Innovation for Public Benefit
With support from the Hoveida Family Foundation, WSAS is launching a Thought Leaders Seminar Series to explore how Washington might more deliberately aim research and innovation at public benefit.
About the Series
Washington has a world-class innovation ecosystem: research strength, technology leadership, a strong economy, creativity, an ingrained sense of possibility, and global reach. This series explores how we might more deliberately aim these strengths at our region’s critical needs— from energy systems that meet economic, environmental, and community goals; to vibrant communities with access to healthcare and economic opportunities; to a resilient and competitive workforce in the age of AI.
Though the ‘valley of death’ is real and well known, many across the state, nation, and world are working hard to translate research and technology for public impact. Through this seminar series, we will learn from those who are leading this work and from scholars studying innovation about what makes that translation succeed. Interactive discussions will then invite participants to imagine what we could achieve by collaborating across disciplines and sectors to steer innovations toward shared goals for Washington’s future.
Series Schedule
Rethinking Regional Innovation Ecosystems
Wednesday, September 2, 2026, 12:00-1:00 PM (Virtual)
Conventionally, innovation means turning new ideas into products, services, and companies, with success measured in patents, startups, capital raised, and jobs. By those measures Washington ranks among the most innovative places on earth. But markets deliver what people will pay for, not always what a region most needs, and no single product or company can address a complex challenge on its own. This session asks what the public benefits of coordinated research and innovation actually are, what promotes or inhibits them, and how we might measure them. Drawing on the scholarship of public-value and mission-oriented innovation, it considers how a “public value” frame could change the outcomes we pursue and how we define success.
Innovation in Regional Energy Systems
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 12:00-1:00 PM (Virtual)
What counts as success in energy innovation? Not just technologies commercialized, but increased energy reliability, reduced environmental impacts, and fair energy prices. The energy transition spans generation, distribution, transmission, and storage, and it is shaped by decisions about land use, siting, workforce, utility rates, and technology choices. This session looks at what it takes to innovate at a systems level with multiple goals in mind. The conversation will draw on global examples of energy systems innovation, innovations for permitting and siting infrastructure, and distinctive opportunities for energy systems innovation in Washington.
Translating Research for Health Benefits
Wednesday, September 23, 2026, 12:00-1:00 PM (Virtual)
Closing the valley of death is a subject of research itself. Entire fields have grown up around it, developing methods to move discoveries into therapies and research evidence into practice into practice faster and more equitably, and accumulating evidence about what works. This session brings scholars and practitioners of research translation into conversation, asking what they have learned, where their approaches could be integrated more deliberately across disciplines, and how we might apply them to close the gap between research and benefits for Washington residents and communities.
Reflections on Washington’s Opportunities
Wednesday, September 30, 2026, 12:00-1:00 PM (Virtual)
This session is only open to WSAS members and invited regional leaders.
WSAS members and regional leaders will participate in small (virtual) discussions to pull the threads of previous conversations to uncover assumptions WSAS might want to explore, key opportunities for Washington as a state, and where WSAS can provide the connective tissue to support public value innovation.
Discussions with Regional Leaders
Thursday, October 8, 2026, 3:00-4:30 PM (In Person) | Bell Harbor International Convention Center
This session is only open to WSAS members and invited regional leaders.
The series concludes with a panel of state leaders discussing opportunities they see for research and technology to contribute to public impact, especially in health and energy. Participants then move into interactive roundtables to better understand state needs, learn about innovative approaches, and discuss what Washington could do to better connect research with innovations in technology, policy, and practice for public benefit. These discussions will help to inform future WSAS programming.
