Search

As one of several states working to recruit and retain companies that create green jobs, Minnesota lawmakers passed a measure to create a multiagency authority to promote, market and coordinate state agency collaboration on green enterprise and green economy projects. At the same time, legislators rejected Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Green JOBZ proposal, creating a tax-free program for renewable and clean energy businesses modeled after the original JOBZ program and part of the governor's Jobs and Recovery Act (see the Feb. 4, 2009 issue of the Digest).

New evidence suggests that venture capitalists increasingly view international investment as the future of the industry. The 2009 Global Venture Capital Survey, conducted by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) and Deloitte, finds that 52 percent of venture capitalists around the world are currently investing outside their home country. Most investors also believe that their involvement with international partners will increase in the near future. Fifty-four percent of respondents predict that their number of limited partners outside their home country will increase over the next three years. Overseas investment means new opportunities for venture firms, but for U.S. firms, particularly those in areas without a strong local venture industry, this trend could mean that attracting the attention of investors will soon become even more difficult that it is now.

Though green jobs have become the focus of many TBED initiatives at the federal, state and local levels, it remains difficult to estimate the size of the green workforce. Green jobs are a relatively new focus for economic development, and there is no standard definition of the green economy and green occupations. Several recent reports have taken on the task of defining green jobs, including the industry sectors that should be folded into that definition.

SSTI has an effective new learning tool for TBED policymakers and practitioners seeking guidance in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies. Through exclusive interviews with Excellence in TBED Award recipients, find out first-hand how these award winning initiatives successfully responded to a critical need by applying innovative approaches to generate substantial economic gains for their region.

Adding to a growing number of governors proposing to consolidate state economic development agencies, Gov. Jodi Rell last week announced in her budget request her intention to overhaul Connecticut's job creation infrastructure by merging several state agencies into the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). In recent months, governors in New York and Kansas, for example, have touted cost savings, streamlining government services, and creating a more efficient system to assist in business development and job creation as reasons for the proposed mergers. However, in two cases, critics have argued the consolidations would lead to a loss of key programs serving the TBED community (see the Jan. 21, 2009 and the Dec. 17, 2008 issues of the Digest).

The third installment of the Tech Talkin' Govs series includes highlights from state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses from governors in Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, and New Mexico.

This week an estimated five million people will celebrate the first annual Global Entrepreneurship Week by taking part in one of the 13,000 events planned worldwide. Founded by the United Kingdom's Mark Your Mark campaign and the U.S.-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship Week is designed to foster innovation and ambition in people under 30 to encourage them to participate in the innovation economy and start new businesses. The initiative has found support from several high-profile world leaders like U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, Singaporean President S.R. Nation, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group.

Southern Growth hired Ted Abernathy, Jr., former Executive Vice President & COO of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, to serve as its Executive Director, filling the vacancy created by Jim Clinton's resignation in September.

Bank bailouts may be capturing all of the headlines, but a new initiative from the European Union (EU) promises to inject a considerable pool of money during the downturn to accelerate the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The European Commission, as well as participants from the European research community and industry will contribute nearly 1 billion Euros (U.S. $1.28 billion) to the public-private partnership over the next six years to fund research. Stakeholders believe that this effort will help speed the commercialization of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies by two to five years, and are hoping for a mass-market rollout of these technologies before 2020.

The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the world, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation. 
 
The Armenian government recently allocated 80 million drams (est. $266,000 USD) from this year’s state budget to build a technopark in Gyumri, reports the ArmInfo News Agency. Armenian Minister of Trade and Economic Development Nerses Yeritsyan said that all main higher education institutes of Gyumri, as well as several international organizations and donors, are involved in the project, which is slated for completion by the end of the year.
 
New York Gov. David Paterson announced plans earlier this year for the creation of the Central New York Biotechnology Research Center, as part of a redevelopment plan in downtown Syracuse. Officials estimate the research complex will cost $30 million to $40 million and will support biotechnology educational and research programs, with collaboration from SUNY Upstate Medical University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Preliminary plans for the complex include a biotechnical research center, classrooms and research space. SUNY Upstate Medical University also will seek proposals from developers to create commercial projects and student residences.
 
Planning is underway for an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University technology and business park in Prescott, Ariz. The development will span 250 acres adjacent to the aeronautical university and include a recreational complex and space for light industrial, campus living and commercial and retail development, according to an article in the Phoenix Business Journal. The park will be powered by a 50-acre solar power plant, making it the first LEED-certified business park in the nation, the article states. Construction on the first phase, a technology building that received $2 million from the Economic Development Authority in Northern Arizona, is expected to begin in 2009. The total cost of the technology park is estimated between $8 million and $12 million.
 
