Francois Pienaar at the U.S. Embassy Dublin

U.S. Embassy Dublin's annual conference brought together tech leaders, policy makers, educators, entrepreneurs and business leaders from the U.S., Ireland and Northern Ireland to explore the next wave of innovation set to hit education with broad implications for growth in the Transatlantic economy. Investing in people is key for the success of a Smart Economy, but how can innovation be brought to education? Public partnerships offer opportunities to close the skills gap, encourage new emphasis in STEM education, and ensure that creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation skills are nurtured. Ireland and the US have complementary situations and this conference offers an opportunity to jump start greater cooperation and exchange.