Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009  | 8:30 am to 9:30 am

Presidential Advisors Discuss the Obama Administration's Innovation Agenda and How It Could Impact the Pittsburgh Region.

The Pittsburgh Technology Council and Innovation Works are teaming up to convene a presentation and discussion about the nature and direction of President Obama's recently announced Innovation Agenda.  President Obama has requested the appropriation of $100 million in fiscal year 2010 for the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce. This would fund an unprecedented national program specifically dedicated to supporting regional innovation clusters and business incubators that fuse the geographically shared resources of universities and other research organizations, companies, research centers, governments, and workers.

Our guest speakers are Ed Paisley and Jonathan Sallet, authors of Geography of Innovation: The Federal Government and the Growth of Regional Innovation Clusters. Their report was published by the Center for American Progress of which there is "no group in Washington with more influence at this moment in history" according to a recent pronouncement in Time magazine. These influential authors will discuss the role of the U.S. Economic Development Administration in coordinating innovation policies with the White House and the potential impact of those policies on Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio and West Virginia. 

Speakers:

Ed Paisley, vice president for editorial at the Center for American Progress Action Fund, was a founding editor of The Deal and the former Asia bureau chief of Institutional Investor.

Jonathan Sallet is a managing director of The Glover Park Group and a former director of the Department of Commerce’s Office of Policy and Strategic Planning under Secretary Ron Brown.