February 2010
Welcome to the latest update from Invest in America, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s program to promote foreign direct investment to the United States This monthly update is meant to provide a few quick points highlighting some activities of Invest in America.
Invest in America Outreach
Invest in America will participate in:
- Chicago International Trade Commissioners Association Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, February 25, 2010.
- International Economic Development Council, Federal Economic Development Forum, Alexandria, Virginia, April 18-20, 2010.
- State International Development Organizations, Federal Forum, Washington, DC, April 21-23, 2010.
- Additional Invest in America outreach events in Edinburgh, Moscow and other locations in 2010, forthcoming.
Recent Invest in America participation:
- American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, Briefing on Invest in America, Moscow, Russia, February 2, 2010.
- Council of America States in Europe Three City Roadshow events in Milan, Paris and Brussels, February 2-4, 2010.
- Maine International Trade Center Meeting, Portland, Maine, February 12, 2010.
Reports of Note
An article published by the Vale Columbia Center on Sustainable International Investment examines the role that U.S. bilateral investment treaties (BITs) play in supporting U.S. financial stability. The article argues that trade and investment treaties should not prevail over regulations for financial stability. BITs need to be written, it is argued, in a manner that is inclusive of prudential financial regulations, even if those specific financial regulations do not conform with the provisions of the BIT.
New National Science Foundation estimates published last month indicate that U.S. R&D spending continued to grow in 2008, despite the economic recession. U.S. R&D expenditures totaled $397.6 billion in 2008, up from $372.5 billion in 2007, a 6.7 percent annual increase. The report notes that overall U.S. R&D spending continues to far exceed that of all other countries.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, international patent filings decreased by 4.5 in 2009 but the U.S. maintained its top ranking, filing just under one third of all international applications last year. Provisional data for 2009 indicates that 155,900 international patent applications were filed in 2009, of which 45,790 were filed in the United States.
A New Foreign Commercial Service Resource
Introducing U.S.-based Service Companies to Spanish Investors: In just two years through 2008, Spanish investment to the U.S. increased from $14.4 billion to $38.6 billion. In May 2010,the Foreign Commercial Service in Spain will launch a U.S. Service Provider Initiative, enabling Spanish investors to meet U.S.-based service providers through an online directory. The basic one-year subscription fee for U.S. firms that list on this online directory will be waived for a limited time. All U.S. state investment offices and agencies are invited to partner with us. Subscribe now at http://www.buyusa.gov/spain/en/usserviceinitiative.html. If you have any questions, please contact Carmen Ribera at Carmen.Ribera@mail.doc.gov.
Data
- Inquiries to date in 2010: 45
- Ombudsman cases in 2010: 4
Invest in America’s ombudsman program has achieved a number of successes in working across the federal government to address investor concerns and issues involving federal agencies. If a foreign investor has a federal-level issue that is jeopardizing an investment in the United States, please contact Aaron Brickman at 202-482-5199 or email Invest in America at aaron.brickman@trade.gov.
We invite you to connect with us through the “Invest in America” group on Linkedin.com.
Please address all comments and suggestions to info@investamerica.gov. For more information about Invest in America, please visit our website at www.investamerica.gov.
