INVENTION: Enhancing inventiveness for quality of life,
competitiveness, and sustainability

Report of the Committee for Study of Invention, sponsored by the
Lemelson-MIT Program and the National Science Foundation
Released April 23, 2004

To request a printed copy of the report (80 pages), please call (617) 253-3352 or email your mailing address to invent@mit.edu.

Download the executive summary of the report.

Download the full report.

View the press release:
Experts Concerned for the Future of Invention and Innovation in America; New Report Cites Need to Foster Invention Among Education, Business and Government Sectors

View the press release:
Inventing A Sustainable Future; New report urges more technologies that address social and environmental concerns

The report is based on an Invention Study undertaken in 2003 by 56 leading scholars and practitioners in a series of five workshops. To download the individual workshop reports, click on a topic below:

Individual Workshop Reports

Historical Perspectives on Invention and Creativity
Read participant biographies.

The Architecture of Invention
Read participant biographies.

How Does Intellectual Property Support the Creative Process of Invention
Read participant biographies.

Advancing Inventive Creativity Through Education
Read participant biographies.

Invention and Innovation for Sustainable Development
Read participant biographies.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0313685. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.