Industries of Ideas: State Advisory Board

Industries of Ideas: A prototype system for measuring the effects of TIP investments on firms and jobs is an NSF-funded project to develop a new, data-driven way to measure the economic impact of federal investments in research and technology.

Stakeholders need to measure the effects of investments in emerging technologies on jobs and economies, but current data systems are not able to clearly identify emerging technologies and fields or to establish what industries they matter for. The Industries of Ideas solution focuses on the people who are trained in research and the skills they carry into the workforce to identify employers involved in emerging industries and jobs at the forefront of these industries.

This project will develop people-centric methods for following the movement of ideas from investments in research into the marketplace. This is done by identifying businesses that employ people with deep skills in emerging technology areas and developing early, never-before-available indicators that can provide alerts associated with potential impacts on current and future workforce.

What is the goal of the Industry of Ideas project?

The goal is to develop a prototype system to directly measure the links between research investments, employers, and jobs. The National Science Foundation’s Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate is funding the prototype to test the potential of securely combining university and state data to measure the link between federal investments on local and regional economies for two important technologies: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Electric Vehicles (EV). (NSF’s announcement: myumi.ch/qVAyQ.)

The consortium is piloting a new data infrastructure that combines university and state data to produce dashboards and reports documenting local labor market outcomes of workers In AI and EV intensive firms. This project is approved by the MidWest Collaborative (MWC) as part of the Multi-State Data Collaboratives work being administered by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) (see myumi.ch/VG7QR).

Why are state agencies involved?

TIP has asked the project to prepare detailed plans for expansion that include a report on state agency needs and priorities. There are three dimensions:

• Scale expansions will bring new universities and states into the initiative.
• Scope expansions will identify high priority needs for additional types of data and measures.
• Technology expansions will identify needs for data access and usability to make the system as valuable and accessible as possible.

How can my state benefit from participation in the Industries of Ideas project?

You will help produce high profile evidence about the value of research that can help inform federal and state decision makers. Your participation will:

• ensure that we are developing of the links between research investments and job quality that will be useful and usable to states
• inform the development of tools that help better map the likely relationships between technological change and local labor markets
• support your senior managers and governor in explaining the links between technological change and local labor markets
• open opportunities for your state’s participation in any desired future expansion.

What is the specific time commitment?

We will try to keep it simple and with a minimum number of requests on your time. We will provide you with early access to the prototype dashboard and ask for your feedback through a scheduled webinar and virtual office hours, At a minimum we think it could take just a few hours, depending on the level of involvement you would like. While there is no expectation that you will produce written feedback, your input will help shape the final product.

State agency advisory board members are asked to:

• Attend three webinars
  The webinars will demonstrate prototype dashboards and reports, where you can provide feedback on their design and how they can be made as usable & useful as possible.
• Participate in a small working group to provide input on metrics to identify state priorities(optional).
  Three working groups will be established: Employers and Job Quality, Links between Specific AI and EV technologies and Labor Markets, and Potential Engagement with Universities. The groups will provide input into a “State Priorities” report for TIP, that will be written by the project team.
• Outreach to the other state agency leaders within your state and nationally(optional)
  The project is already very visible; your advocacy will help inform any follow-on expansion. We will provide you with materials and project documents for relevant audiences and support your outreach efforts.

If you would like to gather information on how this might be used or discuss with colleagues in your agency to better inform a future expansion, we would be happy to support with any relevant documentation.

What is the project’s timeline?

This is a three-year project that will produce a prototype dashboard primarily in Year 1 and Year 2. Year 3 is dedicated to outreach and preparation for expansion.

• Alpha Dashboard and Feedback – May, 2024
• Beta Dashboard and Feedback – September/October, 2024
• Final Dashboard and Feedback – March, 2025
• University Priorities Report Draft – Summer, 2025