COLLEGE PARK, MD (July 24, 2023) — Today, the Council for Innovation Promotion (C4IP) and the University of Maryland will host a roundtable event featuring special guest Congressman Glenn F. Ivey, who represents Maryland’s fourth district, along with local entrepreneurs, engineers, venture capitalists, and experts in intellectual property.
Participants will discuss ways Prince George’s County can further develop as an innovation hub; the roles of the public and private sectors in supporting local research and commercialization opportunities; and how intellectual property protections impact investment in high-tech sectors.
The event will take place at the University of Maryland’s E.A. Fernandez IDEA (Innovate, Design and Engineer for America) Factory, dedicated in May 2022. Prior to the roundtable discussion, attendees will tour the facility, which is designed to foster technology innovations and advances through collaboration across engineering, the arts, business, and science. It features lab spaces focused on robotics and autonomy, quantum technology, rotorcraft research, rapid prototyping, and a student-run business incubator.
“A strong intellectual property framework encourages continuous innovation by rewarding companies for their efforts, which promotes technological advancements and economic growth. IP rights, such as patents, trademarks, and copyrights, safeguard a corporation’s innovative ideas, inventions, and products from being copied or exploited by competitors,” said Congressman Glenn Ivey (MD-04). “This protection encourages companies to invest in research and development, knowing their efforts will be safeguarded. Bringing together world-class research universities like the University of Maryland and forward-looking companies ensures intellectual property rights play a critical role in encouraging technological innovation, protecting corporate investments, and fostering a competitive and thriving technology sector right here in Prince George’s County, Maryland.”
Other featured speakers at the roundtable will include:
- David Kappos: Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office from 2009 to 2013 and Co-Chair of the Council for Innovation Promotion
- Dean Chang: Chief Innovation Officer and Associate Vice President for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development at the University of Maryland
- Bob Nye: General Partner at JMI Equity, a growth investment firm focused on software companies and a top venture capitalist in the mid-Atlantic region
- David Iannucci: President and CEO of the Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation, which oversees the County’s $50 million Economic Development Incentive Fund
- Husein Sharaf: Founder and CEO of Microsoft Gold Partner firm Cloudforce
- Charles Grody: University of Maryland graduate and CEO and Founder of Hydraze, UMD’s Do Good Challenge (2019) and Pitch Dingman Competition (2022) winner
- Anaum Khan: Rising senior studying Computer Science at the University of Maryland, Co-founder of Learn Prompting, a platform that teaches people how to use AI, and Engineering Fellow at Kleiner Perkins, a venture capital firm that specializes in investing in incubation, early-stage, and growth companies
“Successful innovation ecosystems cultivate creative and entrepreneurial mindsets and accelerate the development of inventions and solutions that spur economic development and serve society,” said Dr. Chang. “Leading research universities are essential catalysts in this process, and the recent successes of startups like IonQ, Hazel Analytics, and InventWood can all be traced back to innovations hatched at the University of Maryland.”
“The ability of creators to reap the rewards of their ideas incentivizes entrepreneurship and underpins our entire economy,” said David Kappos, former USPTO Director and Co-Chair of C4IP. “For PG County to reach its full innovation potential, policymakers must prioritize strong intellectual property rights as the foundation of future dynamic local growth.”
About the Council for Innovation Promotion: The Council for Innovation Promotion is a bipartisan coalition dedicated to promoting strong and effective intellectual property rights that drive innovation, boost economic competitiveness, and improve lives everywhere.