Whether we are in the private sector or in academia, the non-profit world or in government, we all have a responsibility to make the case for the power of innovation to address our most pressing challenges, be they to our national security, to our health and well-being, or to our economic competitiveness.

—SAMUEL BODMAN, Secretary of the Department of Energy

The bottom line is that other nations are following our lead and catching up. Not only are they making research a high priority but they are providing incentives to stimulate innovation in the private sector and to lure members of the U.S. private sector — and, I might add, our scientists — to their countries.

—GAIL CASSELL, Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Eli Lilly

Intellectual property is a key element in our nation’s economic expansion and has helped make American workers the most productive in the world. Almost one-half of our economy is somehow tied to intellectual property.

—CARLOS GUTIERREZ, Secretary of the Department of Commerce

There is a lot happening in states and in industries that is coming up as opposed to coming down from Washington.

—TOM LUCE, Chief Executive Officer of the National Math and Science Initiative

I truly believe we need a White House Council on Innovation and Competitiveness, not an innovation foundation that is housed in one agency or department. The White House provides the cross-cutting analysis and integration of all agencies, so that tax policy, regulation, R&D investment, and workforce training can be aligned for the nation and the innovation economy.

—DEBORAH WINCE-SMITH, President of the Council on Competitiveness