The German Center for Research and Innovation (GCRI) in New York has become an essential component of our country’s science policy. The Center, which opened in February 2010, has rapidly established itself as a cornerstone of the German government’s internationalization strategy. The GCRI is a joint initiative of Germany’s Federal Foreign Office and its Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). It has successfully strengthened transatlantic collaboration in science and technology since its inception. One of the hallmarks of GCRI’s success is its ability to foster interdisciplinary collaborations by presenting cutting-edge German research to a diverse, highly educated audience.

Through its manifold panel discussions, symposia, and workshops, the GCRI provides a platform to enhance innovation between North America and Germany. Last year’s topics ranged from cyber security and e-health to sustainable development and renewable energy. The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in New York and consortium leaders, the DAAD and the DFG, have collaborated with the GCRI from the outset, resulting in a fruitful relationship. The Consulate General was honored to host the GCRI’s Fifth Anniversary Celebration on March 18, 2015, and is proud to continue to support the highly successful center. Organizing joint events, hosting scientific delegations, facilitating mutual introductions to a variety of stakeholders, and sharing ideas are just a few aspects that contribute to our successful collaboration. I hope this report will inspire you to actively engage with the German Center for Research and Innovation in the future.

Civic leader Michael Tubbs shares his story of growing up in the California Central Valley, attending Stanford and going on to become one of the youngest elected officials in U.S. history. The Stockton City Councilman calls on entrepreneurs behind today's biggest tech innovations to also focus on solving society's biggest problems, like poverty, illiteracy and inequality.

Image: http://ecorner.stanford.edu 

Brit Morin, founder and CEO of Brit + Co, describes her path and motivation for launching a platform that aims to inspire women and girls to be creative through compelling content such as videos, online classes and do-it-yourself kits. Morin explains how creativity is sparked by rekindling that playful spirit from our youth and stems from the primal instinct to make things.

Image: http://ecorner.stanford.edu

Astro Teller, director of Alphabet's moonshot factory, X, describes how smart bets on world-changing innovations are aided by a culture that celebrates only the most audacious projects and rewards teams for showing the courage to find the biggest flaws. He also discusses how innovation can be systematized regardless of business type, resources or role at your company.

Image: http://ecorner.stanford.edu/

While some tech companies have made incremental gains for their efforts to increase women and under-represented minorities among their ranks, the overall business landscape isn’t faring much better.

According to theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission’s last tally, American companies with more than 100 workers have posted marginal increases. A national aggregate of all industries between 1985 to 2014 shows: An increase from 3% to 3.3% of black men in management roles, and an increase from 22% to 29% of white women in management through the year 2000, and no movement since then.

Image: Flickr user Dee Ashley

It’s no secret that people are living longer. But breaking down the numbers is surprising. Life expectancy has increased at a rate of more than two decades every decade, with more people than ever living well into their 80s, 90s, and 100s.

This means some changes in the workplace need to happen to help people who are living longer, says Lynda Gratton, professor at London Business School, and coauthor with economist Andrew Scott of The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity.

You did everything right. You graduated college with a marketable major, kept your grade point average up, did a few internships in your field, and participated in extracurriculars. You've got plenty to talk about on an entry-level interview. Only problem is that you're having trouble landing one.

There are a few common expectations about the job-search process that may have once helped steer new college graduates toward their first-ever experiences in the workforce, but don't anymore.

Image: Flickr user University of the Fraser Valley

One of the hardest parts of being an entrepreneur is raising capital.

According to the Angel Capital Association, only 2 percent of entrepreneurs are able to pry much-needed cash from the tight hands of angel investors, and less than a half of a percent raise money from venture capitalists, according to Price Waterhouse study.

An investor one pager is that very short document that sums up your startup. Its main purpose is to grab the investor's attention, help you stand out and get you that meeting.

The problem is that an investor spends around five minutes reading a one pager.  Well actually, this is only if she or he hasn't tossed it aside before reading through it due to one of the common errors entrepreneurs often make.

