Innovation Growth Lab

Yesterday, I participated in a fascinating workshop from the folks at the Innovation Growth Lab.  If you don’t know this group, you should get acquainted.  They are UK-based and affiliated with Nesta, but have hosts of global partners including the Kauffman Foundation here in the US.  Their mission is to bring a more scientific and rigorous approach to understanding what works in innovation policy.   Our workshop focused on this topic and how to set up small experiments to test different approaches to innovation policy and business support programs.   In addition to working with policymakers, they sponsor and promote research, including an interesting symposium here in DC this week.  If you want to dive deeper, I’d suggest attending their big annual gathering which will be held this year in Boston from June 12-14.  I can’t say that the current environment in DC is especially currently conducive to the use of science to make public policies more effective, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t keep trying!!  Thanks to  IGL, we can learn what’s working from around the world and find ways to act on these lessons.