David B. Audretsch David B. Audretsch is the Ameritech Chair of Economic Development and Director of the Institute for Development Strategies at Indiana University. He also serves as the Director of the Institute for West European Studies at Indiana University. In addition, he is a Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research (London). Since November 2003 ... Read morehe also serves as Director of the department "Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy" at the Max-Planck-Institute for Research into Economic Systems in Jena, Germany. He was at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung in Berlin, Germany, which is a government funded research think tank between 1984 and 1997. In 1991 he became the Research Professor. Audretsch's research has focused on the links between entrepreneurship, government policy, innovation, economic development and global competitiveness. He has consulted with the World Bank, National Academy of Sciences, U.S. State Department, United States Federal Trade Commission, General Accounting Office and International Trade Commission as well as the United Nations, Commission of the European Union, the OECD, as well as numerous private corporations, and a number of European Governments. He is a member of the Advisory Board to a number of international research and policy institutes, including the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research and the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS). His research has been published in over one hundred scholarly articles in the leading academic journals. He has published thirty two books including, Innovation and Industry Evolution, with MIT Press. He is co-founder and co-editor of the premier journal on small business and economic development, Small Business Economics: An International Journal. He was awarded the 2001 International Award for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Research by the Swedish Foundation for Small Business Research. HeikeGrimm Heike Grimm is associate professor at the University of Erfurt holding the Research Lectureship for Public Policy. She also serves as research fellow of the department "Entrepreneurship, Growth and Public Policy" at the Max-Planck-Institute for Research into Economic Systems in Jena, Germany. Before taking up her appointments at Erfurt and Jena, Dr. Grimm worked as a Senior Fellow at the German-American Center for Visiting Scholars in Washington D.C., an institution affiliated with the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS), Washington, D.C., the German-American Academic Council and the German Historical Institute, Washington,D.C. In addition, Dr Grimm has worked as a consultant for the Ministry of Economics in Lower Saxony, the Ministry of Economics in Brandenburg, and for consultancies in Berlin, Hamburg and Brussels, Belgium. Currently, she works with German and European associations for small and medium-sized enterprises promoting public policies for SMEs and start-ups. Charles W. Wessner Dr. Charles (Chuck) Wessner is well known nationally and internationally as a policy advisor with expertise on public-private partnerships, early-stage financing for new firms, and the special needs and benefits of high-technology industry. He regularly testifies to the U.S. Congress and major national commissions, acts as an advisor to agencies of the U.S. government and to international organizations, and lectures at major universities in the U.S and abroad. Reflecting the strong global interest in innovation, he is frequently asked to address issues of shared policy interest with foreign governments, universities, and research institutes, often briefing government ministers and other senior officials. He serves as an advisor to the 30-nation OECD Committee on Science and Technology Policy, the Mexican National Council on Science and Technology, and the National Technology agencies of Finland (Tekes) and Sweden (VINNOVA) and is a member of the Norwegian Technology Forum. Show Less