You have done all of your homework. You researched the investor you are pitching. You properly prepared your financials. You practiced and perfected your presentation. Most importantly, you landed a coveted meeting with your target investor. After the meeting is over, the investor passes on your idea. What do you do?

It’s one of the core tenets of any business or technological initiative: In order to achieve mainstream success and widespread adoption, the primary concept must be able to scale. Sure, it is a great proof of concept if you can effectively deploy a technology in one location, but if you want to make a major impact, you have to be able to replicate that ability across many places.

Unfortunately, achieving scale often does not come easy — or at all.

When Aquila Leon-Soon was in the early stages of launching her startup, she was rejected for a loan by three different banks.

She also knew that another funding option, venture capital, was not a realistic one: Black women like her only raise about .01% of the VC money pulled in by the average successful startup.

Luckily for Leon-Soon, she lives and works in New York City. Through resources provided by the city, she was able to find workarounds to replace the traditional avenues of funding, instead growing her business using government certifications, grants, and mentorship programs.

What is success? Is it the amount of money you have in your bank account, at any given point? Is it that feeling you get after delivering a killer presentation, or even a pretty decent bar joke? Or is it something bigger—something wholly unnamable, undefinable, immeasurable, and totally subjective?

Australian businesses generally agree that innovation is a critical ingredient for success, but the question of how to innovate tends to be more challenging.

They often try to implement this through techniques such as brainstorming and blue sky thinking. The most progressive organisations however, have several things in common when it comes to driving innovation.

For leaders of multi-business firms, the best decisions aren’t necessarily those that produce the best immediate outcomes.

For senior leaders of single-business companies, making high-level strategic decisions can be a daunting challenge. The difficulties involved in such decisions only increase with the number of businesses under the company umbrella. With multi-business firms, the problem shifts from achieving competitive advantage within a certain industry or market, to achieving corporate advantage—i.e., managing interactions between businesses in a portfolio so that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Image: http://knowledge.insead.edu

Another week, another new initiative for IBM Watson Health.

Wednesday, IBM announced the formation of a Watson Health medical imaging collaborative, seeking to make “cognitive imaging” a routine part of medical practice in oncology, neurology, diabetes care, eye care, cardiovascular disease and other image-heavy specialties.  “Imaging is one of the things that spans across many different areas,” said Anne Le Grand, IBM Watson Health’s vice president of imaging.

Image: http://medcitynews.com

Being an entrepreneur can be a profoundly rewarding experience. For many, it’s a chance to break away from a mundane corporate life and do something truly innovative. But it can also be incredibly challenging and, at times, horribly lonely.

As rewarding as leaving corporate life behind might seem, it comes with serious risks, and those can weigh pretty heavily on any entrepreneur’s mind. Small wonder then that many entrepreneurs suffer from anxiety and depression.

Image: http://ventureburn.com

When I sat down to write my book, An American Hedge Fund (which I now make free to the public), I wrote it with one key goal in mind, to provide entrepreneurs like me with access to the information they need to be as successful as possible. I honestly believe that reading books is one of the best ways to gain insight on the world and to learn more not only about others but also about business. 

Entrepreneurship in the hands of Millennials is not your father’s capitalism. As my mom continues to remind me with each new, lovingly botched introduction, explaining what a “social entrepreneur” is remains a challenge for even those who have been supporting this next generation of entrepreneurship for more than a decade now.

As the largest transfer of power and wealth in history proceeds in the coming decades, it is increasingly important for us to have a common understanding of what a more “social” form of entrepreneurship means for entrepreneurs, investors, and families alike. The intimate understanding of the triple bottom line we Millennials sometimes take for granted does not translate to most Americans.

Because small businesses have shoestring budgets, they lack all the privileges large businesses enjoy. Tilting the ground in their favor is incredibly difficult for them. It’s no surprise that 90 percent of startups fail. Expert tips can help them lower the cost while keeping the quality of the work high and meeting deadlines. Here are some offbeat growth strategies for startups: