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INFORMATION BULLETIN & APPLICATION FORMDeadline to apply: January 28, 2016

INDEX1. Objectives of the Exchange

2. Convening Institutions

3. Profile of Participants & Requirements

4. General Information on Visits/Projects

5. Hotels & Estimated Budget

6. Dress Code

7. Transportation

8. Financial Support

9. Meals

10. Electricity

11. Language

12. Visa

13. Contact Information

ANNEX I – APPLICATION FORM & DEADLINE TO APPLY

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The Fifth Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE) A High-level visit of Ministers, Economic and Business Leaders, and Experts to Competiveness Centers in the U.S. States of Arizona and California

Sunday, April 10 to Saturday, April 16, 2016

1. Objectives of the Exchange

The Fifth Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE) invites key leaders and decision makers to experience first-hand successful projects and experiences in the United States. The activity is carried out under the framework of the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) Work Plan for 2016-2018 to facilitate the exchange of good practices, create partnerships for development and deepen collaboration on the 200 successful experiences that OAS Member States have shared in the 2012-2015 Signs of Competitiveness Americas Reports www.riacreport.org 1.

This six-day tour will showcase catalytic drivers such as advanced technology centers, innovation hubs, public-private partnerships, and strategic investments in the U.S. States of Arizona and California, including the cities of Phoenix, AZ; Chandler, AZ; Gilbert, AZ; Oracle, AZ; Tucson, AZ; San Luis, AZ; Yuma, AZ; Imperial Valley, CA; and

1 The 2015 Signs of Competitiveness in the Americas Report will be launch on January 2016

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San Diego, CA. Featured sites on the tour will target the following clusters: manufacturing, medical devices, water, agriculture, energy, and information and communication technology.

The ACE is the ideal opportunity for decision makers to establish long-term global/regional partnerships and to see the results and best practices of economic development in the Americas that seek to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. The activities of the week have been selected to help increase the prospect of advancing commerce and trade between participating economies, accelerate business opportunities and collaboration for all stakeholders.

For more information and updates on the Fifth ACE in the U.S. please visit the RIAC’s Twitter Account @riacnetorg Hashtag #ACXchange, the V ACE Webpage http://www.riacnet.org/fifth-exchange/ and the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC) main portal at: www.riacnet.org

2. Convening InstitutionsThe V ACE is convened by the Inter-American Competitiveness Network (RIAC), the Government of the United States, through its U.S. Department of Commerce (the International Trade Administration (ITA) and the Economic Development Administration (EDA)); the U.S. Department of State - Permanent Mission of the United States to the OAS; the Government of Mexico, as Chair Pro Tempore of RIAC 2016-2017 and the Organization of American States (OAS) as the RIAC Technical Secretariat.

3. Profile of Participants & RequirementsDecision makers who drive economic development: Ministers/Vice Ministers (of Economy, Industry, Trade, SME, Science and Technology); Members of Congress/Legislature/Parliament; Private Sector and Local Government Leaders from cities/regions; Chancellors/Presidents/Vice Presidents of Universities; Presidents of Competitiveness Councils, Senior Leaders of regional economic development partnership groups, or other key public or private sector individuals, among others.

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Applicants should:

a. Have academic and professional background that facilitate inter and intra country based development, such as foreign direct investment, trade, exports, supply chain linkages, shared technology, etc.

b. Be able to allocate resources, propose and adopt key policies, and/or possess the necessary connections to make identified priorities and actions possible within their country and in collaboration with other countries.

c. Be fluent in English.d. Have a valid visa (if necessary) to enter the United States.e. Be able to provide visa, passport, and other necessary information to complete travel

procedures.

Participation is expected from at least 45 delegates from the Americas. Participation from other regions is also expected including guests from Korea, India, and Europe.

The application form is available in the ANNEX I of this document.

