[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15050]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL INNOVATION INITIATIVE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHNNY ISAKSON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 9, 2004

  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, America's ability to innovate will 
determine our citizens' standards of living and competitiveness in the 
21st century. I would like to highlight what leaders in my district, 
IBM and Georgia Tech, are doing to ensure that America remains the most 
innovative country in the world.
  Sam Palmisano, the CEO of IBM, and Wayne Clough, the President of 
Georgia Tech, launched a National Innovation Initiative last fall 
through the Council on Competitiveness. They have pulled together 
hundreds of the nation's top minds from industry, academia, and 
government to develop a national agenda that will be released in 
December of this year. An interim report will be issued soon.
  These leaders understand that innovation relies on much more than 
science and technology funding, although that remains important. 
Innovation is putting new ideas into action to better our lives--a 
blend of invention, insight and entrepreneurism that launches new 
growth industries and creates high-value jobs. Innovation can be a new 
product, process--or increasingly in our economy--a service.
  Our future relies on whether we establish an ecosystem of smart 
policies that recognize how innovation is changing in our global, open 
and connected economy. The National Innovation Initiative will sharpen 
our understanding of contemporary innovation and recommend bold action 
on many fronts to ensure that America has the talent, infrastructure, 
and investment to succeed.
  I salute IBM and Georgia Tech for their leadership; look forward to 
reviewing the National Innovation Agenda; and pledge to be a partner in 
keeping the United States at the forefront of innovation.

                          ____________________