Education and workforce development have the biggest influence on IT companies trying to be innovative in today’s market place, according to a new survey.

The results of a survey of members of the Information Technology Association of America and Washington Technology readers were released today at ITAA’s third annual Executive Leadership Summit in Boca Raton, Fla. The accounting firm Grant Thornton also supported the survey.

Survey questions focused on the theme of this year’s event, “The Global Race for Innovation Leadership.”

Fifty-nine percent of respondents said education and workforce development have the greatest influence on the ability to innovate. The next highest issue was pro- research and development tax and government investment policies, which 19 percent cited.

Fourteen percent said immigration and global sourcing have the most influence, while open international trade policies and intellectual property laws received 10 percent.

An overwhelming majority of the respondents — 86 percent — said they expected their companies to make their most significant R&D investments in North America this year. At 94 percent, North America also was picked as the top market.

The shortage of qualified talent in the United States also is a major concern of respondents, cited by 77 percent of them.

Of the 289 respondents, 58 percent said IT services and consulting are their companies’ largest lines of business; 14 percent were primarily in software, 12 percent in hardware and 8 percent in communications. Nine percent did not identify themselves in the information and communications technology industry.