The Data Observatory for Innovation and Economic Prosperity (Big Data Observatory)

A data-intensive initiative in support of science and innovation policy

The Data Observatory for Innovation and Economic Prosperity is a multi-institutional and multi-sector Consortium with a vision to continually collect, store, and curate constellations of innovation and economic prosperity data for use by national and international researchers, industry and government policymakers, leading to transformational changes in the understanding and design of policy and practice to advance science and innovation.

Our goal is to provide the necessary infrastructure, data curation, and interconnection standards needed to support specific science and innovation policy inquiries to better understand and help shape policies that contribute to globally-competitive regional economies and national economic prosperity and translate investments “from innovation to impact.”

 

Innovation is the key to economic diversity, prosperity, and global competitiveness.

Innovation ecosystems are widely acknowledged engines of innovation-driven economic growth however…

They are not well understood

As the global economy shifts from a traditional, corporate-facing growth model to one based on knowledge, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship, government leaders on local and federal levels need a greater understanding of the interconnected elements that contribute to globally-competitive regional economies in order to architect effective innovation policies. Policymakers need the ability to enact contextual approaches to policy; as such, understanding why some regions prosper while others stagnate or decline is important to both science and innovation policymakers and researchers.

To provide the robust and reliable research needed to assist policymakers, scientists require accurate, thorough, and timely data to develop the theories about how inter-relationships and influencing factors move innovation forward to economic prosperity and impact. However, the current data infrastructure is not adequate in its ability to curate the data on a comprehensive, national level as existing data is segregated into technological, geographical, and specialization silos. The solution requires collaboration across disciplines, institutions, organizations, and geographies to create the datasets, methodologies, and tools needed to inform policymakers, and advance research and understanding.

The Data Observatory for Innovation and Economic Prosperity serves as a convener of policymakers, industry leaders, and academic institutions to delineate a policy-driven research agenda and foster a data-intensive research community.

Founding Members, Collaborators, and Partners