Twenty experts from around the world gathered at the <strong>Ewing Marion </strong><strong>Kauffman Foundation </strong>on Thursday to discuss the global effect of high-growth small and medium-size enterprises.</p><p>The all-day workshop sponsored by the foundation and the <strong>U.S. Department of Commerce</strong> brought together members of the <strong>Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development</strong>, an international group of 30 countries committed to representative democracy and free markets.</p><p>Fast-growing but smaller companies &#8220;often use new ideas and concepts in their process of growth and can change the face of civilization rather rapidly,&#8221; Carl Schramm, Kauffman Foundation president and chief executive, said in a written statement.</p><p>The theme of the workshop was that high-growth enterprises play a crucial role in bringing about radical innovations, which are essential for economic and employment growth.</p><p>The enterprises, &#8220;as catalysts of innovation and &#8216;social transformers,&#8217; are important assets for economies to adapt quickly and effectively to the challenges of globalization and to reap its benefits,&#8221; a workshop statement said.</p><p>The event included panels on the importance of high-impact business formation in countries&#8217; economies, the policies that research institutions and universities should adopt to encourage commercialization of their discoveries, and the factors that distinguish high-growth firms from less successful businesses.</p><p>The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development&#8217;s member nations pledge to work together to address economic, social and environmental challenges arising from globalization. They also share knowledge and experience with more than 100 other countries &#8212; ranging from Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa to the least-developed countries in the world.