Global Innovation Forum

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk will deliver keynote remarks at this event, which will also feature leadership from the National Foreign Trade Council and Howard University.


President Obama’s economic agenda, including his trade agenda, is aimed at supporting the American Middle Class.  As American jobs are increasingly based in innovation-driven sectors, the rules that govern the trade of innovation in the global economy, such as intellectual property rights protections, are of particular importance to workers, entrepreneurs, universities and local development efforts to create jobs for middle class Americans.  


Participants in this half-day, roundtable format session include thought leaders who understand the value of entrepreneurship and innovation to job creation, who can contribute substantively to practical recommendations from a range of perspectives, and represent a rich diversity of backgrounds and experiences.  The half-day roundtable will focus on the relationship between the work of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and its relationship to the roles of other government actors, universities and the private sector in developing thriving local innovation communities and jobs for middle class Americans in a competitive global economy.  Participants will be divided into breakout sessions and engaged to discuss the following topics:

Session 1: Attracting Investment, Growing Businesses and Creating American Jobs
Session 2: Empowering a Successful Innovation Workforce in America
Session 3: Enforcing Global Trade Rules to Protect American Jobs


About the ELI Institute



Howard University's ELI Institute seeks to transform the way entrepreneurship is taught and experienced so that any student, regardless of their field of study, has the opportunity to participate.  The Institute provides an environment that supports entrepreneurial activities and initiatives that create jobs and fuel economic growth in minority communities.