The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has appointed 10 new members to the Council for Inclusive Innovation, or CI2.
USPTO said Friday the new council members will work on an action plan to implement the agency’s National Strategy for Inclusive Innovation and develop more ideas to advance innovation.
The new CI2 members are:
- Christopher James, president and CEO, the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development
- Grant Warner, executive director, Center for Black Entrepreneurship
- Herve Hoppenot, president and CEO, Incyte
- Liren Chen, president and CEO, InterDigital
- Mae Jemison, founder, The Jemison Group
- Megan Smith, CEO and founder, shift7
- Pamela Melroy, deputy administrator, NASA
- Rory Cooper, National Medal of Technology and Innovation Laureate and Assistant Vice Chancellor for Research, University of Pittsburgh
- Tony Allen, president, Delaware State University
- Wendy Lea, co-founder and partner, TechHubNow!
“Increasing participation in our innovation ecosystem is a national and economic imperative,” said Kathi Vidal, under secretary of Commerce for intellectual property and USPTO director.
“We need everyone at bat to lift American communities and solve world problems. This Council’s leadership will define how we work together to break down existing barriers to foster American competitiveness and drive our society and economy forward,” added Vidal.
What Are Some of CI2’s Initiatives?
Since its establishment in 2020, CI2 has introduced initiatives to generate jobs and promote innovation, including an innovative internship program and an initiative to speed up the examination of patent applications from first-time filers.
The council will continue to develop strategies to drive innovation and provide increased access to the innovation ecosystem.