The SSTI Board of Trustees has appointed Nick Maynard, co-founder and CEO of US Ignite, as a member of the board. “I'm excited to work with Nick as he joins SSTI's board,” said Mark Skinner, CEO of SSTI. “Since meeting Dr. Maynard fifteen years ago, he has proven in my estimation to be one of the brightest, most thoughtful, solutions-oriented people in the country working to advance regional economic growth through innovation."  

After a nine-month hiatus, the Economic Development Administration has reopened its Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs with an updated Notice of Funding Opportunity. In the past, this funding has supported a variety of technology-based economic development projects, including research commercialization centers, business incubators and accelerators, revolving loan funds, workforce development initiatives, and regional strategic planning activities, as well as other infrastructure and economic development projects in economically distressed communities.  

SSTI has learned from Ben Page, deputy assistant secretary for economic development and chief operating officer in the U.S. Department of Commerce that U.S. Economic Development Administration is discontinuing funding for the University Centers, Trade Adjustment Assistance to Firms, and STEM Talent Challenge programs. The reason cited was budget constraints. 

SSTI recently examined the investment histories of 31 Venture Development Organizations (VDOs) across 20 states to quantify their impact and help to characterize how the broader technology-based economic development (TBED) community supports long-term innovation-driven economic and financial returns. Our top-level findings showed that  VDOs have invested in 4,600 companies,  VDO-backed companies employ 323,000 people and pay nearly $29 billion in annual wages,  companies supported by VDO investments have gone on to raise $25 billion, and  the median deal size for VDOs is $260,000. 

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) is inviting comments regarding the proposed collection of information for its Breakthrough Innovations Initiative application. According to the notice in the Federal Register, published on Sept. 19, 2025, they are launching this initiative “to enable researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs to apply unconventional approaches to create game-changing technologies and translate discoveries into tangible applications and products.” TIP is proposing a streamlined application process with the aim of “accelerating timelines for selecting and conducting translational research….” They estimate that the data collection burden for the application form…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) has recently updated 35 of its over 50 indicators covering education, R&D, and workforce, among other important topics. These indicators are available in two forms: the Science & Engineering Indicators and Science and Engineering State Profiles. 

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Like the broader metric of R&D intensity, the prominence of R&D value added in a state’s economic output has shifted within several states over the past decade. Does it matter? For sustaining a state’s innovation competitiveness, it may, and subsequently it is important to know for many state and regional TBED initiatives. Proximity to the conduct of R&D has been well documented in empirical research to support strong regional innovation economies. Subsequently many TBED policies are designed to increase and maintain R&D activity within those boundaries as well as ensure the localized spillover effects are maximized. Determining where R&D activity is thriving and the size of its value added to the state’s GDP, particularly manufacturing-related R&D, may help inform those policy decisions. SSTI explores the latest data on state R&D value added in this Useful Stats article.