Advanced Technologies Initiative

Nations have long striven to advance to the next technology frontier and raise their economic well-being. In today’s highly dynamic environment, advanced technologies have become even more essential in improving economic competitiveness and national prosperity. The manufacturing industry, propelled by advanced technologies and innovation, plays a key role in enhancing economic prosperity through increased productivity, higher GDP output, and creates higher-income jobs.

About the Advanced Technologies Initiative

Deloitte and the Council on Competitiveness (Council), as part of their multi-year Manufacturing Competitiveness Initiative, embarked on the Advanced Technologies Initiative study to better understand the US innovation ecosystem, identify the most promising technologies impacting the manufacturing industry, as well as understand current and future trends in US and global scientific research and development (R&D). To this end, over the course of the last year Deloitte and the Council interviewed nearly three dozen chief technology officers (CTOs), chief research officers (CROs), chief executive officers (CEOs), and company presidents from the manufacturing sector, as well as nearly a dozen directors of US national laboratories and research facilities.

Importance of advanced industries & assessing America’s competitive standing

In today’s highly dynamic environment, innovation through advanced technologies has become essential in improving economic competitiveness and national prosperity. As a result, many nations, including the United States, have invested heavily in establishing national innovation ecosystems which connect people, resources, policies, and organizations to collectively translate new ideas into commercialized products and services. Given the number of significant trends emerging in the technology and innovation space, it is imperative to analyze America’s relative position within the global innovation environment to accurately assess the myriad challenges that threaten its competitive standing.

Deloitte and the Council see the Advanced Technologies Initiative study as a foundation for ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders, such as industry, government, labor, academia, and national labs. The insights and recommendations developed here can further foster and enable an innovation ecosystem in which research institutions and the manufacturing industry work together to mutually benefit and the betterment of society.