'Summer Davos' co-chairs reveal the four gaps that need to close in the next five years

Ask leaders what is holding their industry back and you might expect them to point at a missing piece of technology. But a single question to the co-chairs of Summer Davos, or the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions in China, reveals answers that describe something else entirely.

The question, 'What is the most important gap your sector needs to close in the next five years, and what kind of innovation needs to be scaled to address it?', is a timely one.

Record sums are flowing into artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology, yet productivity growth across most economies remains sluggish. The distance between a technological breakthrough and a broad-based economic benefit remains considerable. And closing that distance is what this year's Summer Davos theme, ‘Innovating at Scale’, is about.

The four co-chairs answer from different vantage points: industrial strategy, food and energy systems, biopharmaceuticals, and the future of work. They mention plenty of technology along the way, especially AI. But the fundamental gaps they identify lie in the capabilities, policies, incentives and working models that determine whether innovation can translate into impact at scale.

Partner and Chairman Emeritus, Bain & Company, on why competing on cost is no longer enough.

China's innovation story is no longer just domestic lore; the country has evolved from the world's factory into a formidable innovation and efficiency engine reshaping the global industrial landscape. Its leadership spans sectors — from pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to advanced manufacturing, renewables, solar, batteries, and electric vehicles.

Nowhere is this clearer than the automotive sector. In EVs and batteries, companies like BYD, Geely, and CATL are driving a "once-in-a-century" transition. Chinese players are developing electrical and intelligent vehicle architecture roughly 2.5x faster than lagging peers while localizing production overseas to support expansion.

For global leaders, competing today requires thinking beyond cost. Leading Chinese firms have built system advantages through supply chain depth, deep process know-how, and speed. Their success is forcing both Chinese firms and global peers to up their game or go out of business.

The new industrial superpowers of innovation, execution, and speed are being defined in China, but they can be built anywhere. Every company must now ask: What is your superpower? Where should it live? And how will you build it?

President and Chief Executive Officer of Novonesis, on why the science is ready but the rules and incentives around it are not.

The long-held global assumptions that have shaped our world no longer hold, and volatility has become the new normal. These shifts have exposed vulnerabilities in major systems, such as food, agriculture, and energy. But the shift can also be a catalyst toward transforming the way the world produces and consumes. Solutions for greater productivity, competitiveness, health, resilience and prosperity exist. And now they must be scaled faster.

Biosolutions are part of those answers — enzymes, microbes, cultures and proteins. As competitive, homegrown solutions, these tiny biological changemakers increase productivity, yields and resilience, boost jobs and growth, and enable us to produce more with less. Spanning more than 30 industries, they provide answers to the challenges we face: sustainable farming practices, resilient food systems, energy diversification, and de-fossilization.

But countries must recalibrate to fill the current gap. Fit-for-future regulation, stronger market incentives, and deep cross-sector collaboration are critical. China already leads in renewable energy and could also become a leader in the bioeconomy. Let's use this pivotal moment to build a bridge toward a better future.

Chief Executive Officer, Sino Biopharmaceutical, on what's missing in the race to develop breakthrough drugs.

In the next five years, the most critical shortcoming is the insufficient motivational mechanism to consistently deliver revolutionary innovative products that address urgent clinical needs.

To address this shortfall, two key approaches must be vigorously promoted. First, broader and deeper innovation collaboration. This includes intra-industry partnerships that leverage complementary core competencies, as well as cross-industry and cross-disciplinary interactions with technology, data science, and materials sectors. Open innovation platforms and strategic alliances can accelerate knowledge sharing and de-risk ambitious projects.

Second, fully harnessing the AI revolution to fundamentally transform the traditional innovation paradigm. By integrating AI across the entire R&D and production value chain — from target discovery and molecule design to clinical trial optimization and manufacturing — we can dramatically shorten development cycles, reduce costs, and increase the probability of success for revolutionary products.

Only through strengthened collaborative ecosystems and AI-driven paradigm shifts can the biopharmaceutical industry rebuild its innovation momentum and deliver more breakthrough solutions to patients worldwide.

Chair and Chief Executive Officer, ManpowerGroup, on why the problem isn't access to AI but how people work alongside it.

Over the next five years, the defining challenge will be redesigning work so people can grow with it. AI can accelerate productivity, but progress depends on whether organizations make it easier for people to adapt, build skills, and move into what comes next.

Organizations are investing heavily in AI, but many are still operating with models built around fixed roles, slower processes, and limited visibility into skills. This disconnect is impacting productivity and hiring, while making it harder for people to see how they can move forward as work changes. The issue is not access to technology. It is how effectively people can work alongside it and contribute in new ways.

Addressing this will require redesigning work itself. Employers need to move toward more skills-based approaches, build clearer pathways for people to develop and apply those skills, and create systems that allow talent to move more easily across roles. At the same time, technology needs to be embedded in ways that improve speed and precision while keeping human judgment central.

The advantage will go to employers that build around skills and create clearer paths for people to keep contributing as work changes.