Japan and China have been making progress in developing the most important resource of the global economy, entrepreneurship.  But they have a long way to go before catching up with America, according to the recently released 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Index list.

America tops the countries on the list, with Canada, Sweden, Australia, and Iceland following closely behind.

Japan is to be found in the 25th and China in the 48th position, a big jump from the 33th and the 61th positions back in 2015, but still long way behind the US.

Established in 2002, the Chicago Innovation Awards shines a light on the creative spirit of Chicago. Winners cut across all industries, representing big companies, small companies, for-profit and not-for-profit, high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech, demonstrating the breadth of innovation that is unique to the Chicago region.

Congress is poised to begin voting on a sweeping biomedical innovation bill that includes nearly $5 billion in dedicated funding for a trio of major research initiatives at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The bill also includes measures to speed the approval of new drugs and medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it would create a mechanism for catalyzing efforts to streamline federal regulations that universities and academic researchers regard as burdensome.

Imagine. You lead a large basic-resources business. For the past decade, the global commodities supercycle has fueled volume growth and higher prices, shaping your company’s processes and culture and defining its outlook. Most of the top team cannot remember a time when the business priorities were different. Then one day it dawns on you that the party is over.

Six years ago, the executives of a North American engineering business realized the company’s earnings momentum had stalled. Shareholders were restive, and the board was pushing to set a new growth trajectory. The CEO and senior colleagues responded in a logical and determined way, embarking on what proved to be a Herculean and seemingly successful effort to transform the business. The company’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) increased by more than $100 million, and its cash position improved by $150 million (both of these figures were higher than the original targets).

Rapid change, disruption, and convergence have characterized the information and communications technology (ICT) industry in recent years. As the boundaries blur among hardware, software, services, and telecom, tech sectors become less relevant. Indeed, our fourth annual Global ICT 50 study of leading enterprise-oriented ICT companies shows them competing for customers — but setting themselves apart in new ways.

The research community hasn’t had much to smile about in recent months. Faced with the grinding uncertainties of Brexit, concerns over university finances, and a root-and-branch reorganisation of the funding system, 2016 has been morphing into the sector’s own annus horribilis.

So when news broke over the weekend about a big boost for R&D funding, the first reaction of many was to raise a sceptical eyebrow. Experience says it’s wise to treat big, headline numbers with caution until there’s an opportunity to scour HM Treasury’s fine print.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) today released an open memo to President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team outlining actionable proposals that the new administration can accomplish in its first year to bolster America’s innovation economy. ITIF, the leading U.S. science and tech policy think tank, proposes 36 policies that can be achieved quickly through executive authority or discrete legislative measures—all aimed at fostering innovation, boosting productivity, and improving U.S. competitiveness.

Stephen Moret, the head of LSU's major fundraising arm and a former key adviser to then-Gov. Bobby Jindal, is leaving Louisiana for Virginia.

Moret has been tapped to lead the embattled Virginia Economic Development Partnership after less than two years leading the private LSU Foundation.

He is expected to leave the LSU Foundation by the end of the year. The Foundation expects to name an interim CEO in December and will begin a nationwide search for a permanent replacement "as soon as possible."

In March, when President-elect Donald Trump was still one of several candidates vying for the Republican nomination, his image appeared in a somewhat unlikely place: an ad placed by a Kitchener, Ontario, startup looking to hire software developers.

"Thinking of moving to Canada?" asked adtech firm Sortable. "Sortable is hiring."

In its third year of mentoring and investing in cybersecurity start-ups in Northern Virginia, state-funded start-up accelerator Mach37 is starting to show it can churn out self-sustaining businesses.

Last week, the incubator pulled off its first “exit” when an alumni company called Cyber Algorithms was bought by D.C.-based security company Thycotic for a sum that wasn’t disclosed. Earlier, a $4 million investment in Manassas-based Virgil Security was the biggest yet for a Mach37 alumni company.

When it comes to investing, women have more money than ever before, so why are women entrepreneurs still struggling to raise capital?

Plum Alley Investments, a private membership company led by finance veterans, Deborah Jackson and Andrea Turner Moffitt, is working to increase the amount of capital going to women entrepreneurs by connecting investors with women-led startups.

Daniel Laframboise doesn’t hesitate when asked what excites him about the prospect of becoming an entrepreneur. “What if you see someone walking down the street and they pull out your app?” the third-year University of Ottawa software engineering student asks. “It means (your work) is no longer theoretical or a school assignment.”

Quasi-public venture capital firm MassVentures reports that its SBIR Targeted Technologies (START) program has invested $12 million into 50 companies that need more time to commercialize high-risk, high-reward technologies — and those companies have leveraged that state investment to raise an additional $278 million in outside capital.

That leverage is "proof of these companies’ potential for future growth and success," MassVentures President Jerry Bird wrote last week in a report celebrating the program's first five years.

Venture capital has been on a good run over the past few years across a range of sectors; even with recent slowdown relative to 2014-2015, venture-backed investments remain above historic averages. In fact, the first three quarters of 2016 alone are already higher than the annual rate of venture investing in all but two years since 2002.

EAST LANSING – The Michigan State University Foundation has launched Red Cedar Ventures, a $5 million venture investing subsidiary to help MSU start-ups that are on the cusp of market launch.

“We want to signal to the investment community that we are willing to commit resources to make sure the technologies that come from MSU are successful,” said David Washburn, executive director of the foundation.

When it comes to follow-up emails, I think they fall into one of two distinct groups: Checking in because you’re desperately hoping for a response, or circling back because you desperately need a response.

If you’ve ever job hunted before, you’re likely familiar with that first scenario. You’ve probably innocently popped back into the hiring manager’s inbox a few times with the faint hope that you’ll finally hear something back about next steps in the hiring process. Yes, that radio silence can be disheartening.

Want to know just how much or how well a given company is innovating? Take a look at the talent it attracts—or loses. These days, acquiring and hanging onto top-notch tech talent isn't easy.

Plenty of companies are fooling themselves that they're keeping their digital skills current simply by changing job titles and adding roles that include the term "digital." The number of professionals on LinkedIn calling themselves "chief digital officer" grew from 965 in 2015 to 3,255 in 2016—a 237% increase.

There was no way around the rhino. As Chris Philipps stood with his tribe, staring at the rhino’s horn, he realized he would have to meet it—or die.

That was a dream, but the metaphor of facing down such an adversary caused Philipps to make a final decision. After six years of turmoil, he would stop living as Christiane, a woman, and start living as Chris, an out transgender person.

To propel means to drive, push or cause to move in a particular direction, typically forward.

The national Propel mentorship program is all about helping businesses get to the next level.

Chris Lyons, CEO of Adele Diamond in Virginia Beach, was one of the first local business owners enrolled in the program in March 2015.

“We grew from two staff to five, and our revenues for the city grew to annually over a million dollars rapidly,” Lyons said. “As we move towards the future steps in our business development through involvement with such programs as the local EO Accelerator, we will owe much to our strong start in the Propel program.”