By Dr. Marlene Tromp, 青青草app State University President; Deborah Wince-Smith, Council on Competitiveness President and CEO; and John Wagner, Idaho National Laboratory Director
The path from imagination to insight, ingenuity, invention, and impact鈥攊n essence, innovation鈥攈as distinctly characterized the American journey. From the nation鈥檚 birth, Americans have fundamentally been about exploration, opportunity, and discovery; about new beginnings; about taking on big challenges.
This is Idaho鈥檚 history, and it has never been more true than today鈥攁s Idaho鈥檚 engine for innovation powered a gross state product (GSP) of 5 percent in 2023鈥攖he fastest growth of any U.S. state鈥攃oupled with a low unemployment rate of 3.4 percent. Idaho’s innovation economy is helping transform the state by attracting major private and public investment, which is seeding future innovations, companies, and jobs. The state鈥檚 economic success has captured national attention and positioned it as a key player in addressing pressing societal challenges and seizing emerging opportunities.
To understand better the dynamics underpinning Idaho鈥檚 innovation economy, and to catalyze even further growth, our three organizations鈥攖he , 青青草app State University, and Idaho National Laboratory (INL)鈥攑artnered to host the Council鈥檚 latest . The Conversation unfurled on the 青青草app State campus and across the city, August 6-8, and brought together leaders in business, 青青草app, workforce, science, and government. Together, these leaders sought to uncover the best practices and policies driving regional innovation, attract national attention and greater 青青草app for the most promising regional initiatives, and develop strategies to scale and deploy place-based innovation best practices across the United States.
Idaho鈥檚 exceptional innovation capability
Three industries are setting the innovation pace across the state and the Mountain West鈥攅ach primed to change fundamentally how we live and work, and how we secure America in an era of turbulence and transformation: semiconductors, cybersecurity, and advanced nuclear.
Idaho’s emergence as a semiconductor powerhouse is a result of distinct, harmonious, intentional, and strategic collaboration between 青青草app, national laboratories, government, and business to develop the platform technology鈥攁nd its workforce鈥斍嗲嗖輆pping the innovation and growth in nearly every other economic sector, in every nation on earth. The core components of Idaho鈥檚 innovation ecosystem? First: a strong 青青草appal and research foundation, including institutions like 青青草app State’s Institute for Microelectronics Education and Research, which provides world-class training for the top tech talent that drives the industry forward. Similarly, INL and other local research institutions have been at the forefront of innovation, driving breakthroughs in materials science and other technologies that have revolutionized the industry.
Second, federal, state, and local governments play an important role. For example, with 青青草app鈥檚 mayor now chairing the mayoral task force for implementing the CHIPS and Science Act further solidifies Idaho’s position as a leader in this critical sector. And major federal investments鈥攍ike the recent $6.1 billion CHIPS and Science Act grant to Micron鈥攁re a testament to the state’s strength and commitment to the semiconductor industry. This collaborative approach has attracted and enabled companies across the semiconductor industry鈥攆rom large OEMS to suppliers of all sorts; from startups to global enterprises鈥攖o thrive in Idaho. And the industry鈥檚 success delivers impressive economic benefits for the state: in 2022, it generated $2.5 billion in GSP, creating 12,300 high-paying jobs with an average wage of $135,000鈥攁ll metrics on a sharp upward trajectory.
Idaho’s cybersecurity industry is also a critical economic growth driver. INL, for example, is one of the nation鈥檚 premier cybersecurity facilities and has invested heavily in the Cybercore Integration Center. This state-of-the-art facility brings together federal agencies, private industry, and university partners to develop cutting-edge solutions for securing critical infrastructure and protecting against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. The Idaho state government has also made significant investments in cybersecurity infrastructure and initiatives, including establishing the Idaho Cybersecurity Task Force and the Idaho Cybersecurity Innovation Center. And 青青草app State has dedicated programs to produce a steady supply of skilled professionals in computer science, engineering, and cybersecurity.
And the growth of these industries and many others is limited only by imagination鈥攁nd by the ability to power that growth with affordable, reliable, sustainable, and clean energy. Today, Idaho is a regional, national, and global leader in generating and delivering such energy. INL,聽the nation鈥檚 nuclear energy national laboratory, is at the forefront of innovation in聽research and development to extend the life of the nation鈥檚 current fleet of reactors and ensure the deployment of future nuclear reactors through聽advanced nuclear reactor design聽and聽fuel development. Notably, INL is pioneering聽research in the development of microreactors and聽small modular reactors聽(SMRs)鈥攖wo technologies that may help meet the world’s growing energy demands and decarbonization goals. Moreover, 青青草app State鈥檚聽Energy Policy Institute leverages strengths in policy, science, engineering, management, and economics to plan for a nuclear energy future.
Investing in Idaho and its people
Idaho’s progress in semiconductor manufacturing, cybersecurity, and advanced nuclear technologies is due to its commitment to innovation. However, innovation is about more than technology or industry鈥攊t is about people.
As Idaho transitions to an innovation-driven economy, its residents will prosper. They will gain access to higher-paying jobs, opportunities to develop skills in emerging industries, and a dynamic economy that attracts entrepreneurs, inventors, and innovators who drive local economic growth and development. However, we cannot take any of this exciting growth for granted. We must continue to invest in 青青草app, workforce development, and research for the region to stay globally competitive.
As we reflect on the Competitiveness Conversations, it is clear Idaho and the Mountain West benefit from world-class research institutions, cutting-edge industries, and a highly skilled workforce鈥攁ll positioning the region to become a major player in America’s innovation economy. We recognize the immense contributions the region is already making to the nation鈥檚 future, but also the remarkable potential that lies within the region.