SSTI Digest

Geography: New Jersey

Election Results: 2009 Are Changes in Store for TBED in NJ, VA?

Tuesday’s Republican victories in the gubernatorial races for New Jersey and Virginia mean a shift in political power for both states. With current fiscal conditions continuing to press state revenues lower and unemployment rolls higher, much of the new governors’ attentions could pass over tech-based economic development policies. Alternately, increased investments in TBED may be exactly what are needed right now to help create high-wage jobs in both states.

TBED People and Organizations

The newly-created Clean Energy Leadership Council, convened by the Washington governor's office and a state-wide public-private clean energy alliance, held its first meeting. The council will deliver a clean energy strategy and recommendations by December 1, 2010.

Legislative Wrap-up: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island Pass FY10 Budgets

Over the past few months, several states have enacted spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year and passed legislation to support renewable energy initiatives and tax credits for R&D. While some TBED programs will face dramatic cuts in FY10, others are slated for slight decreases or will receive level funding. The following synopsis provides an overview of the 2009 legislative sessions across the following states:

Summer Camps and Tech Challenges Prepare Next Generation Scientists, Engineers

The lazy days of summer may be the most challenging time to keep students and teachers motivated and engaged in academics. Fortunately, several programs across the country have risen to the challenge. And, with the Obama Administration's pledge to make math and science education a national priority, now may be an opportune time for collaboration among federal and state agencies, private foundations, and industry to reverse the U.S. decline in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

TBED People and Organizations

The Piedmont Triad Research Park laid off Bill Dean, director of the park, and Nancy Johnson, marketing director. Park officials said that the park's project manager and executive assistant also were laid off.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter announced that he has tapped Don Elliman, director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development, to serve as the state government's first chief operating officer.

The Florida STEM Council, funded by a $580,000 grant from Workforce Florida, has been created to connect education, workforce, business and economic development leaders to identify opportunities to build and measure the state's supply of workers with skills and knowledge in these fields to support innovation in existing and emerging industries.

Malcolm Kahn has been appointed vice president for enterprise development & licensing at Stevens Institute of Technology.

Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation has named Kevin Carr as interim CEO, replacing Tracy Taylor, who resigned last month.

Jill Kline has been named the new Wyoming Entrepreneur.Biz associate state director. Kline, previously the NE Wyoming SBDC regional director, replaces Debbie Gorski.

Jennifer Kmiec has been appointed Marshal University's associate vice president for economic development effective, July 1.

Larry Pederson has been named director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering at North Dakota State University.

Utah's Lt. Governor Gary Herbert tapped Jason Perry, the state's director of economic development, to lead Herbert's transition into the governor's role.

Frances Scarlett has been named regional director of the Small Business & Technology Development Center at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Enterprise Florida President and CEO John Adams has announced the appointment of Crystal Sircy as senior vice president for the Business Retention and Recruitment division. She succeedsBob Rohrlack, who in April became the president and CEO of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

M&T Bank chairman and CEO Robert Wilmers has resigned his pro-bono position as chairman of Empire State Development Corporation (ESD). Wilmers' resignation follows, Marissa Lago'sdeparture from her post of president and CEO for the state's primary economic development agency. Dennis Mullen, has been named by Gov. David Paterson as ESD's chairman. Mullen, also assumed Lago's duties. He has been ESD's upstate president.

Budget Woes Slow Momentum for New Jersey Stem Cell Program

Funding for the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, which administers the state's stem cell research program, would be cut nearly in half under Gov. Jon Corzine's FY10 budget recommendation. The commission is slated to receive $10.4 million, a decrease of $9.9 million from the FY09 adjusted appropriation, to administer grant programs focused on commercializing new technologies, develop early-stage growth companies and business incubators, and enhance New Jersey's stem cell research capability.

States Explore Policy Options in Promoting Clean and Efficient Energy

Oregon
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has unveiled a suite of policies to address global climate change and support the state's renewable energy and clean technology industries. His proposals include instituting a cap and trade system for carbon emissions, improving the energy efficiency of commercial and residential construction, and tax credits for energy-conscious investments. The governor hopes to see the climate plan passed by the legislature in the coming year.

TBED People

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.

Useful Stats: 2006 Industrial R&D Intensity per State

According to National Science Foundation (NSF) data released two weeks ago, companies spent in aggregate $247.7 billion on R&D expenditures performed in the U.S. in 2006. Leading the nation was California, with $58.4 billion in industrial R&D, followed by Michigan ($16.5 billion), Massachusetts ($15.6 billion), New Jersey ($14.6 billion), and Texas ($13.3 billion).
 
SSTI has prepared a table presenting the state rankings for industrial R&D performed in 2006, the per-state gross state product in 2006, and each state's industrial R&D intensity. The industrial R&D intensity is the ratio of industry-based R&D to the gross state product.
 
Using these calculations, Massachusetts experienced the largest industrial R&D intensity in 2006, at 4.64 percent. This was followed by Michigan (4.38 percent), Connecticut (4.04 percent), Washington (3.89 percent), and California (3.35 percent). The industrial R&D intensity for the U.S. as a whole was calculated to be 1.89 percent.
 
The table may be accessed by visiting: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/082708t.htm
 
The NSF has released an InfoBrief, explaining the methodology of their Survey of Industrial Research and Development: 2006 at http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf08313/

People & TBED Organizations

President Bush announced he will nominate Assistant Secretary of Commerce Sandy Baruah to serve as the administrator of the Small Business Administration.

