San Diego’s innovation ecosystem was not inherited. It was built by deliberate action through generations of planned investment on infrastructure and talent development. That is the central finding of the GFCC’s latest report, San Diego Study Trip: University and Research Leadership Forum – Event Report, produced with its member UC San Diego after the July 22–23 study trip and now available for download. The two-day program brought together industry, government, and academic

Registration is now open for the Tsukuba Study Trip, taking place February 14–18, 2027, in Tsukuba and Tokyo in Japan. Hosted by the University of Tsukuba and the Tsukuba Global Innovation Promotion Agency (TGI), the program examines how a research-intensive region and one of the world's oldest planned science city moves from research concentration toward industry creation, commercialization, talent development, and global collaboration. Designated by Japan’s Cabinet in 1963

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

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