Lately, his Lean LaunchPad course at Stanford has been the model for an intriguing pilot programme called Innovation Corps (or I-Corps for short) which seeks to turn the traditional Silicon Valley start-up model on its head, and thereby reduce the woeful failure rate of new ventures.

ECONOMIST: Innovation

The first big idea that he stresses is the creation of a new agency to spearhead innovation and scale up any of the many pilot schemes contained in the bills that manage to reform delivery or payment systems.

ECONOMIST: Health reform in America

She learned quickly: She began as a production supervisor at the main brewery before switching to the innovation group in 2010, then becoming head of the pilot brewery last year.

WSJ: Creating: Rebecca Reid, Brewmaster at Anheuser-Busch

The pilot will demonstrate the type the collaboration planned for the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation.

WHITEHOUSE: President Obama Speaks on Manufacturing