We envision a world in which everyone is inventive and inspired to contribute to innovation.

The Lemelson Center engages, educates, and empowers the public to participate in technological, economic, and social change. We undertake historical research, develop educational initiatives, create exhibitions, and host public programming to advance new perspectives on invention and innovation and to foster interactions between the public and inventors.

Invention is an innate human activity. It is practiced across cultures, throughout time, and around the world. The Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, located at the National Museum of American History, explores the role of invention and innovation in the United States, particularly its historical context, and how that history relates to current events.