Conversations on Innovation: New Thinking and New Approaches with Robert Atkinson, James Lewis, and Arti Rai

April 20, 2021Duke Law News

Monday, April 26, 2021 | 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Virtual (
Registration required)*

Sponsored by The Center for Innovation Policy at Duke Law
Co-sponsored by the Center for International and Comparative Law

This new Spring 2021 seminar series, “Conversations on Innovation: New Thinking and New Approaches,” seeks to shed light on innovation policy issues that are on the horizon. The hosts will present a broad range of speakers with deep experience working within the innovation ecosystem in the U.S.A. and abroad.

To start the series, two knowledgeable experts sit down with Duke Law School Professor Arti Rai to exchange ideas about the evolving strengths and weaknesses of the American R&D system: Robert Atkinson, President of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), and James Lewis, Director of the Technology Program at The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. They will discuss whether the U.S. should reconsider its approach to industrial policy and technology strategy in view of the vast number of internal and external challenges facing the country. For example, what innovation strategy in responding to new and newish competitors (e.g., China) would maximize social welfare? What realistic near-term developments might affect that analysis?

The streaming program will run from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. on April 26, 2021. It will begin with brief opening remarks by the two panelists and then shift into an interactive conversation. There will be ample time for questions and answers with audience members.

More information: https://law.duke.edu/innovationpolicy/

* Registration required: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3jDTC1hjQ9nVeMC