USPTO appoints new members to Council for Inclusive Innovation to increase opportunity and fuel the US innovation economy New members will advance the Council's work to implement the USPTO's National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation and develop initiatives to increase the number of US innovators  WASHINGTON—The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) announced the appointment of ten new members to its Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI2). The new Council members were announced at a reconvening of the full Council at the White House on Tuesday. The new appointments include: - Christopher James, President and CEO, The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
- Hervé Hoppenot, President and CEO, Incyte
- Liren Chen, President and CEO, InterDigital, Inc.
- Megan Smith, CEO and Founder, shift7
- Pamela Melroy, Deputy Administrator, NASA
- Rory Cooper, National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureate and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Pittsburgh
- Grant Warner, Executive Director, Center for Black Entrepreneurship
- Wendy Lea, Co-Founder and Partner, TechHubNow!
- Mae Jemison, Founder, The Jemison Group, Inc.
- Tony Allen, President, Delaware State University
The new members joined the Council to discuss an action plan to adopt and implement the USPTO's National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation Strategy and develop additional ideas for driving more U.S. innovation. The Strategy aims to grow the economy, create quality jobs, and address global challenges by increasing participation in STEM, inventorship, and innovation among youth and those from historically underserved communities. "The Council for Inclusive Innovation is committed to encouraging and equipping generations of Americans to become inventors, entrepreneurs, and innovation leaders," said Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. "As we put our national strategy into action and increase participation in STEM, inventorship, and the innovation ecosystem, we will grow the economy, create quality jobs, and improve our ability to address global challenges." "Increasing participation in our innovation ecosystem is a national and economic imperative," said Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO. "We need everyone at bat to lift American communities and solve world problems. This Council's leadership will define how we work together to break down existing barriers to foster American competitiveness and drive our society and economy forward." Since its formation in 2020, the Council has developed new initiatives to expand innovation and promote jobs and economic prosperity, including a program to expedite examination of patent applications from first-time filers and an innovation internship program. CI2 will continue to strategize how to develop a comprehensive, lifelong approach that spurs interest in innovation and inventing, and provides for increased access to the innovation ecosystem. CI2 and its forerunner, the National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI), were formed out of a recommendation in the USPTO's 2018 SUCCESS Act study and report that aimed to increase the participation and development of women, veterans, and underrepresented groups as inventors and entrepreneurs. For additional information on the Council, including the full list of Council members, see the USPTO's CI2 webpage. |
