Fifty high-level public and private sector leaders from across the Americas are meeting this week in the U.S. state of Illinois for the 20th Edition of the Americas Competitiveness Exchange (ACE). The event seeks to promote new partnerships, investment, cooperation and collaboration opportunities within Illinois' dynamic economic ecosystem including industry clusters in quantum and artificial intelligence technologies, transportation and logistics, next generation agriculture, life sciences, energy and advanced manufacturing.
This 20th Edition of the ACE is especially focused on harnessing innovation and transformative technologies to accelerate economic growth and competitiveness. The state of Illinois is a global hub for companies and innovation leaders ready to undertake new business ventures and connections. It has the fifth highest GDP in the United States, and it is the 18th largest economy in the world. The ACE program will facilitate knowledge exchange and networking opportunities with top scientists, cutting edge companies and entrepreneurial, incubation and acceleration programs for start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses in Chicago, Champaign, Urbana, Joliet, Naperville, and Peoria.
"Each ACE edition provides unique opportunities for cultivating new partnerships that spur economic growth. The multiplier effect of the ACE resonates well beyond the week spent in any host community or country. The focus on innovation and entrepreneurship is key to the success of the ACE and its impact on the economic competitiveness of our region," said the Executive Secretary for Integral Development of the OAS, Kim Osborne.
"The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is thrilled to join our partners in hosting the Americas Competitiveness Exchange," said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. "We are excited for a week of conversation and collaboration that will strengthen relationships and foster new economic development opportunities. Illinois is proud to showcase all that our great state has to offer including our successful models for innovation and economic development."
The ACE is the premier economic development, innovation, and entrepreneurial network of the Americas. It is a partnership between Organization of American States (OAS) Secretariat for Integral Development (OAS-SEDI), the United States Government's Department of Commerce (Economic Development Administration) and Department of State (U.S. Permanent Mission to the OAS). The previous 19 editions have been held in Michigan, Seattle, Northern California, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, and Ecuador among many others benefiting over 1,000 leaders from 42 countries featuring more than 1,300 innovation and economic competitiveness projects. The local organizer and host is the state of Illinois, through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the University of Illinois System.
