ACM TechNews

Internet Researcher Warns Innovations Lagging

San Francisco Chronicle (08/23/08) P. C1; Abate, Tom

Internet researcher and industry entrepreneur Judy Estrin has written "Closing the Innovation Gap," a book in which she warns that the environment for innovation in Silicon Valley and the United States as a whole has taken a turn for the worse. Estrin says that an overemphasis on short-term growth, quick fixes, and fast profits has diluted the curiosity and patience that leads to true innovation and the potential for future economic growth. She argues that corporate financial pressures and less government funding have undermined support for the forward-looking research that leads to innovative and revolutionary products. Estrin says that just as trees need good soil and climate to create healthy forests, startup companies and research efforts need a strong network to foster innovation. "What happens to trees is root rot in which the leaves and branches look fine for a while until the tree topples over and dies," she says. "We've already got the root rot." Estrin says the U.S. should focus on Sputnik-like challenges, such as creating energy or reducing energy consumption, understanding climate change, improving health care, and improving personal and national security. Achieving these goals will require more than money, she says, and will demand an understanding of the intangible characteristics of the innovation ecosystem.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/23/BUFU12GONL.DTL

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