1 FINAL REPORT With the support of RIAC’s Chair Pro Tempore: #ACXchange 2 THE 8TH AMERICAS COMPETITIVENESS EXCHANGE ON INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (ACE) A six-day high-level tour for global senior leadership through the communities of Orlando, Melbourne, Cape Canaveral, Palm Coast, St. Augustine, Gainesville, and Tallahassee in North-Central Florida, United States, December 3 to 9, 2017 #ACXchange 3 TABLE OF CONTENT 1. ABOUT THE EXCHANGE 4 2. IN REVIEW: THE 8TH ACE ON INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP 7 3. PARTICIPANTS 21 4. RESULTS 26 5. TESTIMONIES 29 6. PRESS RELEASES 32 7. PRESENTATIONS 37 8. PHOTOS AND VIDEOS 39 9. POINTS OF CONTACT 40 #ACXchange 4 ABOUT THE EXCHANGE The Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE) is a innovation, strategic investments and public- regional initiative of the Organization of American private partnerships from a specific region/country States (OAS) and the Inter-American that contribute to the economic development at Competitiveness Network (RIAC). Ministers and the local, national and regional levels. The event High-Level Authorities of the countries of the brings 50 decision makers from across the Americas Americas approved ACE as one of the main and beyond for a five to six-day tour of innovative activities of the 2016- 2018 RIAC’s Work Plan. hubs, leading firms, and educational and research The ACE was originally created in 2014 by the U.S. institutions, to explore local and regional economic Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of development models, share experiences and State and the Organization of American States knowledge, and build networks among the local (OAS) as RIAC Technical Secretariat. and visiting stakeholders to enhance innovation The objective of the Exchange is to showcase and competitiveness of the Americas. successful examples of entrepreneurship, “THE ACE IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE, TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, TO ESTABLISH PARTNERSHIPS AND IT ALL GET TO BUILDING THE INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR HEMISPHERE.” Kim Osborne Executive Secretary for Integral Development Organization of American States #ACXchange 5 Some examples of the mutually beneficial and training organization, and Mexico’s National partnerships developed, include: the collaboration Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). between stakeholders in Conover, North Carolina Such has been the success of ACE that it was and the State of Hidalgo, Mexico, supporting recognized as part of the 2016 North American entrepreneurs in the textile industries of both Competitiveness Work Plan, agreed to by countries; research centers and co-ops such as President of the United States Barack Obama and Organic Valley in Wisconsin and Escuela Superior the President of Mexico Peña Nieto and Canadian Integral Lecheria (ESIL) of Villa María in Cordoba, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in June 2016 at the Argentina, working on business and export North American Leaders Summit (NALS) held in development in the dairy industry; inspiring the Ottawa, Canada’s capital. enhancement of the New Belize Enterprise and http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2016/06/29/economic Innovation Institute to include incubation -prosperity-trade-and-competitiveness programs; facilitating the cross-landing process of young entrepreneurs from UNITEC Honduras to Also, due to the ACE success, the Government of interact and collaborate with the Argentina adopted the ACE model internally to entrepreneurship ecosystems led by UC San Diego; share best practices within its country regions and sectors. inspiring UNITEC University, Honduras through the exposure to innovative projects in America with http://prensa.cba.gov.ar/economia/la- ACE to write a proposal for BCIE and obtain a innovacion-en-tecnologia-medica-se-reune-en- donation of USD $56 thousand approved to cordoba/ strengthen their ecosystem and convert their Entrepreneurship Hub into an Incubator; giving momentum to the launch of a bilateral industrial internship program between Canada and Mexico through Mitacs, a Canadian not-for-profit research #ACXchange 6 HOST REGIONS/COUNTRIES INCLUDE: ACE I: Georgia, North and South Carolina, ACE V: USA, April 2014 Arizona and California, USA, April 2016 ACE II: Mexico City, Aguascalientes and ACE VI: Guadalajara, Mexico, August 2014 Province of Ontario, Canada, September 2016 ACE III: Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois, ACE VII: USA, April 2015 Central Texas, USA, April 2017 ACE IV: ACE VIII: Province of Cordoba, Argentina, North-Central Florida, USA, October 2015 December 2017 #ACXchange 7 THE 8TH ACE The 8th Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship gathered 42 key leaders and decision makers from the public, private, and