Innovation has been shown to be an incredible engine for development, has led to the creation of entire new industries and an ecosystem of trillion dollar companies that did not exist just a few years ago. Yet some of the best ideas and innovation breakthroughs have not been aimed at solving some of the world’s most daunting problems that could deliver immense social benefit. At a time when the world is trying to address key moonshots as represented by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals should we rethink how we approach and fund innovation to incentive moonshot thinking enhancing social impact. What are the models and strategies to reframe innovation in terms of high return-on-impact.

Speaker: Maurizio Vecchione, Chief Innovation Officer, Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (United States)

Cosponsors: Global Forum at International House, UC San Diego Global Health Institute