ROADMAP Summit

The first-ever ROADMAP Summit hosted by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), in partnership with the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), is taking place on December 3-4, 2024, in Washington, D.C.

The Summit will provide a unique opportunity for emerging place-based innovation ecosystem leaders from across the country to learn from each other, build their capacity for success, and connect with technology buyers, industry leaders, and policymakers who are positioned to promote, advance, and invest in their work in the future.

Event Agenda

The ROADMAP agenda includes plenary sessions, interactive capacity-building workshops, pre-organized networking sessions, and an interactive demonstration hall.

• Plenary sessions: We are bringing a diverse slate of industry leaders, researchers, policymakers, and journalists to the event’s main stage, where they will take attendees on a deep dive into the state of U.S. competitiveness in science and technology and the critical role of place-based innovation ecosystems in our future.

The full speaker lineup will be announced by the end of October; however, we are excited to share a few headliners, including internet pioneer and AOL co-founder, Steve Case; the Director of Intel Labs, Dr. Rich Uhlig; former White House CHIPS Implementation Coordinator, Dr. Ronnie Chatterji; and Under Secretary for Science and Research at the Smithsonian, Dr. Ellen Stofan.

• Capacity-building workshops: The Summit will offer approximately 12 to 15 different workshops designed to build the capacity of place-based ecosystems to become sustainable and successful in the competitive innovation economy. Workshop topics will be loosely structured around the following themes, which were developed using ongoing input from ecosystem teams and partners:

• IP partnerships and the anatomy of a successful deal

• Effective communications and storytelling for leaders

• Ecosystem building

• Advancing entrepreneurship

• Financial sustainability

• Inclusive engagement

• Pre-organized networking sessions: Attendees will have an opportunity to sign up for pre-arranged networking sessions with investors, philanthropic organizations, and technology buyers who are positioned to support and invest in their ecosystem in the future. The sessions will be structured for ecosystem leaders to:

• Learn about industry gaps and procurement needs within specific technology sectors; and

• Begin conversations around how their ecosystem can best support those needs in the future.

• Demonstration hall: The ROADMAP Summit will feature an interactive demonstration hall to showcase the breadth and depth of cutting-edge research and development occurring in the nation’s emerging innovation ecosystems. Event attendees – including a diverse audience of former and current elected officials, major U.S. tech industry leaders, capital providers, and journalists – will have dedicated time to view and interact with dozens of exhibits from teams across the country.