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Tsukuba is Japan's leading science city. This planned research hub about 50 kilometers northeast of central Tokyo was built around a concentration of national research institutions and the University of Tsukuba. The city is now home to close to 160 research institutions in total and approximately 300 startups that have been established over the years in connection with the university. However, this research concentration has not automatically translated into shared prioriti

Europe hosts world-class researchers, strong industrial sectors and reputed universities, but still faces persistent difficulty converting knowledge into industrial scale, productivity growth, and globally visible technology companies. The US, for instance, has built six companies with market valuations above one trillion dollars — a scale of corporate value Europe has yet to produce. For GFCC member Dr. Bernadett Petri, Managing Director at the Hungarian Development Promotio

The GFCC is pleased to announce that Mr. Clifton Foster has been appointed a Distinguished Fellow, joining a select group of thought leaders contributing to our mission of accelerating competitiveness and innovation around the world. Mr. Foster has built a career at the intersection of international finance, economic policy, and global investment, advising governments, financial institutions, corporations, and private investors on international finance, investment, trade, and

What strategic capabilities are needed to power competitiveness over the next decade? What role can regional cooperation play to ensure energy security? Between October 19–22, senior leaders from government, industry and academia from across the globe will gather in Sofia, Bulgaria, to explore how energy security, future energy grids, infrastructure investment, AI and digital innovation, and next-generation nuclear energy are driving — or constraining — economic transformatio

The next GFCC study trip destination has been set. On the week of February 15, 2027, the GFCC Community will travel to Tsukuba, Japan's leading science city and one of the country's most concentrated hubs of research, technology, and innovation. The visit hosted by Tsukuba Global Innovation Promotion Agency (TGI), in partnership with the University of Tsukuba, marks the program's first stop in Asia, following previous editions in Birmingham, Lisbon, and San Diego. Tsukuba, 56

The GFCC, in partnership with its member Torrens University Australia, has launched a new report examining how societies and organizations are navigating the human-AI transition. The Human Edge: Global Perspectives on AI and Prosperity is now available for download. The report was developed through the GFCC's Global Task Force on Human and AI, chaired by Torrens University Australia Vice-Chancellor Prof. Aleks Subic. It draws on a global survey conducted between November 2025

GFCC member the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT) was tasked by the national government with a consequential assignment: identify what STEM capabilities Malaysia will need to compete globally through 2040. The result is The Future of STEM Talent in Malaysia, a foresight report that uses a Delphi Approach to map critical STEM capabilities across a 2025–2040 horizon. At the GFCC June Monthly Call, Dr. Tan Shu Ying, Senior Principal Analyst at M

Credit: Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego San Diego, home to one of the world's most vibrant innovation ecosystems, is the destination of the next GFCC Study Trip. On July 22–23, global leaders from Japan, Romania, Hungary, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United States, representing government, academia, and the private sector, will gather in the city to explore the drivers, strategic frameworks, and innovation toolkits powering the region's ecosystem. Hosted by GFCC member the Uni

As artificial intelligence continues to reshape economies, institutions, and labor markets, leaders around the world are grappling with a critical challenge: how to ensure that societies benefit from the technological progress without widening existing inequality gaps (or creating new ones). Between November 2025 and April 2026, the GFCC surveyed leaders from 32 countries to examine how organizations and institutions are experiencing the human–AI transition. This global resea

Prof. Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor of Torrens University Australia at the university campus in Flinders Street, Melbourne. Credit: Torrens University The GFCC is proud to welcome Torrens University Australia to its global network of universities, corporations, and organizations committed to sharing competitiveness best practices and advancing innovation worldwide. Founded in 2013, Torrens University has quickly made a significant impact on Australia's higher education secto

Road in Dahra, Senegal. Credit: Unsplash Home to the world’s youngest population and vast reserves of critical minerals, Africa continues to face a severe infrastructure deficit that threatens its long-term economic development. More than 600 million people across the continent still lack access to reliable electricity. One of the continent’s greatest paradoxes, however, is that despite a significant increase in infrastructure spending over the past 15 years, the number o

Credit: Photo by Naida on Unsplash. The GFCC is pleased to welcome Dr. Bernadett Petri, Managing Director at the Hungarian Development Promotion Office (MFOI), as an individual member. Dr. Petri is an experienced lawyer and policy expert who represents Hungarian interests within European Union institutions, international organizations, and cooperative frameworks. Her work focuses on facilitating engagement between the EU and project developers in Hungary by strengthening co

GFCC member Aston University has taken a major step towards achieving its ambitious goal of becoming a net-zero institution. The university, located in Birmingham, the second-largest city in the United Kingdom, is building a new Carbon Neutral Energy Center that will be powered by a combination of two technologies: ground-source and air-source heat pumps. The new center will completely replace the current natural gas system, providing heating for 12 buildings across the campu

St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria. Credit: Photo by JOGphotos on Unsplash The GFCC is pleased to announce that the 2026 Global Innovation Summit will take place in Sofia, Bulgaria, during the week of October 19–22, hosted by corporate member Glavbolgarstroy Holding AD (GBS). GBS is one of Southeast Europe’s leading construction and infrastructure companies, with more than 55 years of experience delivering complex projects across a diverse portfolio that includ

Insights from the GFCC panel at the 11th Delphi Economic Forum in Greece The world is entering a period of intensified disruption and discontinuity driven by the convergence of emerging technologies, the urgent push to accelerate the energy transition, rising global energy demand, and intensifying strategic competition between the United States, Europe, and China. On April 24, the GFCC convened a distinguished group of global leaders from academia, industry, finance, and

Credit: University of Auckland Universities worldwide are increasingly moving beyond their traditional teaching and learning boundaries to develop future-ready talent, for which core competencies include an entrepreneurial mindset, creativity, and problem-solving skills. The Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) at the University of Auckland developed Solve It to address this challenge. This flagship program operates as a fast-paced, five-day innovation sprint duri

By Deborah C. Gordon, Senior Fellow, GFCC, USA Ms. Gordon serves on the Board of Probability Management and is an advisor to emerging technology companies. Credit: Photo by Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash. Societies across the world are increasingly recognizing a fundamental challenge: energy needs are rising beyond the delivery capacity of existing infrastructure. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity demand is expected to grow by around 3

Credit: CC BY 4.0 The GFCC is pleased to announce that Gallup, one of the world’s most prestigious global analytics and advisory firms, has joined its network of leaders and organizations committed to advancing competitiveness strategies that drive innovation, inclusive prosperity, and sustainable growth. Gallup is a global analytics and statistics powerhouse, collecting data and indicators to measure the state of the world across critical issues in both the public and priv

GFCC Leaders at the X Delphi Economic Forum in Greece in 2025. Global leaders will gather in Greece this month for a timely discussion on the forces shaping the world and impacting competitiveness at the XI Delphi Economic Forum, further reinforcing the GFCC’s role as a strategic content partner to the Forum. GFCC President and Founder, Deborah L. Wince-Smith, will moderate the panel Navigating the Frontiers of Innovation in an Age of Disruption and Discontinuity on April 24

Global leaders speak at Forging the Future: The Intersection of Health, AI ad Tech in Pittsburgh, US, last year. Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping societies and transforming entire industry verticals. In healthcare, in particular, they are enabling breakthrough discoveries, accelerating clinical trials, and significantly reducing the time from research to market. Between October 19–21 last year, the GFCC, Council on Competitiveness, the Universit