Project Overview

Future iQ is working with the RK Mellon Foundation, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, to explore the potential impacts of the next industrial revolution. The Foundation was created in 1947 by Richard King Mellon, president and chairman of Mellon Bank, a conservationist and leading figure in the financial and civic life of Pennsylvania. The Foundation’s current giving priorities primarily serve Southwestern Pennsylvania with a program focus on Regional Economic Development and Conservation, along with Education and Human Services and Nonprofit Capacity Building. Pittsburgh is currently the center of a remarkable industrial renaissance. Having suffered the impacts of the downturns in the steel industry in the 1980’s, it has diversified its economy. Today, some 1,600 technology firms are based in the region, generating over $20 billion in annual Pittsburgh payrolls. The area is home to global leading institutions such as the Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, both of whom are pioneering breakthroughs in advanced manufacturing, robotics and life sciences.