Policies which spur economic growth are imperative for governments the world over. Sustained growth improves living standards, creates new employment opportunities and helps alleviate poverty. While not a panacea, economic growth – if properly channeled – can contribute to stability, security, health and environmental sustainability. But can continuous growth be taken for granted? A growing chorus of experts is asking this question, and with good reason. The period following the Second World War has seen the fastest global growth on record. Yet since the global financial crisis of 2008, economic growth has disappointed year after year. Can we safely assume that faster growth will eventually resume, or could low growth be the new normal? Part of the answer depends on the extent to which innovation continues to drive growth. Historically, major breakthroughs in technological innovation have been at the root of long-lasting expansions in economic output. Those breakthroughs changed the face of production. What were once agrarian societies are today industry- and services-based economies, driven by technologies that were unimaginable three centuries ago. In many ways, innovation in the 21st century is thriving as never before. Yet how far the breakthroughs of today can invigorate growth for tomorrow remains an open question.