The University of Louisiana at Lafayette welcomed more than 60 government, policy, research and technology leaders from over 20 states for the inaugural StateChain Summit. The two-day gathering focused on turning emerging technologies and ideas into practical solutions for state and local governments.
“The University ranks No. 4 in the nation for industry-funded research,” said Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, University president. “We know how to partner with industry, business and government for a shared purpose: driving innovation, aligning our academic programs with workforce needs and advancing economic development in this part of Louisiana and well beyond.”
Discussions focused on how state and local governments can responsibly implement emerging technologies to improve operations, protect systems and serve communities. Topics included artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, payments and digital assets, digital identity and data, government technology and procurement, energy and physical infrastructure and workforce development.
The summit’s emphasis on moving ideas from research and experimentation into practical applications reflects a central focus of the University’s research enterprise, said Dr. Kumer Das, UL Lafayette interim vice president for Research and Innovation.
“Our responsibility is not simply to generate knowledge and publish papers. The real question is what can we do with this knowledge, who can benefit from it and what will it take to move from the laboratory and research projects into the hands of people who need it?” Das said. “That requires strong partnerships, and those partnerships are here today.”
The University's Informatics Research Institute played an important role in bringing the summit to UL Lafayette. Chris Kimmel, the institute's chief information officer, and Dr. Henry Chu, its executive director, worked with summit organizer Michael Fesi to develop the event, connecting him with University researchers and community partners, including Opportunity Machine.
Fesi pioneered the summit in partnership with Destin Ortego, executive director of Opportunity Machine; Josh Fleig, chief innovation officer of Louisiana Innovation (LA.IO); and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority.
The summit was held Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Louisiana Immersive Technologies Enterprise Center in University Research Park.