State & Local Round Up

Arizona

In spite of a tight budget resulting in cuts of $600 million, the Business Journal reports the Arizona state legislature has appropriated $3 million to launch implementation of the strategic plan developed by the APNE, the Arizona Partnership for the New Economy (see the Jan. 26, 2001 issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest for a story on the plan). The funds, to be focused primarily on rural telecom initiatives, will be administered by the Department of Commerce. For more information on APNE see: http://www.commerce.state.az.us/neweconomy/APNE.htm

Colorado

The 12-year-old Boulder Technology Incubator has changed its name to the Colorado Technology Incubator. According to an article in the Daily Camera, the new name better reflects the non-profit's existing presence in Boulder and Longmont and a planned third branch to be located elsewhere in the state this year.



Nampa, Idaho

A nearly $2 million grant from the Economic Development Administration is paving the way for construction of a 40,000 sq. ft high technology business center, called the Technology and Entrepreneurial Center. In addition to offering incubator space for up to 20 companies, the center will link faculty and students at Boise State University's Canyon County campus to the young tech firms for product development and business planning assistance.



Iowa

Efforts to implement cluster initiatives stemming from work of the state's New Economy Council are temporarily stalled after the state Senate failed to vote on the Council's $5 million plan before recessing. According to the Des Moines Register, all but $100,000 of the budget was to be reallocated from other sources. The Iowa House of Representatives passed the measure unanimously, the paper reports.



Columbia, South Carolina

Today's issue of The State reports the city of Columbia will be hiring consultants in the next 30-45 days to flesh out an outline developed by the city's Technology Advisory Board to make the region a research and technology center. Currently, the paper reports, the objectives are to increase research activity at the University of South Carolina, attract tech companies to the downtown area, and continue to to grow the USC Technology Incubator.



Memphis, Tennessee

Baptist Memorial Heal Care Corp. is donating property valued at $40 million for the creatin of a University of Tennessee-Baptist Research Park. The Commercial Appeal reported last Sunday that, to help fill the park, the Memphis Biotech Foundation is attempting to raise $10 million locally to leverage $40 million in federal funds to support biotech start-ups.



Fort Worth, Texas

Standing-room-only attendance at its first two meetings have convinced leaders of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce that their decision to create a Technology Business Council last month was the right one, according to Dallas Morning News. The tech council's mission is to build and attract new tech companies. The city already is home to more than 100 tech firms.