Some US authorities, international officials and experts expected to attend the tour include the following (schedule permitting):

The Honorable Penny Pritzker – Secretary – US Department of Commerce

Ambassador Dr. Neil Parsan, Executive Secretary for Integral Development, Organization of American States (OAS)

The Honorable Doug Ducey – Governor – State of Arizona

The Honorable Bruce Andrews – Deputy Secretary – U.S. Department of Commerce

The Honorable Jay Williams – Assistant Secretary of Commerce – Economic Development Administration

The Honorable Arun Kumar – Assistant Secretary of Commerce – International Trade Administration

Alejandra Y. Castillo- National Director of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) –U.S. Department of Commerce

John Andersen –Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce – International Trade Administration

Matt Erskine – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce – Economic Development Administration

Holly Vineyard – Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce – International Trade Administration

Thomas Guevara - Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce - Economic Development Administration

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Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally – Executive Director – SELECTUSA

The Honorable Greg Stanton - Mayor – City of Phoenix

The Honorable Mark Mitchell - Mayor - City of Tempe

The Honorable Jonathan Rothschild - Mayor – City of Tucson

The Honorable Douglas Nicholls- Mayor – City of Yuma

The Honorable Kevin Faulconer – Mayor - City of San Diego

The Honorable Jorge Astiazaran – Mayor of Tijuana - Mexico

Dr. Michael Crow - President - Arizona State University

Dr. Ann Hart - President - The University of Arizona

Timothy Kelley - President/Ceo IVEDC

Sandra Watson-Arizona Commerce Authority

Jay Flatley- CEO - Illumina

Craig Venter – Founder - J. Craig Venter Institute

Ashley Van Zeeland – CEO - Cypher Genomics

Pete Schultz – CEO - The Scripps Research Institute

Steve Mollenkopf - CEO - QUALCOMM

Members of The California And Arizona Congressional Delegation

Any Many Others!

4. General Information on Visits and ProjectsA detailed itinerary will be available in January 2016. Some of the sites that are expected to be on the tour are the following (schedule permitting). The activities will start on Saturday, April 10, 2016 and will end on Saturday April 16, 2016 at 5:00pm. Saturday, April 10 is an optional activity to see one of America’s most famous landmarks: the Grand Canyon.

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5. Hotel and estimated budget Total estimated hotel costs for the entire ACE trip from April 10-16 April 2016 is: $1000 including taxes.

Kindly note that participants will be responsible for arranging their own hotel reservations and paying for their accommodations at ACE selected hotels. Detailed information will be circulated only to selected participants.

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6. Dress Code Business or business casual, depending on the site visits scheduled for the day. This will be confirmed closer to the date of the activity.

7. Transportation The program organizers will arrange local transportation throughout the visit. This means transportation by bus from site to site and between different cities. Applicants will cover their airfare and the transportation to and from the airport. Please plan on arriving either on April 9 or April 10 and departing on April 17.

Please note that in order to be confirmed to the activity, participants need to provide a proof of airfare reservation to Adriana Bonilla ([email protected] ; with copy to Dakshina Voetsch ([email protected]) and Aryanne Quintal ([email protected]).

8. Financial support Partial economic assistance may be available for qualifying selected candidates who request support, particularly those from smaller economies.

In order to be considered for partial financial support, please complete the application form (ANNEX I) and provide an additional brief letter requesting assistance. The letter should be addressed to the Organizing Committee of the V Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

9. MealsVarious meals are provided by the organizers but participants will cover other meals and miscellaneous items.

Please inform us of any dietary restrictions and/or allergies in your application so we can do our best to accommodate meal preferences whenever possible.

10. Electricity Electric power is standardized in all states across the USA. It is set at 110 Volts and 60 cycles.

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Standard electric plugs have two flat blades. The plugs on some newer appliances have a third round grounding pin. Almost all homes and commercial buildings are equipped with electrical receptacles that can accommodate either type of plug.

