The Center for Innovation Policy at Duke Law

Spring 2022 Virtual Conference
Thursday, March 3, 2022, 1:15 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
Friday, March 4, 2022, 9:25 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

There is great interest across government, industry, and academia in improving the U.S. innovation system, particularly in light of competitive threats from countries like China. American universities have long been a foundation of U.S. leadership in science, technology, and innovation. As with other U.S. innovation institutions, however, universities face complex challenges. National security concerns have put a damper on many aspects of cross-border funding and collaboration. Restrictive immigration policies have raised questions about the talent pipeline into U.S. universities and the private sector. Meanwhile, collaborations across the university/industry divide, encouraged by U.S. legislation for over 40 years, continue to raise new questions.

The conference aimed to outline a new framework for America’s universities in the context of the country’s long-term competitive future. The conference addressed four key questions within this framework:

• What leadership role should universities play in addressing America’s innovation challenges?
• How should immigration policies be structured so that universities, corporate research units, and government labs can attract the talent they need in the future?
• How should we balance the imperatives of national security and the value of cross-border cooperation across universities?
• How should university-industry linkages better address current competitiveness challenges?

To discuss these issues, we were joined by important academic, government, and industry leaders including our keynote speaker Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University. Each session featured ample time for audience questions to the speakers.

The conference was free and open to everyone; however, registration was required.

You can view each session using the appropriate link in the Agenda below. And find out more about each session by clicking on the title in Agenda below.

Co-Sponsors