Developers broke ground in June on the 105-acre Harmony Technology Park located in Fort Collins, Colo. The development was previously part of the Hewlett-Packard campus and received approval for up to 1.3 million sq. ft. of office space. The mixed-use facility includes sites ranging from 2-30 acres for office, flex R&D, light manufacturing and retail space. 
 
The High Desert University Foundation recently announced plans for the new High Desert University in California, which includes an R&D park to be built on land owned by the university with tenants making lease payments to the school, according to an article in the Daily Press. The research center also will provide students with built-in opportunities for mentors, internships and future careers, the article states. Early plans released by the foundation include 24 buildings with about 5 million square feet of space. The research park is expected to generate approximately $50 million annually toward the university’s operating expenses.
 
Liverpool City Region officials are hoping to expand the digital and pharmaceutical sectors with the recent launch of Liverpool Innovation Park. The park encompasses nearly 1 million sq. ft. for office, R&D and light industrial space with units ranging from 500 sq. ft. to 80,000 sq. ft. The development is reserved for businesses in the science, information, communications and knowledge-based sectors. 
 
Officials at Louisiana Tech University announced last month a location for the newly renamed Enterprise Campus, a $25 million research park expected to break ground in July 2009, according to an article in The News-Star. The university allocated property across from Bogard Hall, which officials hope to extend into downtown Ruston, encompassing 50 acres, the article states. The technology park will house companies affiliated with the university’s expanded research in cyberspace and nanotechnology, biomedical engineering and micromanufacturing.
 
A new 55-acre business and technology park was recently built in Kalispell, Mont. The Old School Station business park is a public-private partnership offering two Tax Increment Financing designations – light industrial and high technology.
 
Site work for the 12-acre Oak Ridge Science and Technology Park located next to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) was recently completed. Located in the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley on land provided by the Department of Energy, the technology park will be available for private sector companies collaborating with scientists at ORNL. Construction on the park’s anchor tenant is expected to begin soon.
 
Last month, the Pellissippi Research Centre received $2 million in federal grants, which officials say will help the project move forward with infrastructure, reports the Knoxville News-Sentinel. When completed, the technology park will span 450 acres on the Oak Ridge Corridor – 230 of which will be dedicated to R&D and corporate office space. The Blount County Economic Development Board estimates the park will generate more than $1 billion in economic impact over the course of the 20- to 30-year project.
 
Sanford Health broke ground in June on a new 185-acre research park in Sioux Falls, S.D. – one of two new technology parks to be constructed in the region over the last several months. The first phase of the Sanford Research Park is slated for completion in 2011 and includes more than 2 million sq. ft. for office, research and light manufacturing buildings. Located near the campus of Southeast Technical Institute, the South Dakota Business Technology Park is a 190-acre private park that will house businesses developed by graduates of nearby South Dakota Technology Business Center, according to an article in the Argus Leader. 
 
Construction will begin this fall in St. Cloud, Fla., on a 100,000-square-foot medical and technology center designed to attract biotech firms, reports the Orlando Business Journal. The St. Cloud Medical Arts and Technology Park will include a 10,000-square-foot imaging center, a 10,000-square-foot surgical center, 30,000 sq. ft. of technology incubator space and 50,000 sq. ft. of medical office space for lease. Additionally, the tech park may house the University of Central Florida’s sixth technology incubator facility, according to the Orlando Business Journal article.
 
Earlier this year, the University of Miami (UM) released details of its plan for a life sciences research park that will offer office and laboratory space for companies collaborating with UM researchers. The 1.4 million-square-foot facility also will house UM sensory research institutes and focus on translation of research into the marketplace. University officials planned to break ground during the summer of 2009; however, legislation that was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist in June may disrupt the progress, according to a Miami Herald article. The bill would have enabled the university to speed up approval of the project by allowing a bypass of lengthy state and regional reviews, the article states.
 
A Colorado-based developer is partnering with the Lee County Port Authority to build a research park on land near the old Southwest Florida International Airport in close proximity to the Florida Gulf Coast University. The location is ideal for attracting medical researchers, pharmaceutical companies and biotech industries, according to media reports. The Madden Research Loop will include 275,000 sq. ft. of Class A office space within four buildings on a total of 25 acres of land.

California
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill authorizing community service districts to provide high-speed Internet services in areas in which no private company has done so. The districts, which provide basic infrastructure such as water, sewer and police services, will help extend broadband access into rural areas of the state that remain underserved. The bill reflects the recommendations of the California Broadband Task Force, which was created in 2006 by Gov. Schwarzenegger and presented its findings in January (see the Dec. 4, 2006 issue of the Digest).