WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) praised the findings of a new report issued by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation released this week that ranks Delaware as a world leader in innovation and productivity. 

The report, The Atlantic Century II: Benchmarking EU & U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness, measures innovation-based competitiveness among a group of countries and U.S. states, focusing on indicators such as productivity, research and development, venture capital, and the number of scientists and engineers. According to its findings, Delaware placed sixth in the United States overall, however, on a per capita basis, Delawareans lead the world.

Were Delaware its own nation:

  • Delaware would rank first in the world for gross domestic product per capita;
  • Delaware would rank first in the world for productivity; and
  • Delaware would rank fourth in the world for the number of scientists and researchers per 1,000 employed. 

“I am excited about this report’s findings but entirely unsurprised,” Senator Coons said.  “The report concludes that Delawareans are the smartest, most innovative, most productive workers in the world and should be rightfully proud of this recognition and achievement. Delaware’s workers can compete with any in the world, as evidenced by innovative companies like Fisker Automotive, NRG Energy, and DuPont that have chosen to take advantage of what our state has to offer.”

The ITIF report can be accessed at http://www.itif.org/files/2011-atlantic-century.pdf. 

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