USPTO to host NCEAI Innovation Chat on April 1

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will host a National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI) Innovation Chat on Thursday, April 1, from noon to 1 p.m. ET. The virtual discussion will focus on the topic of creating innovators. Watch the chat online. 

The first portion of the Innovation Chat will be a panel discussion moderated by Wayne Stacy, Director of the USPTO’s Silicon Valley Regional Office. The panel will include Dr. Javier Diez, Inventor, CEO of SubUAS, LLC, and Professor at Rutgers University; Dr. Wendy Wintersteen, President of Iowa State University; and Tiki Dare, Vice President of Trademark & Copyright at Oracle Corp. 

During the second portion of the chat, the USPTO will take questions from the audience. Submit questions in the chat function during the webinar or in advance to NCEAI@uspto.gov. 

NCEAI is comprised of representatives from industry, academia, and government, and it was established to help guide the USPTO in developing a comprehensive national strategy to build a more diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem. The Innovation Chat series of webinars is meant to further the discussion on how to increase the opportunities for all Americans to participate in innovation.

For additional information, visit the NCEAI page of the USPTO website and join the conversation on social media with #ExpandingAmericanInnovation.

USPTO hosts first NCEAI Innovation Chat

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosted its first National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI) Innovation Chat on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. The virtual event featured a discussion on the importance of a more diverse innovation ecosystem between Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and Lisa Jorgenson, the new Deputy Director General for Patents and Technology Sector, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Watch the discussion.

The National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI), comprised of representatives from industry, academia, and government, was established to help guide the USPTO in developing a comprehensive national strategy to build a more diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem by encouraging participation demographically, geographically, and economically. For additional information on the NCEAI, please visit the NCEAI page on the USPTO website.

What others are saying about the USPTO’s National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI)

On September 14, the USPTO launched the National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI), comprised of representatives from industry, academia, and government. Here’s what others are saying:

“Qualcomm Inc., General Motors Co., and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. are among the companies working with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to bolster diversity in innovation as part of the National Council for Expanding American Innovation.”

Bloomberg Law, September 14, 2020

“Led by Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, the council … brings together heavy hitters from government, industry, academia, intellectual property associations, nonprofits, small businesses and venture capital firms ... ”

Law360, September 14, 2020

“ … a major initiative to ‘build a more diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem by encouraging participation demographically, geographically, and economically.’”

IP Watchdog

“The new Council will address the challenges the United States faces in maintaining its position as the world's most innovative nation.”

Wilbur L. Ross, Secretary of Commerce

" … the work done here today is just the beginning, and we must be committed to seeing this effort through to its completion. Most importantly, we must all be in this together: industry, academia, and government."

Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce
for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO

"It is a time of intense global competition in every sector of science, engineering, and innovation. It is also a time of opportunity for our own nation—we have the potential to harness innovation to drive national prosperity and well-being."

Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan
Director, National Science Foundation

A list of remarks by members of the National Council for Expanding American Innovation can be found here. For additional information on the National Council, including a list of council members, read the press release on the USPTO website.

USPTO launches National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI)

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today launched a major initiative aimed at expanding invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship in the United States.

The new National Council for Expanding American Innovation (NCEAI), comprised of representatives from industry, academia, and government, will help guide the USPTO in developing a comprehensive national strategy to build a more diverse and inclusive innovation ecosystem by encouraging participation demographically, geographically, and economically.

“It is critical that industry, academia, and government work together to strengthen our culture of innovation by encouraging the participation of young people from diverse backgrounds,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “Through the National Council for Expanding American Innovation, we plan to develop a national strategy for promoting and increasing the participation of underrepresented groups as inventor-patentees, entrepreneurs, and innovation leaders.”

Secretary Ross will serve as the Chairman of the NCEAI and is joined in his efforts by Vice-Chair Andrei Iancu, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO.

“America’s economic prosperity and technological leadership depend on a strong and inclusive innovation ecosystem,” said Iancu. “That is why it is so important for us to encourage participation in the patent system so that all Americans are inspired to invent, to protect their inventions, to build thriving businesses, and to succeed.”

The NCEAI was born out of a recommendation in the USPTO’s 2018 SUCCESS Act study and congressional report transmitted to Congress in December 2019. The study assessed the participation of women, minorities, and veterans as inventors named on U.S. granted patents. The report provided recommendations to increase those groups’ participation in innovation. One was to create a council to promote inclusiveness in innovation and increase the development and participation of underrepresented groups as inventors and entrepreneurs.

NCEAI is comprised of leaders in corporate, academic, non-profit, professional, and government organizations. Together they have joined in the effort to encourage and support all future American innovators.

The USPTO invites the public to comment on the National Council and provide it with ideas, programs, and policies that will boost innovation in America. Comments should be sent by email to NCEAI@uspto.gov. For additional information on the National Council, including a list of council members, see the USPTO’s NCEAI webpage.