Students will emerge from the course with a strong grasp of the fundamentals of innovation systems and the economic and technology development factors behind them, and with a clear framework to approach science and technology policymaking. They will understand the basics of innovation-based economic growth theory, and also take an in-depth look at the innovation systems in health and energy.

More specifically, students will develop an understanding of the following innovation policy areas:

• The drivers behind science and technology support, including economic growth theory, direct and indirect innovation factors, Kondratiev innovation waves, innovation systems theory, the “valley of death” between research and late stage development, and public-private partnership models;
• The organizing framework behind US science agencies, their missions and research organizational models, as well as the DARPA model as an alternative;
• The competitiveness challenge in advanced production technologies, including global innovation models;
• The organization of innovation at both the institutional and personal, face-to- face levels;
• Challenges in the energy, computing and health innovation systems and also within legacy economic sectors in general;
• Key issues in the science and engineering talent base and education system and pending employment and productivity issues.

Class 1 – The economic drivers behind the support of science and technology

Class 2 – The organizing framework behind federal R&D and technology agencies

Class 3 – Great Group theory – the organization of innovation at the face-to-face level

Class 4 – Barriers and opportunities in life science advance

Class 5 – The structure for obtaining an energy technology transformation

Class 6 – The competitiveness challenge in advanced manufacturing

Class 7 – A new roadmap for science and technology talent development and workforce education

Why take this course? Here’s a story about one student who took it _(excerpts fromMIT News article, 11/18/20): _

“Academia,” “government,” “industry” — Bhavik Nagda squinted closely as his professor pointed to each word on the diagram of the American economy’s core components. Between each word sprouted dozens of arrows, illustrating the complex interactions between the three institutions.“There were just so many arrows,” says Nagda, recalling the presentation during MIT’s Science [and Technology] Policy Bootcamp. “I was blown away. It gave a voice to the way I think about systemic issues and how America has built its economy.”

The pieces finally connected when he attended the bootcamp, taught by Bill Bonvillian, of MIT.... Nagda had already observed the importance of cooperation between innovators and policymakers during several internships, in roles as an engineer and a technology investor. The bootcamp crystallized his understanding of how critical this cooperation is to the U.S. economy — and he began to envision a future for himself working at the intersection of technology, innovation, and policy.

*Regarding the in-person version of this class at MIT *

“Among the most popular …This [in-person MIT version of this course] is consistently oversubscribed; capped at 40 students, over 230, nearly twice the capacity, have applied over the past three years. – MIT Science Policy Initiative student organization

“I would like to sincerely thank you for sparking my curiosity for the innovation process and inspiring me to think about and view many technological advancements in our world through the innovation systems lens. I especially enjoyed learning the stories of tuxedo Park, the Great Groups Class and the NIH/Biotech class, and I hope to carry these lessons forward as I innovate in different groups at MIT and beyond” – Comment from an MIT student

“Wanted to thank you for a great semester and for the very detailed feedback [on my paper]; I have learnt a lot from you and our class discussions, and I am sure it will be useful as I start my career.” – Comment from an MIT student