SSTI Digest

Geography: Indiana

IN Gov Releases Details on $360M Bioscience Research Institute

Governor Mike Pence has released details on Indiana's statewide public-private collaborative life sciences partnership. The estimated $360 million Indiana Biosciences Research Institute will receive $25 million for the biennium from the state of Indiana to cover startup costs, which will be augmented by another $25 million from industry and philanthropic sources (see the May 8 issue). Industry partners will guide the institute's research and commercialization priorities, which will focus initially on cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity and nutrition. Teams led by research “Indiana Fellows” will share resources at the institute and work onsite at industry and university labs with academic and university scientists. Read the announcement...

IN Legislature Dedicates $25M to Establish Biosciences Institute, Increases Accountability

With a commitment of $25 million over the next two years to establish a biosciences institute, Indiana lawmakers gave their stamp of approval to a major policy goal touted by Gov. Mike Pence during the campaign. The governor and lawmakers hope to build an endowment of $300 million to $400 million over the next five to seven years drawn from corporate and philanthropic sources. The endowment would fund annual operations of the institute and help recruit world-class scientists with an emphasis on technology commercialization, reports the Indianapolis Business News. Funding for the initiative is part of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation's (IEDC) budget. Earlier this week, the governor signed a bill aimed at increasing transparency in the state's economic development activities. Specifically, the bill requires IEDC to aggregate information on performance goals, jobs created, expected jobs, recaptured incentives and tax credits claimed each year. The 2013-15 biennial budget is available at: http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2013/PDF/HE/HE1001.1.pdf.

Flurry of TBED Tax Incentives Pervade State Legislatures amid Increased Scrutiny

Measuring impact is critical to the success and sustainability of any economic development initiative, and as the national debate over fiscal austerity and taxpayer spending continues, TBED organizations can expect increased scrutiny and accountability for their investments.

TBED People and Orgs

Pramod Khargonekar has been selected to serve as the National Science Foundation's assistant director for the Directorate of Engineering.

Budget RoundUp: States Seek Modest investments for S&T

Governors in several states recently unveiled spending proposals for the upcoming fiscal year or biennium. While fiscal conditions in most states remain fragile, new or continuing investments focused on science, technology and innovation were introduced as pro-growth measures to aid in states' recovery efforts. With the exception of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ambitious economic development plan (see the Jan. 9 issue of the Digest), most of the proposals were on the modest side. They include funding for a life sciences partnership in Indiana, more money for tax credits in Maryland, and additional funds in Nevada and South Dakota for research and commercialization.

Tech Talkin' Govs: Part III

The third installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana and Michigan. Our first two installments were in the Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 issues of the Digest.

TBED People and Orgs

Former Oklahoma Treasurer Scott Meacham has been named president and CEO of i2E.

Gubernatorial Candidates Make the Case for TBED

On November 6, in addition to the presidential election, eleven state and two territorial gubernatorial contests will be decided. Seven of these races (Delaware, Missouri, North Dakota, Puerto Rico, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia) include a sitting governor running for re-election, while the remaining six (American Samoa, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Washington) are open races.

TBED People & Orgs

Caren Franzini, the CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, stepped down after leading the agency for 21 years. Michele Brown, Gov. Chris Christie's appointments counsel, will take over as CEO.

TBED People & Orgs

Betsy Biemann, who has served as president of the Maine Technology Institute since 2005 has resigned. Joe Migliaccio, manager of MTI's Business Innovation Program, is serving as interim president.

Groups Call for Aggressive Bioscience Strategies in IN, NY and PA

Two common themes emerged in a trio of reports aimed at growing the bioscience sectors in Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania: the need for a sustained financial commitment from the states and the importance of a shared vision and better communication between policymakers and industry leaders. In all three reports, the authors say the payoff is big for the states. The bioscience and life science industries support high-wage jobs and attract significant federal funds.

Research Park RoundUp

As budgets for economic development tighten across all sectors, measuring and reporting impact becomes even more crucial for sustaining support. The Association of University Research Parks points to three impressive impact reports released this year from Indiana's Purdue Research Park, Nebraska Technology Park and North Dakota State University Research and Technology Park.

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