The U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo is the new chair of the National Council for Expanding American Innovation, a news release said.
Raimondo's first act as chair of the council will be to change its name to Council for Inclusive Innovation.
"This new title is very much aligned with the current efforts of the Council and the administration’s priorities to build back better through the enhanced diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives throughout government and various industries," she said in a statement. "The change will also enable us to rebrand and redouble our efforts to enhance the work of the Council as it develops and implements recommendations for the National Innovation Strategy."
The council will assist the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in efforts to encourage a truly inclusive and diverse innovation sector, the news release said.
“Congrats to @CommerceGov Sec. Raimondo," the organization Invent Together tweeted. "She will chair the @USPTO’s Council for Inclusive Innovation (CI2), using experience in public and private sectors to ensure all Americans can access the innovation ecosystem.”
The council will include representatives from industry, academia, non-profit and government, the news release said.
“Together, as a Council, it is imperative that we continue working to expand American innovation by tapping into the strength of our nation’s diversity and increasing opportunities for all innovators and entrepreneurs who are creating new technologies, companies and industries,” Raimondo said in a statement. “With the most recent data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicating that only 12.8% of inventors listed on patents granted in a single year are women, and little to no data on the participation of other underrepresented groups, we can all agree that there is much work to be done to build a stronger and more inclusive innovation sector.”
