More than 400 movers and shakers from the state of Delaware gathered on the UD campus in early November for the launch of what will be a series of conferences on knowledge-based partnerships.

The capacity crowd at the daylong inaugural conference represented the triumvirate of higher education, business and government. Those attending took part in several varied sessions devoted to the theme, “Creating Knowledge-Based Partnerships: Challenges and Opportunities.”

“I think this conference was a great success,” University President Patrick Harker, who convened the gathering, said at its conclusion. “It brought together key people from a variety of fields to begin to lay the groundwork for new partnerships throughout the state. The University is committed to a continuing effort to build partnerships, so that knowledge developed here might be commercialized for the marketplace.”

Provost Dan Rich welcomed the participants and introduced Jim Wolfe, president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. Earlier this year, Rich led a task force on economic development in the state that laid out the University’s contributions and recommended fresh opportunities, including events such as the Nov. 2 conference.

Wolfe said the conference could begin a new era of success based on knowledge, fresh ideas, capability and determination through partnerships.

Wolfe’s remarks were followed by those from Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, who spoke about the importance of partnerships and of working together to benefit everyone.

She said the state’s economy is strong, and she discussed educational opportunities for students designed to maintain an educated workforce. She also spoke highly of Charles Elson, Edgar S. Woolard Jr. Chair of Corporate Governance and director of the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance in UD’s Lerner College of Business and Economics, and the center’s national reputation and influence on important laws affecting corporations.

Minner also cited collaborations at UD’s Delaware Biotechnology Institute, pointing out that its projects include bioterrorism research and poultry research, including avian flu.

The conference keynote speaker, Chad Holliday, chairman and CEO of the DuPont Co., spoke about a report from the National Academies titled Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Future.

Holliday noted that, although the U.S. remains the world’s leading economic power, that position could change in as little as 10 years unless America takes action to maintain its competitiveness.

For example, he said, more funding is needed for research and development, with a particular emphasis on research. A recent tour he took in Shanghai, he said, showed him four new state-owned research laboratories that were comparable to DuPont’s state-of-the-art facilities. He also noted the need for more engineers in the U.S., particularly because many current engineers are nearing retirement age and because far fewer American students choose careers in science and engineering than their counterparts in South Korea and China.

Of all the recommendations made in the National Academies report, Holliday said, improving public education remains the most important issue to address. He also discussed energy, global warming and the need to develop alternative fuels and urged Delaware to use its size as a competitive advantage in terms of being able to get things done quickly and efficiently.

Luncheon speaker Abby Joseph Cohen of Goldman Sachs & Co., one of the nation’s leading market analysts, told the audience it’s unlikely the U.S. economy will fall into recession.

Although there are concerns about the housing market and the indirect impact that could have on some consumer spending, Cohen said she does not think a recession is looming because other sectors of the economy remain robust.

In opening her talk, Cohen called the conference an important one. “The conversation you are having here at Delaware is similar to the sorts of conversations that should be happening everywhere,” she said.

She discussed several themes she said should drive people’s thinking on the economy, corporate performance and other issues, including education, the health and welfare of workers and the condition of the environment.

Cohen said both the global economy and the U.S. economy are changing. Growth in technology has exceeded that of all other sectors, she said, adding that technology is among the most important investments that can be made because it serves to bolster the productivity of workers, benefiting both them and their employers.

Panel discussions at the conference covered such topics as Delaware’s advantage in corporate governance, alternative energy options, the life sciences, environmental and agricultural partnerships and advanced materials.

Cosponsoring the conference with the University were the Office of the Governor, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware Public Policy Institute, Delaware Business Roundtable, First State Innovation, Select Greater Philadelphia and The News Journal.