Who we are
About
By leveraging a global network of government officials, civil society, and private sector leaders, GIF delivers actionable insights and impactful programs to emphasize how technology and trade policies can advance resilience and inclusive growth.
As an educational project of the 501(c)(3) National Foreign Trade Council Foundation, GIF connects small businesses and policymakers to bridge the gap between big picture trade policy and the experiences of entrepreneurs, workers and people.
These efforts highlight the role of public policies in: enabling global innovators to develop transformative businesses, pursue solutions to global challenges such as climate change and public health and improve the lives of workers, families and communities around the world.
Engaging globally-minded innovators
Many of the solutions to complex global challenges and much of the potential growth for companies and countries will be created by entrepreneurs and small businesses, either through direct participation in the global marketplace or as partners with multinational companies managing global supply chains.
There are, however, few opportunities for entrepreneurs and innovators to connect with policymakers in Washington, DC or in capitals around the world on trade and innovation policy issues.
The Global Innovation Forum is a unique vehicle for connecting innovative business leaders around the United States and the world with trade policy experts and practitioners. Through op-eds, policy initiatives, and ongoing series of roundtable discussions among local businesses, policymakers, and select national thought leaders, the GIF improves the dialogue surrounding the challenges and opportunities of innovating across borders in the digital age.
GIF leverages relationships with a series of respected innovation centers to connect policymakers with local business leaders and entrepreneurs. These sessions drive conversations about public policies and their impact on the ability of a range of individuals and companies to participate effectively in the global marketplace of the 21st Century.
Objectives
Elevate the global opportunity
GIF improves understanding of the new role that startups, nonprofits and businesses of all sizes are playing in the global marketplace, finding new customers, partners and tools to sustain and grow their operations.
Articulate the policy challenges
GIF helps entrepreneurs and innovators articulate the regulatory, customs, market access and related challenges they face to government officials and the public.
Improve the public policy landscape
GIF offers a unique platform for industry, small business and nonprofit stakeholders to improve governments’ understanding of how policies may affect their ability to participate in global markets.
Unlock opportunities in the global digital economy
GIF elevates the public and private tools that exist to enable entrepreneurs to participate more effectively in global trade.
@NFTC
The National Foreign Trade Council Foundation launched the Global Innovation Forum to create a greater understanding of the importance of the policy foundations that underpin the ability of startups, researchers, universities and companies of all sizes to innovate globally.
Examples of GIF Activities
Over the Years
2024
GIF engaged extensively with governments, partnering with the EU on a transatlantic startups panel and salon brunch at SXSW in Austin, submitting comments for USTR’s consultation on the APEP Trade Track, and speaking at USTR’s IPEF session on Digital Equity and Inclusion, the US-UK SME Dialogue in Belfast and the U.S. ITC 18th Annual Services Roundtable. In partnership with the Government of Peru and Visa, GIF hosted an APEC women-led SME breakfast to launch a new report, “From Informal to International: Women-led SMEs Embracing Digital Trade.”
2023
GIF moderated a ‘Connecting SMEs to the Global Economy’ panel during APEC meetings in Detroit to emphasize the importance of trade for small businesses, which featured remarks by the WTO Director General and U.S. Trade Representative. GIF-identified entrepreneurs spoke about the importance of digital technologies in accessing global markets and shared ideas for how public policies can better benefit SMEs.
2022
GIF released a new report and survey of small businesses highlighting the role of a regional digital trade agreement in boosting success at a breakfast with government officials on the sidelines of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) Ministerial in Los Angeles.
2021
GIF hosted a WTO Public Forum session on “Encouraging Globally-Engaged Women Entrepreneurs” to explore how digitally-enabled networks, tools and trade policies can be gender-transformative.
2020
GIF developed and distributed to hundreds of government officials a report on lessons learned for e-commerce from COVID-19 and takeaways for WTO e-commerce negotiations. GIF also hosted a series of events to inform e-commerce negotiators including a virtual forum featuring entrepreneurs.
2019
GIF engaged women entrepreneurs in Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Singapore in round-table discussions on supporting women-owned businesses. These events built on themes from a report published by GIF on women’s entrepreneurship in ASEAN.
2018
GIF held a series of discussions with European entrepreneurs in Paris, Brussels, and London to discuss getting UK startups and small businesses global post-Brexit and created new partnerships with entrepreneurs and startup incubators in the ASEAN region as it published a new report on the New Faces of Trade: ASEAN Women in e-Commerce.
2017
GIF organized forums at the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, including a seminar with the FEDs on the role of global technology in the success of small business, a private dinner with the World Economic Forum on global small businesses and digital trade that featured guests including MercadoLibre and Alibaba, and a public panel with the Valo Hub Labs incubator on Getting Latin American Startups Global with Visa, Google, Startup Chile, the Government of the City of Buenos Aires and several Argentina-based entrepreneurs.
2016
GIF accelerated its innovative partnership with the U.S. Government to advance Startup Global, an effort to increase the awareness of U.S. entrepreneurs of the public and private sector resources available to grow their businesses internationally.
2015
GIF hosted its first annual salon brunch alongside SXSW in Austin, Texas, bringing together globally-minded startup, government and community partners.
2014
GIF hosted conferences in DC, London, and Geneva with representatives from startups, corporations, and governments to discuss the challenges and opportunities of global markets, concentrating on financial services, e-commerce and online platforms — including a discussion with eBay CEO Devin Wenig. In Chile, the GIF held a forum at the LatAm Startups Conference to discuss what Latin American countries can do to promote innovation.
2013
The Global Innovation Forum held a series of discussions in partnership with major universities and the Partnership for a New American Economy to discuss the impact on U.S. competitiveness of current visa and immigration policies in Northern California (UC Davis), Colorado (CU-Boulder), Texas (University of Texas at Austin) and North Carolina (Duke University).
2012
GIF and the NFTC Foundation drew in talented entrepreneurs, technology innovators, policymakers, and business leaders for a series of discussions about “how to succeed in the global economy:” In Chicago, featuring Commerce Under Secretary Sánchez and in partnership with Chicago Council on Global Affairs; In Cincinnati, with Techsolve; and In Pittsburgh, featuring U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk.
2010
The Global Innovation Forum held discussions on “going global to support innovation” in Research Triangle Park HQ in North Carolina, at GE’s advanced manufacturing research facility outside of Detroit, and at two forums held over several months in Silicon Valley, where participants focused on the President’s goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five years and new challenges to American innovation, including efforts by governments around the world to restrict the free flow of information.
2009
Howard University’s Institute for Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Innovation (ELI Institute) and the Global Innovation Forum hosted an event, “Securing America’s Future: Innovation Jobs for the Middle Class” on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC. The event marked the first public event for then U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who delivered keynote remarks and stressed the important relationship between global trade rules and job creation.