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Please find the monthly 2023 edition of the Office of Public Engagement's newsletter below.
This month’s newsletter will cover:
- Upcoming DOC Grant Opportunities
- At the Direction of President Biden, Department of Commerce to Establish U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute to Lead Efforts on AI Safety
- Department of Commerce Hosts Interagency Convening on Equitable Economic Growth
- Secretary Raimondo and Minister Goyal Lead “Innovation Handshake” Event to Deepen U.S.-India Tech Ties
- Secretary Raimondo Meets with Minister of Commerce of China Wang Wentao
- Secretary Raimondo Participates in Second Ministerial Meeting of the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee
- Deputy Secretary Graves Attends AGOA Forum to Advance U.S.-Africa Commercial Ties
- Office of Faith Based & Neighborhood Partnerships Co-Hosts First-Ever National Muslim American Leaders Convening at Commerce
- Registration Opens for 10th SelectUSA Investment Summit, Taking Place Next June in National Harbor, MD
- Commerce Up Close Speaker Series: Artificial Intelligence
- Intellectual Property 101: Tory Burch Foundation Partners with Department of Commerce
“Through the establishment of the U.S. AI Safety Institute, we at the Department of Commerce will build on NIST’s long history of developing standards to inform domestic and international technological progress for the common good. As President Biden takes swift action to ensure the U.S. is a global leader on innovative, safe, and responsible AI, the Department of Commerce is eager to play its part. Together, in coordination with federal agencies across government and in lockstep with our international partners and allies, we will work to fulfill the President’s vision to manage the risks and harness the benefits of AI.” - Secretary Gina Raimondo
The Biden-Harris administration is establishing the U.S. Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (USAISI) within the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to lead the U.S. government’s efforts on AI safety. It will focus on developing standards for testing AI models, authenticating AI-generated content, and providing testing environments for AI risks.
USAISI will collaborate with various sectors and partners to align and coordinate work in this sphere. This initiative follows President Biden’s executive order and aims to position the U.S. as a global leader in terms of responsible AI development. Secretary Raimondo highlighted the department’s commitment to supporting this vision, emphasizing collaboration with federal agencies across the government to manage and mitigate AI risks. Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio added that she is thrilled to take on this essential role, harnessing expertise from NIST to build a solid and trustworthy AI foundation.
Read the full press release here.
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On Tuesday, November 28, the Department of Commerce hosted its third annual Interagency Convening on Equitable Economic Growth. This year's convening celebrated business diversity, equitable workforce development, and community investment in partnership with key stakeholders from government, private sector, and community organizations.
The convening featured keynote speaker Janice Bryant Howroyd, the CEO and founder of the largest minority and women-owned Human Resources firm in the nation, along with roundtable panel discussions with government, corporate, and nonprofit leaders. The goal of this year's convening was to leverage the Administration and the Department's equitable economic development efforts, including the Business Diversity Principles Initiative and its pillars:
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Executive Leadership - diversifying the C-suite and executive boards, ensuring leaders are equipped to implement the other pillars;
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Organizational Strategy - short- and long-term strategy development related to business diversity, data, metrics, and accountability;
- Workforce Development - talent pipelines, training programs, and wrap-around services;
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Human Resources - recruitment, retention, and advancement;
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Community Investment - scholarship programs, incubator programs, and other community-based initiatives that address barriers to economic inclusion; and
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Business Opportunities - supplier diversity initiatives, from construction and food services to consulting and financial services, and everything in between.
Through a Request for Information in the Federal Register, the Department is seeking public input by January 5, 2024 on the draft Business Diversity Principles, which describe best practices related to promoting equity and economic development. The Department intends for the Principles to serve as the first step in a longer term effort to convene private sector Business Diversity leaders, amplify existing efforts, and inspire additional, voluntary Business Diversity efforts.
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On November 14, Secretary Raimondo and Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal led an industry roundtable and officially launched the two countries’ ambitious “Innovation Handshake” agenda.
At the event, co-hosted by the U.S.-India Business Council and the Confederation of Indian Industry, CEOs from major ICT companies, executives from venture capital firms, and founders of startups in the critical and emerging technology space discussed how to enhance U.S.-India technology collaboration. The “Innovation Handshake” announcement laid the groundwork for two future Innovation Handshake events scheduled to take place in India and the United States in early 2024.
