Changes in Innovation Ecology

Innovation flourishes in settings that promote curiosity, respect and vision. Education, research, science, investment and good-government practices contribute to innovation. But societies must also introduce, apply and distribute the best ideas – and the infrastructure in the US that produced so much innovation during the 20th century is now broken, warns William Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering, in an editorial for Science Magazine. He explains that much of the infrastructure supporting science, from anti-trust law to intellectual-property protections, while ideal for old designs, is ill prepared for emerging technologies. He predicts that competitors in the modern world must prepare to provide ubiquity combined with “mass customization” rather than “mass production” and concludes, “To prosper, we need an international process that can, time after time, fundamentally rethink the elements of our innovation ecology.” Profits and traditions from old industries can deter societies from pursuing the benefits of new technology. – YaleGlobal