SSTI Digest

How one applies and has their proposal reviewed to gain a small share of the world's largest funding source for life science research is changing. The following highlights modifications affecting grant applications submitted to the National Institutes of Health for due dates on or after January 25, 2025, as posted on their Implementation of New Initiatives and Policies page.

NIH narrowed the framework for the peer review of most competing research project grant (RPG) applications. Excluded from the change are proposals for small business and multi-project grants. The new framework will reorganize the five regulatory criteria into three factors: 

April 16, 2025, 2:00pm EDT
Free, registration required

As the research article in today's Digest attests, tech transfer offices (TTOs) must adapt and evolve to maximize their institution's innovation potential! Join our upcoming webinar to explore the strategic landscape of centralized Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs). Discover how they are rethinking intellectual property management, licensing, and commercialization, and learn to weigh the advantages—like cost savings and enhanced service quality—against potential challenges, such as reduced flexibility. We'll delve into real-world examples of successful centralized TTOs, revealing the best practices driving their achievements. Gain invaluable insights tailored for policymakers, university administrators, and technology transfer professionals, and optimize your TTO's impact. Register now to revolutionize your approach!

Speakers:

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has asked the state legislature to inject $113 million into programs that support the commonwealth’s innovation economy—including $50 million for the PA Innovation Program, which provides a $30 million allocation specifically designated for the commercialization of life sciences and a $20 million fund to “support large-scale innovation, match federal awards to mitigate risks for start-ups, and leverage Pennsylvania’s best-in-class research and development assets.” Shapiro presented his FY 2025-2026 budget proposal and policy recommendations to state lawmakers in his Feb.

As U.S. research institutions face funding uncertainty, countries and universities worldwide are launching initiatives to lure away our scientific talent:

NOTE: The nation's community of technology-based economic development organizations is in its annual report season, and we've already seen several releases from SSTI members. All document TBED's impact on advancing research, moving it to market, and helping businesses improve their profitability and competitiveness.

To help the TBED community prepare their own annual reports, SSTI is speaking with a few of our members to learn more about their evolving approaches to preparing their annual reports. This week, we share insights from our conversation based on an interview with Kate Calabra, interim CEO of the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition. The first three parts of this four-part series are available here, here and here.

In a country marked by regional diversity, gaining insights into economic performance often means looking beyond conventional state and county boundaries to economic hubs. This edition of Useful Stats uses Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data to first compare U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan GDPs broken down by industry for the last 20+ years, then consider each Metropolitan Statistical Area’s GDP by private industry, highlighting patterns and changes over the past decades.  

Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), “have at least one urban area of 50,000 or more population plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core urban area as measured by commuting ties.” Approximately 86% of the nation's population resides within the 392 MSAs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.[1]

In the last twenty years, there has been a critical shift in the technology transfer landscape that calls for a fundamental overhaul of university Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) from focusing on passive IP management to active startup development, according to a recent SSRN article.

White House

The Senate has confirmed Michael Kratsios to serve as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. 

Ethan Klein of New Jersey has been nominated as associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.


Department of Commerce

A recent Executive Order from the White House could jeopardize the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund and put at risk investments in small businesses. The EO calls for the “non-statutory components and functions” of several governmental entities, among them are the CDFI and the Minority Business Development Agency, “to be eliminated ... and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” The EO requires the listed entities to submit a report to the Office of Management and Budget within one week, March 21, explaining “which components or functions of the governmental entity, if any, are statutorily required and to what extent.” 

California Gov. Gavin Newsom recently released the state’s new  Jobs First Economic Blueprint, a comprehensive plan and major statewide economic initiative designed to spur sustainable economic growth on a region-by-region basis, to reflect the diverse character of the many parts and peoples of California. 

Made up of 10 strategic industry sectors, including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, agriculture and agtech, technology, and innovation, the California Jobs First Economic Blueprint will guide the state’s investments into the policies and programs that seek to create more jobs, faster and to ensure that the investments are sustainable and inclusive (including the regions’ rural, disadvantaged, or underserved communities).

As such, the plan provides for:

In this final coverage of gubernatorial addresses as they discuss the innovation economy, the following highlights have been selected from State of the States or budget addresses given between Feb. 18 and March 14, 2025, by the governors from Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, and Ohio.  Information on previous 2025 State of the States and/or budget addresses can be found here, here, here, and here.

Many metropolitan areas grapple with demographic shifts, labor shortages, and changing economic conditions, so understanding the factors that encourage former residents to return may help policymakers design more effective strategies for talent retention and regional revitalization. The Cleveland Fed's recent District Data Brief titled "Boomerang Migration: Which Regions Have the Most, and Can It Make a Difference?" examines the movement of individuals who return to their home regions after relocating elsewhere.