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SSTI Digest

Commerce's TA and NTIA Would Merge under Secretary's Proposal

To better formulate technology and telecommunications policy, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans has proposed merging the Department's Technology Administration (TA), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and the e-commerce policy functions of the International Trade Administration (ITA) into a single agency. The merger is intended to complement the recent convergence in the private sector of technology and communications companies.

Utah Holds the Line on S&T Funding, Offers $100 Million for VC

In these tight state fiscal times, many government functions would view level funding with the previous year as very good news. Since tech-based economic development (TBED) programs are investments toward economic prosperity, conventional wisdom would hold that legislatures would shield these types of investments from deep cuts. The current discussions to eliminate the Colorado Governor's Office of Technology and the entire Texas Department of Commerce, however, suggest that the jury is still out on how future-looking state budgets will be for next year.

Minnesota Governor Outlines Biosciences Activities

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty recently unveiled a plan to help make Minnesota a leader in biosciences. Governor Pawlenty says the state's history, expertise and economic infrastructure make it better prepared than most other states to capitalize on the bioscience industry.

'WIN-WIN' Situation Created for Wisconsin Technology Council

The Wisconsin Venture Network (WVN) in Milwaukee has folded into the Wisconsin Innovation Network (WIN) Foundation in Madison, and the combined WIN entity has become a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Technology Council.

Entrepreneurial Activity and Regional Economic Growth Linked

A higher rate of entrepreneurial activity is strongly connected with faster growth of a local economy, the U.S. Census Bureau reports in Endogenous Growth and Entrepreneurial Activity in Cities. The recent working paper, prepared by the Bureau's Center for Economic Studies, examines the connection between knowledge spillover and economic growth in a regional economy. The study concludes that variation in the level of entrepreneurial activity, a diverse mix of industries, and the amount of human capital are positively correlated to growth rates.

Twin Cities' Competitiveness Assessed by Great North Alliance

Despite an economic slowdown, the Twin Cities is more competitive than it was a year ago, according to a study released by the Great North Alliance, a regional civic leadership organization. Conducted annually, the Great North Opportunity Forecast uses regional productivity and innovation to predict future competitiveness and opportunity.

U.S. Launches Digital Freedom Initiative in Senegal

Earlier this week U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Don Evans announced the Digital Freedom Initiative (DFI) would be piloted in Senegal, a democratic secular nation in which 94 percent of the population is Muslim. DFI is designed to promote economic growth by transferring the benefits of information and communication technology (ICT) to entrepreneurs and small businesses in the developing world.

Useful Stats: 2-year and 4-year College Affordability by State

The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education recently released The Rising Price of Higher Education, which documents the rising costs of public education in the U.S. Using the data found in the report, SSTI has constructed a 50-state table presenting a comparison of the cost of tuition and fees at 2- and 4-year public institutions in 2001-02 vs 2002-03.

House to Consider $2.1B Nanotechnology Bill

House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) recently introduced legislation that would authorize a multi-agency national nanotechnology research initiative. Nanotechnology is one of the top interagency priorities in the Administration's fiscal 2004 proposed budget for non-medical, civilian scientific and technological research and development.

'IT Revolution' Has Advantages, Pitfalls for Regions, Brookings Finds

Policymakers must understand the ways in which the information technology (IT) revolution is transforming business operations across both new and traditional industries, according to Paul Sommers and Daniel Carlson, the authors of What the IT Revolution Means for Regional Economic Development, a discussion paper prepared for the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy. By achieving this understanding, economic development officials will "be prepared to respond to the new challenges and opportunities these changes present," say Sommers and Carlson, both of the University of Washington Evans School of Public Affairs.

Specialized Tech Incubators and Research Parks Hope to Build Clusters

Several recent project announcements highlight communities using incubators and research parks, some of the tools for technology-based economic development, in specialized formats to capitalize on existing strengths and nurture additional growth of clusters of related tech firms. Such targeted approaches can help to focus other TBED activities for additional benefits. For example, workforce training can be designed for the particular technology sector rather than tailored at higher costs to the needs of several unrelated technology firms in a general technology incubator or research park. Other savings can come in promotional and marketing strategies, tie-ins to university research capabilities, and specific EPA or OSHA regulations. Examples of some of the projects underway include:

PCAST Examines Homeland Security S&T, Broadband and US R&D Investment

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) drafted and approved four reports in 2002. Three of those reports are now available online at http://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/pcast2002rpt.html. Each report was submitted to President Bush and is briefly synopsized below.

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