Innovation and technology go hand in hand: US envoy

New Delhi : Asserting that the move towards digitizationis not simply a private sector phenomenon, US envoy Richard R. Verma has said innovation and technology go hand in hand.”We see it in government, civil society, educational institutions, and so much more. The more digitized, high tech world has transformed how we communicate, how we learn, and in how we interact and excel professionally and personally,” said Verma. “So, innovation and technology go hand in hand. While technology cannot be a substitute for a good idea, it can be the accelerator, the connector and the enabler,” he added. The US envoy said there is no question innovation is essential to achieving economic growth, prosperity and security in so many areas. “We know, just from the data collected about the U.S. economy, that innovation is essential to our growth. In fact, from 1948 to 2012, over half of the total increase in U.S. productivity growth came from innovation and technological change, according to the White House,” said Verma.”The challenge, I find, is that we use the word “innovation” a lot -and we do not often know exactly what we are referring to. It reminds me of the phrases “smart cities” and “public private partnerships” – important terms to be sure, but terms that probably mean something different to everyone in this room. And, that’s ok. For me, “innovation” signifies a commitment for change – and a drive and quest to make life better, safer, easier, healthier in so many ways,” he added.