July 2004
Letter from Phil Kirk


Not a Think Tank, a 'Think and Do' Tank

Last year’s Emerging Issues Forum, the highly respected annual event that was originated by Gov. Jim Hunt, focused on “Jump Starting Innovation: Government, Universities and Entrepreneurs.”

In 2002, the Institute for Emerging Issues was launched at N.C. State University. It is a “think and do” tank committed to helping government, business and nonprofits make sense of the future. The institute is charged with identifying emerging trends in North Carolina and sharpening public debate on their impact. Strategic responses will be proposed that will hopefully stimulate action by the public and private sectors. Noah Pickus is the director of the new Institute.

Personally, I like the emphasis on the “think and do” concept. Those who know the dynamic Marye Anne Fox, NSCU’s outgoing chancellor, expect no less from anything in which she is involved. “One of the key goals of the university is to transfer new research and technology from the laboratory to the marketplace to make a difference in the lives of North Carolinians,” Fox says.

NCSU has launched such initiatives as the Economic Development Partnership and the HI-TEC program. Other public and private universities are involved in the real world of economic development and job creation.

Gov. Hunt chairs the Board of Advisors for the new Institute. “What links all these efforts is a single approach to bridging the gap between analysis and action,” he says. “We do that by ensuring that leaders from industry, government, academic and the nonprofit community are involved at every step and take ownership of the results.”

Amen to that philosophy. We do not need any more reports based on theory. We need leaders in education, government and the private sector who are committed to action rather than rhetoric.

On the positive side, speakers at the 2003 forum praised North Carolina for undertaking bold ventures such as the Research Triangle Park and the Centennial Campus at NCSU. However, we were warned not to rest on past successes because other regions of the United States and around the globe “have been moving up fast in our rearview mirror.”

An example given at the forum by the Deputy Prime Minister of Ireland should be a lesson for North Carolina. Ireland combined lower corporate taxes (which NCCBI is urging our legislature to do) with strategic investments in education and technology (which North Carolina continues to do even in tight budget years) to become Europe’s fastest growing economy.

Michigan partially privatized its economic development efforts to make government as nimble and flexible as the businesses it serves. Sen. Marc Basnight has urged us to do the same.

Lou Gerstner, former chair of IBM, stressed the importance of culture-free, execution, and personal leadership — in creating the conditions for success.

Enhanced co-operation and collaboration among the technology transfer offices and economic development agencies within our universities is also important.

The report states, “The Triangle ranks No. 1 in academic research and development funding (in the nation), but it needs to transform more of those ideas into companies and jobs. Other regions of the state trail on both counts.”

Entrepreneurship is important to future success. East Carolina University, the Rural Center, the Department of Commerce and others are increasingly active in this area. Broadband and increased use of venture capital are pluses for rural economic development as are the Small Business and Technology Development Centers, community colleges, the N.C. Biotechnology Center, MCNC and the qualified business tax credit.

Several speakers emphasized the need for pro-jobs, pro-business policies in state government. Clearly, North Carolina state government needs to address the warning signals and concerns being heard from across the state by NCCBI.

Too many appointments of people who don’t understand the challenges of having to meet a payroll are being made by the governor and legislature to important boards and commissions in the state. Hopefully, candidates for public office in this election year will address this important, but often overlooked, function of state government.

Business as usual is no longer sufficient for success in today’s challenging, global economy.


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