academic sectors from 19 countries of the Americas and beyond. The program provided a unique opportunity to restoration and preservation, research, experience first-hand advanced technology entrepreneurship and commercialization. centers, innovation hubs, public-private partnerships, and strategic investments in the CONVENING INSTITUTIONS North-Central Florida region, United States. The 8th ACE was convened by the Organization of Featured sites on the tour targeted the following American States and the Inter-American clusters: advanced manufacturing, simulation Competitiveness Network (RIAC); the Government technology, magnetics technologies, life sciences of the United States, through its U.S. Department and biotechnology, aerospace, aviation, national of Commerce (the International Trade security, agriculture and sustainability, tourism and Administration (ITA) and the Economic hospitality, logistics, disaster preparedness, Development Administration (EDA)); the U.S. #ACXchange 8 Department of State-Permanent Mission to the OAS; and the Government of Argentina, as Chair Pro Tempore of RIAC 2017 – 2019. REVIEW OF THE 8th ACE TOUR The six-day high-level tour through the regions of Orlando, Space Coast, Flagler County, St. Augustine, Gainesville, and Tallahassee in North-Central Florida, United States allowed participants to get a deep sight of Florida’s economic ecosystem, along with the opportunity to establish global commercial relationships and FDI partnerships among hosts and participants and share and promote best practices in economic development to strengthen local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. December 2, 2017 ORLANDO WELCOME TO ORLANDO The Program started on Saturday 2, 2017 with an optional activity in Disney Springs at Walt VIDEO OF THE DAY Disney World Resort. Participants walked around and enjoyed a nice dinner with their colleagues; while getting a first approach to the ACE dynamic, being introduced to organizers and get to know participants, their reasons for attending and visualize future connections and alliances. #ACXchange 9 December 3, 2017 ORLANDO DAY ONE VIDEO OF THE DAY The ACE 8 begins! The program started on December 3, 2017 in history and expectations of ACE and the US Orlando, Florida with the Check-in of participants Innovation System. at 1 pm. The opening of the Americas Later, Jerry Ross, CEO of the National Competitiveness Exchange was carried out at the Entrepreneur Center and Elizabeth Krekel, JW Marriott Grande Lakes Hotel by Dr. Maryse Program Manager at the Central Florida Robert (ACE Original Partner and Member of the International Trade Office gave an Entrepreneurial ACE Committee), Director for Economic Welcome to participants and lead the group in a Development, Organization of American States fun activity to introduce them to their new who stressed the importance of the ACE program economic development friends from different and in the context of the Inter-American countries of the Americas. Competitiveness Network (RIAC), Guillermo The day continued with an overview of Acosta, Under Secretary for Federal and Sectorial Innovation and Simulation Technology of Walt Articulation, Ministry of the Production of Disney World Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom with Argentina in representation of the RIAC’s Pro Dennis Lind, Vice President, Design & Engineering, Tempore Presidency and Dr. Barrett Haga (ACE Walt Disney Parks & Resorts and Michael Tschanz, Co-Founder and Member of the ACE Committee), Director, Systems Technology Strategy and Senior Administrator at the U.S. Department of Processes, Walt Disney World as speakers. Later, Commerce who, in his speech, talked about the participants could enjoy a behind the scenes tour of the Magic Kingdom and the Seven Dwarfs Mine #ACXchange 10 Train full of Innovation, Engineering, Animation, and Artistry! VIDEO OF THE DAY December 4, 2017 ORLANDO DAY TWO Participants arrived at the University of Central Florida where they were received by the UCF Cheerleaders and their mascot Knightro. The official Welcome to the program was in charge of Kim Hurtault-Osborne, Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Organization of American VIDEO OF THE DAY States who emphasized the importance of expressed her contentment for the high promoting the participation of women in activities percentage of women participating in this edition related to innovation, science and technology and #ACXchange 11 of the ACE. John Andersen, Deputy Assistant located in Medical City. The TedTalks were in Secretary, International Trade Administration gave charge of Leslie Hielema, Head of his welcoming speech describing the opportunity Transformational Innovation at Guidewell the program offers and the strong ties between Innovation, Dr. Haru Okuda, National Medical United States and all the countries of the Director for Veterans Health Administration