Read the full press release here.
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After President Biden’s meeting with President Xi Jinping, Secretary Raimondo held a discussion with China’s Minister of Commerce, Wang Wentao were they focused on the U.S.- China commercial relationship, planning an in-person meeting for early 2024. Both sides will have technical discussions in January 2024 to enhance trade secrets’ protection. Additionally, they aim to promote increased people-to people ties via a U.S.-China Tourism Leadership Summit in May. Secretary Raimondo stressed that national security is a priority and clarified that U.S. export controls target specific technologies for security reasons or to promote foreign policy, not to stifle Chinese economic growth.
Read the full meeting readout here.
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On November 14, Secretary Gina Raimondo participated in the second ministerial meeting of the U.S.-Japan Economic Policy Consultative Committee alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura and Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Yoko Kamikawa. During the meeting, the participants affirmed the United States’ and Japan’s mutual commitment to strengthen the rules-based economic order, enhance economic resilience, and promote and protect critical and emerging technologies. The two sides also discussed progress made since the first ministerial meeting in July 2022, and discussed additional ways that the United States and Japan can work together to advance common interests, including through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). At the conclusion of the meeting, the two sides issued a joint statement reaffirming the nations’ joint leadership in enhancing the rules-based international economic order for workers, businesses, and countries around the world.
Read the joint statement here.
From November 1-5, 2023, Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa for the 20th Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum as a member of the U.S. delegation led by United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai. The AGOA Forum brought together the United States and AGOA-eligible countries along with representatives from key regional economic organizations and stakeholders from the private sector, civil society, and labor to discuss how to strengthen trade and investment ties between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.
During the week, Deputy Secretary Graves announced the first-of-its-kind Department of Commerce Africa strategy, which includes a pilot trade promotion initiative focused on cosmetics in South Africa. During the AGOA Ministerial, he co-chaired sessions on digital trade and the future of U.S.-Africa trade relationships. He also held bilateral meetings with several African partners including Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa Ebrahim Patel, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat Wamkele Mene, Secretary of State for Industry and Commerce of Angola Amadeu Leitao Nunes, and Minister of Commerce and Industry of Côte d’Ivoire Souleymane Diarrassouba to discuss our bilateral commercial partnerships.
Read the full press release here.
On November 14, 2023, the Commerce Office of Faith Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, in partnership with the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs and Emgage, hosted and celebrated the first ever National Muslim American Leaders Convening at the Department of Commerce. Over 150 Muslim American leaders and 30 Commerce and interagency speaker were in attendance.
Commerce Deputy Secretary Graves and SBA Deputy Administrator Syed led the keynote remarks and armchair conversation portion of the event, providing their lighthouse viewpoints on how the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration help Americans. They demonstrated how President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Equity Agenda have helped Americans with specific regional challenges. Additionally, Treasury, SBA, CFPB, USDA, and Transportation presented on topics like banking, de-risking, capital access, and business development. Please reach out with any questions to commercefbnp@doc.gov.
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U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced this month that registration is now open for SelectUSA’s 10th Investment Summit to be held June 23 - 26, 2024, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. The 2024 SelectUSA Investment Summit will offer exciting opportunities for all attendees with programming that will include plenary and academy sessions on key topics in the Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda, including advanced batteries, Internet for All and U.S. infrastructure, clean energy, critical minerals, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, and the CHIPS Act.
The SelectUSA Investment Summit is the highest-profile event dedicated to promoting foreign direct investment (FDI) in the United States, with a focus on the U.S. investment environment, industry trends, and creating business opportunities. Drawing more than 4,900 participants in 2023, the Investment Summit facilitates connections between investors, economic developers, and industry experts to seek opportunities available through U.S. investment. Attendees and speakers include senior government officials, C-Suite business executives, and industry leaders.
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On November 29, the Tory Burch Foundation partnered with the Department of Commerce to produce Intellectual Property 101, a special edition of the Tory Burch small business webinar program. The United States Patent and Trademark Office provided an overview of essential intellectual property such as trademarks, copyrights, and patents. Special guest Kathi Vidal, Director of the Patent and Trademark Office, also joined the webinar for a conversation about Patent Office resources companies can leverage, including the Empowering Women Entrepreneurship (WE) program.
Watch the full webinar here.
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