As we enter into 2011 there is still much cynicism and debate about the state of innovation here in the U.S. and abroad. What ingredients are needed to spur it? What geographies will lead the way? What should be government’s involvement? What is the private sector’s role? Will the global economy get back on track? We will fail? Will we succeed? 

However, no matter where your opinion happens to fall on the optimism – pessimism spectrum, it is hard to not feel some glimmer of hope when you consider the amount of great thinking, new cutting-edge products and technologies, and amount of incredible innovations on display in the first two weeks of the year at both the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

CES was the venue for 20,000 new product introductions from 2,700 different companies including names such as Motorola, Corning, Cisco, Energizer, Netflix, Xerox, Samsung and Hewlett Packard to name a few. In addition to some really snazzy new technologies and devices, many other topics and issues central to innovation were introduced and discussed including open access, broadband spectrum, wireless video, the need for improved K-12 schooling, changes in tax policy, and a focus on free trade.

One week later in Detroit, thousands of key opinion leaders from the global automotive industry including CEOs and executives from Porsche, Ford, BMW, Volvo and others met for 72 hours and witnessed the worldwide debut of nearly 40 vehicles and also exchanged ideas and strategies that affect global economics.

From our perspective here at the iBridge Network, it is great to see that innovation is alive and leading to tangible outcomes that can (and already are in some instances) boost the economy, create jobs, and make us safer, connected, entertained, educated and informed. It is also promising to see the sheer volume of collaboration, access, resources, and bright thinking taking place and making all of this possible.

While opinions may differ on how all of the pieces should fit together and what role all parties should ultimately play, one thing is clear after 18 days of the New Year : There are a large number of business and government leaders who care about our future and are already focusing on results. Now that is a reason for optimism.  

The iBridge Network also cares very much about the future of innovation and is truly invested in further helping many of these companies, institutions, universities, and entrepreneurs to turn ideas and research into commercialized products. Speaking of a tremendous first few weeks of the year, we have already signed 10 new members, bringing the total number of member organizations to 122. Stay tuned for more news and details on that in the coming weeks.

A Time for Reflection and Looking Forward
 

It’s that time of year again…a time to look back and reflect on all that was accomplished throughout the year, and also a time to look ahead with a renewed sense of passion and excitement at the next 12 months.

For the iBridge Network, 2010 was a year of great success and momentum. We continued to serve as an innovation hub for entrepreneurs, universities, organizations and industry by providing access to the right people, the most appropriate resources and the brightest thinking. We began the year with 3,700+ members and we finished with nearly 5,000 spanning across 119 organizations including four of the top five, seven of the top 10, and 19 of the top 25 research universities in the United States. Since our inception we have talked a lot about putting ideas, access, transparency and outcomes at the forefront of today’s innovation agenda and we are pleased to say that in 2010 we added nearly 4,000 innovations to the site and had nearly 160,000 visitors check out what we were doing.

Additionally, we established working partnerships and collaborations with: Knowledge Sharing Systems (KSS) to interface KSS TechTracS® to the iBridge online community, enabling universities and research institutions to better highlight their intellectual property portfolios; and recipients of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA), a consortium of 46 medical research institutions dedicated to enhancing the efficiency and quality of clinical and translational research, to seamlessly join users of CTSA’s CTSA-IP initiative with more than 100 other research institutions around the world.

Furthermore, we also implemented our previously announced relationship with the USA National Innovation Marketplace—which is supported by the US Department of Commerce’s NIST/MEP Network and Eureka! Ranch International—to enable innovation and research listings from non-profit organizations to coexist on our site, allowing for even more exposure and collaboration opportunities for them.

And, what is perhaps our most exciting endeavor of the year, we continued our international expansion! In November 2009 we signed the acclaimed Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore’s leading science and technology university, as our first international member organization. We carried that momentum into 2010 with the addition of Toronto’s University Health Network and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.  

Of course, none of this would be possible without the unwavering support and participation of all of our member organizations as well as the commitment of our passionate employees and advisors. We want to thank everyone involved in making 2010 a huge success for iBridge and for innovation and we look forward to continuing our efforts and working with all of you in 2011. Happy Holidays!