U.S.Ambassador Frank E. Baxter, lower right, observes as a congratulatory message from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is played over closed-circuit TV during a luncheon at the Americas Innovation Forum in Punta del Este, March 31, 2008.

The strong participation of U.S. corporate and government officials at the Americas Innovation Forum held March 30-April 1 in Punta del Este, Uruguay, demonstrated the United States’ support for regional collaboration in technology and education.

U.S. Ambassador Frank E. Baxter counted among the American delegation to the forum, which aimed at furthering the Western Hemisphere’s competitiveness through fostering innovation in biosciences, education, engineering and information technology.

>Click to enlarge photo  U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade, Christopher Padilla, speaking at the Americas Forum on Innovation in Punta del Este, March 31, 2008.

>Click to enlarge photo  Under Secretary Christopher Padilla shakes hands with Uruguayan Minister of Finance Danilo Astori following his speech at the Americas Forum on Innovation in Punta del Este, March 31, 2008.

“We share the responsibility of bringing together the private and public sectors to promote our collective advancement,” said Christopher Padilla, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce, during a luncheon speech at the forum.

Mr. Padilla highlighted the need for governments in the Americas to create environments where private capital “feels safe” so investors choose this region over China or India. But he stressed that the role of government should be one of promoting innovation without directing it.

Governments can work to protect intellectual property rights, create safe capital markets, structure efficient bankruptcy laws and fund education in science and math, all of which form a basis market-driven innovation, he said. He especially applauded Uruguay’s commitment to supporting technology-based educational programs, such as providing laptop computers to primary school children.

Uruguay was the first country to adopt the One Laptop Per Child program, which was presented by its founder, Nicholas Negroponte, during the forum.

Dr. Negroponte, on leave as director of the MIT Media Laboratory, praised Uruguay for being the first country to implement the program that aims to provide a laptop computer for each primary school child in the country in efforts to promote innovative education. Giving children computers enables them to take part in shaping their own education inside and outside of the classroom and helps create a culture of learning in developing countries, he said.

Other U.S. representatives at the forum, including Pedro Less Andrade of Google and John Murphy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, discussed introducing policies that protect intellectual property and create positive environments for innovation.

U.S. technology company representatives Edwin Estrada and David Byer of Apple Inc., Scott Barber of PerfTestPlus Inc. and Yannis Karmis of Sabre Holdings challenged companies to encourage innovation among their employees and to incorporate it into their business models. Jorge Salles of Microsoft explained his company’s distribution of technologies to underserved communities to foster broader networks of innovation.

Andreas Stavropoulos of DFJ Silicon Valley emphasized the need for active venture capital markets to grow innovation, and Raymond Killian of Investment Technology Group underscored the importance of introducing disruptive technologies into a business to keep it innovative.

Steve Kelley and Orlando Rojas of North Carolina State University presented innovative bio- and nanotechnology projects on cellulosic biofuels, and Richard Katzman of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center outlined the challenges surrounding technology transfer.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger even relayed a congratulatory message to the forum via video, expressing his support for Uruguay’s initiative in promoting innovation in the region.

The Americas Innovation Forum, held at the Conrad Hotel and Casino, attended by more than 1,000 business and government leaders from Uruguay, as well as other countries in the Americas and Europe. It was a follow-up to the Americas Competitiveness Forum held in June 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, and served as a precursor to the second annual Americas Competitiveness Forum scheduled to take place in Atlanta, August 17-19, 2008.

For more information on the Americas Innovation Forum in Uruguay, visit http://www.fia2008.com.uy.

To register for the Americas Competitiveness Forum in Atlanta, visit http://trade.gov/competitiveness/ACF/index.asp.

Additional resources and information on innovation available through the IRC's Webliography on Innovation.