11. Language The activities of the V ACE will be carried out in English.

12. VisaInformation about Visa requirements can be found at the following link: http://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/visit.html

13. Contact informationAdriana BonillaAmericas Competitiveness Forum CoordinatorRIAC Technical SecretariatDepartment of Economic DevelopmentExecutive Secretariat for Integral DevelopmentOrganization of American [email protected]

Dakshina Voetsch Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere International Trade AdministrationU.S. Department of Commerce [email protected]

ANNEX I - APPLICATION FORM

The Fifth Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Sunday, April 10 to Saturday, April 16, 2016

Candidates need to fill out ALL SECTIONS of this application form electronically in English, sign it, and send it in WORD FORMAT no later than Thursday, January 28, 2016 to Adriana Bonilla at [email protected] and Dakshina Voetsch at

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[email protected] . The selection committee will only review complete applications.

1. PROFILE

PHOTO: Please include a passport size photo in this space

First name/middle name/last name: City, country: Current nationality (ies):Place of birth (city, state or province, country): Date of birth (mm-dd-yyyy):Gender (m/f)Passport #: Passport issue city:Passport issue date:Current title (example: President/Director/Manager): Institution/company: Contact email (primary and secondary email): Mailing address: Institution/company’s website (if applicable): Personal and institutional social media accounts (if applicable):

Please include a short bio description of max. 250 words (name and last name, current title, main responsibilities, past jobs, academic credentials) – please attach resume/cv. with this application.

Example:

David Cobin is Manager of Strategic Engagement of the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA). In that capacity, David oversees strategic initiatives on behalf of the CEO (industrial development, partner building, legislative changes) and works hand-in-hand with the Business Attraction & Expansion team to diversify Arizona’s economy through the attraction and expansion of new businesses. During David’s four-year tenure with the ACA, he has successfully assisted in the attraction of hundreds of companies that have invested billions of dollars in capital and created more than 50,000 quality jobs in Arizona. A recent notable project he was instrumental in developing was Apple’s $2 billion investment into an international operations center. Prior to joining the ACA at the time of its inception in 2011, David worked as a business development manager for a consulting firm specializing in corporate social responsibility and supply chain management in Guangzhou, China. Originally from Oregon, David earned his B.A. degree in Interdisciplinary Studies at North Greenville University in South Carolina in 2008 and graduated with an M.B.A. from the Universidad Nacional Andres Bello in

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Santiago, Chile in 2010. David is native in English and Spanish and speaks business-level French.

3. Interest in the tour

a. Why would you like to participate in the ACE? Is there any specific site (s) of particular interest? (max. 100 words)

c. How can you and your country benefit from this tour? How can the site host benefit from your participation? (max. 100 words)

d. Explain how you have authorized and/or allocated resources, proposed and adopted key policies, or possessed the necessary connections to advance economic development priorities within your country and/or in collaboration with other countries (max. 100 words)

c. Please explain in what capacity you can authorize/allocate resources, propose or adopt key policies, or what are the necessary connections you have to advance economic development priorities within your country and/or in collaboration with other countries (max. 100 words).

d. Are you willing and able to complete ACE follow up events such as surveys, meetings, and other activities to advance commerce and trade between participating economies, accelerate business opportunities, and promote collaboration for all stakeholders? Please describe (max. 50 words)

4. Health, food allergies and emergency contact

a. Please list any health conditions we should be aware of in case of an emergency.

b. Do you require reasonable accommodation for any medical conditions or disabilities? Please describe.

c. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions and/or allergies.Please note: Organizers will accommodate specific meals requirements only to those participants who include the information in this application.

d. Please include information for an Emergency Contact.

e. Please include your health insurance information (name of company and policy number).

5. Pressa. Please include the name and contact email of your press team (if applicable).

Tour requirementsApplicants should:a. Have academic and professional background that facilitates inter and intra country based development such as foreign direct investment, trade, exports, supply chain linkages, shared technology, etc.

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b. Should be able to authorize and/or allocate resources, propose and adopt key policies, and/or possess the necessary connections to make identified priorities and actions possible within their country and in collaboration with other countries.c. Be fluent in Englishd. Have a valid visa (if necessary) to enter the United Statese. Provide visa, passport, and other necessary information to complete travel procedures

I ____________________________ declare that the information provided is true and correct and that I meet with all of the requirements to participate during The Fifth Americas Competitiveness Exchange on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ACE) to take place from April 10 to April 16, 2016, in the United States.

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