SSTI Digest

Entering its tenth year covering governors’ State of the State, Budget and Inaugural Addresses, SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from across the nation. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in the following states:

Arizona's state, regional and university leaders already have made efforts to stimulate elements of a high-tech economy; however, missing are key fundamentals necessary for the state to compete on a national level, finds a report on Arizona's tech economy. Benchmarking Arizona against states such as Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Oregon, the report finds that Arizona has the resources to pursue more aggressive tech-based economic development, yet the state needs a deeper pool of skilled and educated workers, sufficient access to capital to fund research, and state-level leadership that is informed and committed to implementing long-range development strategies. One of the key recommendations calls on the state and its institutions of higher education to focus on significantly increasing the number of locally educated and trained engineers and scientists. For a list of full recommendations, view the report at:  http://www.milkeninstitute.org/publications/publications.taf?function=detail&ID=38801224&cat=resrep.

Shortly after President Obama announced that the federal government would seek out new partnerships with private companies to improve science and technology education in the U.S., the Arizona Technology Council unveiled three new offerings for Arizona students. The group will collaborate with tech companies and nonprofits to hold a statewide science fair, to develop a four-year engineering curriculum for high school students and to create an online directory of STEM opportunities.  Read more at: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091207006079/en

Robert Fritzinger has been named the director of the new SUNY Fredonia Business Technology Incubator.

Rebecca Bagley, who left her position as deputy secretary for the Technology Investment Office within the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, was appointed president-elect of NorTech. Bagley will succeed Dorothy Baunach, the founding staff director of NorTech, as president and chief executive officer. Baunach will become president emeritus, serving as an adviser until December 2010. John Sider has been appointed to succeed Bagley. Prior to his appointment, Sider served as the director of venture investment for DCED.

President Obama nominated Francis Collins, a physician and scientist who helped guide the Human Genome Project to completion, as the next director of the National Institutes of Health.

J. Mike Books is leaving his post with the Indiana Health Industry Forum to become the first economic development director for the city of Columbia, Missouri. He also will serve as president of the Regional Economic Development Inc. Brooks will assume his new responsibilities on July 15.

W. Steven Burke is the new president of Biofuels Center of North Carolina.

The role of a technology incubator or accelerator for supporting nascent firms generally is regarded with the utmost importance by the tech-based economic development community. Tech incubators provide essential resources for startup companies to develop and commercialize new technologies, leading to the creation of high-quality jobs.

In the midst of a national economic recession contributing to a record number of job losses in traditional industries, forward thinking states are exploring ideas and committing funds to help grow and diversify their economies and strengthen their renewable energy portfolios.

In 2006, three Arizona CEO groups joined forces to create Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz), a nonprofit public-private partnership charged with making strategic investments to support university research, new high-tech businesses, K-12 STEM education and to leverage outside investment. The state provided public support for these efforts through the 21st Century Fund, which in its first year included $35 million for SFAz's grant programs.