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Launch of the "DC Forum"

The "DC Forum" has been launched! -- a regular meeting of competitiveness professionals in Washington, D.C., using TCI as the neutral platform for dialogue on issues arising in work in developing countries. TCI aims to draw a balanced group of government officials, donors, academics, consultants, NGOs and other practioners, to share experience, promote competitiveness, improve methodologies, and become thought leaders.

A meeting has been set for October 25, where several donors will present prepared remarks on the topic "How does Competitiveness fit in with our overall assistance programs today, and how might that evolve over time?", and an overview of the Greenbook II, which focuses on developing countries experiences, will be presented. The bulk of the time will be devoted to facilitated discussion on these topics.

Future meetings are planned for the

The "DC Forum" is off to a great start. Despite the short notice, a nicely balanced group of 25 participants attended, of whom 8 are currently TCI members. One-third were from donor organizations (USAID and World Bank), with the remainder from consulting companies. The meeting was chaired by Lars Eklund, TCI Vice President and the only person present who did not fit into one of the two categories (he is a high official in Sweden's innovation agency, VINNOVA). Proposals developed in the meeting will be reviewed by TCI's Executive Committee for approval.

Key results:

For the first meeting of a diverse, competitive group, there was a remarkably high-level, genteel discussion, and a remarkable degree of consensus. Among the key results were:

1. A regular set of meetings of practitioners focusing on developing country issues in competitiveness is needed, and TCI is uniquely suited to serve as the "neutral platform" on which this can be built.

2. Washington, D.C. is a logical location, due to the concentration of practitioners in this area. There are many exciting possibilities for linking actions of this group to activities all over the world - after all, the ultimate stakeholders live in countries thousands of miles from Washington - but the first actions of this group need to focus on this opportunity to build on the potential for frequent, repeated face-to-face contacts, and the increased understanding and concerted action that becomes possible.

3. Four preliminary goals:
a. Educate ourselves - share experiences, learn from experts
b. Promote competitiveness (and clusters?) as a legitimate economic development tool
c. Debate what are the most effective methods
d. Create a neutral broker for these discussions
(These goals closely mirror TCI?s mission and objectives.)

4. Next meeting October 25. The afternoon of October 25 is a good date for a next meeting for almost all participants. SRI International has volunteered a space that is ideal for 40-50 participants, though it can accommodate more if necessary. Future meetings will take place approximately every two months.

5. Focus on first steps: there are lots of exciting initiatives that this group can eventually undertake, but the main focus of the first few meetings needs to be on local activities focused on building coherence, a sense of identity, and internal structure.

6. By the end of the meeting, many participants who had not previously considered attending TCI's Annual Meeting in Hong Kong on November 12-14 are more interested in attending, although many donor participants continue to face particular constraints in obtaining approval and funding to attend. Part of the value of the DC Forum is that instead of asking all interested parties in DC to "come to us", TCI is learning that in some cases we have to "come to you" to make membership and participation attractive. (Note: Conference attendees obtain automatic 1-year memberships in TCI.)

7. Number of participants at this meeting was limited, invited because they were either already TCI members with an interest in developing countries, or strong candidates for recruitment into TCI, and/or have prominence in the field, and can assist in recruitment and expansion. As detailed below, participation in future meetings will be gradually expanded, and conferences can be planned and hosted by the DC Forum with completely unlimited attendance in mind.

8. While brand-new conferences and other initiatives will emerge, there are many existing initiatives to which the DC Forum can contribute and improve. Planning for DC-oriented sessions in at the Hong Kong Conference, interpretation and dissemination of the Greenbook II, assistance in planning an upcoming World Bank conference in Paris February 1-2, and future TCI conferences in Capetown and Dubai are among a few.