Month: June 2015
Photo by Richard Hurd
Welcome New Members – June
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce welcomes these new members. Please keep these companies in mind when doing business. View the complete directory listing of all Chamber members.
Photo by Richard Hurd
Chamber joins 252 businesses nationwide in call to action on American Innovation Imperative
Action follows American Academy of Arts & Sciences report
June 23, 2015 – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce today joined scores of other organizations, as well as leaders of American business, industry, higher education, science and engineering in an urgent call to action for stronger federal policies and investment to drive domestic research and development.
Ten CEOs and 252 organizations signed “Innovation: An American Imperative,” a document aimed at federal decision makers and legislators. It underscores the findings—and warnings—contained in The American Academy of Arts & Sciences report, Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream.
The CEOs who have signed on to the effort are:
- Samuel R. Allen, Chairman & CEO, John Deere
- Norman R. Augustine, Co-Chair, Restoring the Foundation
- Wes Bush, Chairman, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman
- Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman & CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.
- Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President, & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
- Charles O. Holliday, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
- Joseph Jimenez, CEO, Novartis
- W. James McNerney, Jr., Chairman of the Board & CEO, The Boeing Company
- Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
- Jay Timmons, President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
According to Restoring the Foundation, “There is a deficit between what America is investing and what it should be investing to remain competitive, not only in research but in innovation and job creation.” The United States is failing to keep pace with competitor nations with regard to investments in basic research and development. America’s ascendency in the 20th century was due in large part—if not primarily—to its investments in science and engineering research. Basic research is behind every new product brought to market, every new medical device or drug, every new defense and space technology and many innovative business practices.
Over the last two decades, a steady decline in investment in research & development (R&D) in the United States has allowed our nation to fall to 10th place in R&D investment among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD) nations as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).
At this pace, China will surpass the United States in R&D intensity in about eight years.
These developments led a diverse coalition of those concerned with the future of research in America to join together in presenting the Innovation Imperative to federal policy makers and urging them to take action to:
- End sequestration’s deep cuts to federal investments in R&D
- Make permanent a strengthened federal R&D tax credit
- Improve student achievement in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM)
- Reform U.S. visa policy
- Streamline or eliminate costly and inefficient regulations
- Reaffirm merit-based peer review
- Stimulate further improvements in advanced manufacturing
Details on these action items, as well as a full list of signatories, are included in the full document, which is linked above and posted on the websites of each of the following organizations:
- American Academy of Arts & Sciences
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Association of American Universities
- Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
- Battelle
- Coalition for National Science Funding
- Coalition for National Security Research
- Council on Competitiveness
- Energy Sciences Coalition
- Task Force on American Innovation
- The Science Coalition
www.innovationimperative.us #InnovationImperative
Contact: Melanie Conklin, Managing Director of Brand, (608) 443-1952
About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging from one-person shops to corporations with more than 8,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting-edge technologies to distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.
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Photo by Richard Hurd
Chamber Joins Federal Call to Action for Innovation
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce joined more than 250 organizations in business, education, science, industry and engineering in signing “Innovation: An American Imperative.” This statement is a national call to action to strengthen federal policies as well as find sustainable investment channels for research and development that fund important innovation. A similar statement was released in 2007. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the second city chamber in the country to sign on to the initiative.
CEOs from around the country joined the effort including signatories below:
- Samuel R. Allen, Chairman & CEO, John Deere
- Norman R. Augustine, Co-Chair, Restoring the Foundation
- Wes Bush, Chairman, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman
- Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman & CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.
- Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President, & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
- Charles O. Holliday, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
- Joseph Jimenez, CEO, Novartis
- W. James McNerney, Jr., Chairman of the Board & CEO, The Boeing Company
- Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
- Jay Timmons, President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
This initiative focuses on important areas of the Chamber’s most recent legislative agenda including:
- Ending sequestration’s deep cuts to federal investments in R&D
- Making permanent a strengthened federal R&D tax credit
- Reforming U.S. visa policy
- Stimulating further improvements in advanced manufacturing
For a complete copy of the statement, see here.