business.
Speakers and panelists included leaders from Nissan, Volkswagen, Bridgestone, Oracle, Google, Tennessee Valley Authority, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and more. Leaders emphasized their desire to participate in an ecosystem with other forward-thinking organizations and the value of collaborating with higher education institutions on both research and development and workforce development.
U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty and Gov. Bill Lee also gave keynote speeches Thursday and Friday.
Lee has been an advocate for advancing nuclear energy in Tennessee, including appointing a new advisory board and pledging a $50 million fund to invest in developing the state’s nuclear energy ecosystem.
Brian Wirth, UT-ORNL Governor’s Chair for Computational Engineering, pointed to that work during a presentation on emerging fusion technologies.
“I feel very fortunate to be a volunteer in a state that strongly supports this innovative vision for the future,” he said. “We have the potential to provide our state with a safe and sustainable energy source through nuclear fusion. We need more technology around our reactors, so we have to innovate.”
The event is the first in a series of regional summits scheduled in strategic cities across the U.S. in partnership with the Council on Competitiveness, a national coalition focused on positioning the U.S. economy to compete globally. Met.
The Council for Competitiveness is a national nonprofit organization that has advocated for national productivity and inclusive prosperity for the past 30 years. By building bridges between sectors, we aim to foster entrepreneurship, promote the commercialization of innovative ideas, and increase America’s competitiveness in the global economy.
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