A report released Monday by the Brookings Institution and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation indicated that Madison is the top potential growth center in the country.

The ranking in “The Case for Growth Centers” is based on factors such as 2017 university STEM R&D
per capita and 2015 patents per 100,000.

Madison was noted as having increased its share of U.S. innovation jobs, and its growth as an innovation center would be “be an important counter to the economic drift of the eastern heartland.”

The report also asserted that the federal government should increase direct R&D funding and focus on workforce development funding, tax and regulatory benefits, business financing, economic inclusion and federal land and infrastructure supports.

“Our state has demonstrated it has the infrastructure, institutions and importantly, the relationships and commitment to transform ideas into successful outcomes, and Wisconsin could benefit immensely from the type of initiative proposed in the report,” Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. “Moreover, this type of bold initiative could not only support the communities that receive funding but ultimately strengthen our state and our country and support our position on an increasingly competitive world stage.”

The Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn., region was ranked No. 2, and Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y. was No. 3.