Incubator RoundUp: Growing and Sustaining High Technology Companies

Offering customized workspace such as wet laboratories and specialized research equipment is one of the many benefits provided by technology-focused incubators. Access to university research, business mentoring and administrative support services often accompany the reduced rent facilities with the goal of growing technology companies into successful, self-sustaining enterprises. Following are select announcements of recently launched incubators and partnerships from across the nation. 
 
GateWay Community College recently received a recommendation from the Phoenix Parks, Education, Bioscience and Sustainability subcommittee of the Phoenix City Council to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the college to build a bioscience incubator laboratory with wet lab space, the Arizona Republic reports. The wet lab would be a minimum of 5,000 sq. ft. and located near the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.
 
Colorado’s first aerospace business incubator will provide services, less the office space, for companies involved in space technology and resource development. The 8th Continent Project at the Colorado School of Mines announced a $150,000 grant from the Colorado Economic Development Commission will be used to serve 14-15 start-up companies per year. Funding from the commission is being matched two-and-a-half dollars for every one dollar through cash and in-kind contributions from 8th Continent’s founding partners.
 
Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership serving as the state’s primary organization devoted to statewide economic development, announced last month the new Florida Institute for Commercialization of Public Research will be based at the Florida Atlantic University Research & Development Park. Created by the legislature last year, the institute is a “one-stop shop” to facilitate new venture creation and showcase technology and product development growing out of research from Florida’s public universities.
 
The Tavistock Group announced plans to build a $50 million, 100,000-square-foot wet lab and biotech incubator facility in Lake Nona, situated near the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, reports the Orlando Business Journal. Construction is expected to begin in 2009.
 
An initial $1.15 million grant from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation will provide start-up costs related to The Hammond INnovation Center, an 8,200-square-foot incubator designed to support high tech start-up companies. Purdue University-Calumet will manage the facility. 
 
Purdue Research Park broke ground last month on its third building, a 105,000-square-foot technology incubator dubbed Purdue Technology Center II. The Purdue Research Foundation hopes to attract businesses in the fields of life sciences, information technology, and advanced manufacturing and logistics. A $3 million donation from a Purdue University alumnus is helping to finance the $14.5 million project, according to the Journal and Courier.
 
The University of Kansas Medical Center will build a regional wet lab incubator for life sciences start-up companies with help from a $3 million federal grant, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. The planned 40,000-square-foot incubator will house companies started by faculty researchers from universities in the region and entrepreneurs who license locally generated research, the article states. The Kansas Bioscience Authority and Kansas University Medical Center announced they will finance the remaining cost, which is expected to be another $3.25 million.
 
To accelerate Baltimore’s bioscience industry, an agreement was signed earlier this year by the developer of Baltimore BioPark and Baltimore City’s technology incubator, the Emerging Technology Center (ETC), to coordinate incubation and leasing activities for early-state bioscience companies. The new BioInnovation Center provides flexible, modular lab suites with wet lab and office space. Under the agreement, ETC will provide business mentoring and incubation assistance to early-stage life science and bioscience companies. In return, Bio Park will promote ETC services to tenants and prospects and offer laboratory space to tenant companies, according to a press release.
 
The new Business Engagement Center at the University of Michigan (UM) opened earlier this month. The center shares 17,000 sq. ft. with the recently relocated UM Office of Technology Transfer. The two offices will work together to strengthen UM ties to business and community partners.
 
Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt announced a North Kansas City nonprofit organization was approved for $150,000 in tax credits through the state’s Small Business Incubator Program. The facility will provide incubator services for businesses in technology and life sciences. In collaboration with the University of Central Missouri Innovation Center and the Small Business Technology Development Center, the new Avvio Center will provide training, workshops and seminars to tenants.
 
Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey launched a business incubator last month focusing solely on sustainable start-up and early-stage companies in alternative energy, the environment, waste reduction, urban agriculture, transportation, and business information.
 
A new round of federal funding earlier this year prompted construction of a new technology incubator at SUNY Fredonia State College. Previously operating within a temporary facility, the $150,000 earmark enables construction of the new 21,000-square-foot incubator in Dunkirk, reports Buffalo Business First. An extension of the university’s main campus in Fredonia, the incubator will house approximately 30 start-up companies within varied technology sectors. Completion is slated for next year.
 
A new 300-acre corporate campus being developed by Triangle North in partnership with Vance-Granville Community College will include a biotech incubator for start-ups in the biotechnology industry. 
 
Clemson University received final approval from the State Budget and Control Board on its request of $5 million to begin construction on a new Innovation Center at the Clemson University Advanced Materials Center. The 28,000-square-foot facility will house Clemson University spin-off companies, entrepreneurial start-ups and larger companies relocating to South Carolina that focus on advanced materials, nanotechnology and biomaterials.
 
Marshall University and the Huntington Area Development Corporation entered into an agreement last month to build a new biotech incubator, reports The State Journal.  Located near the university’s Forensic Science Center, the incubator will serve biotechnology spin-off companies that originated at Marshall University.
 
University Research Park in Madison, Wis., announced in March plans to build a new, 65,000-square-foot accelerator building to house life sciences companies that have moved beyond early-stage development. The building will be located south of the MGE Innovation Center, a larger incubator facility designed for early-stage companies.

People & TBED Organizations

Dr. Michel Bitritto was named director of the new business incubator being run by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission.

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