SSTI Digest

Funding for several TBED-focused initiatives aimed at increasing the state’s biotech portfolio is prominent in Gov. Martin O’Malley’s fiscal year 2009 budget proposal. Under the recommendation, stem cell research, biotechnology and nanotechnology are targeted for investments to grow the state’s economy, building on the actions of the 2007 legislative session (see the April 16, 2007 issue of the Digest).   Gov. O’Malley unveiled his FY09 budget last week, recommending $23 million for the Stem Cell Research Fund. The fund – in its second year of existence – supports stem cell R&D at Maryland research universities and private sector research institutions and is administered by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO). TEDCO is slated to receive $27.8 million in FY09 total funds – a slight decrease from the FY08 appropriation.   The governor’s recommendation for the Department of Business and Economic Development is $145.5 million, an increase of 17.7 percent above the FY08 appropriation. The recommendation includes $6 million to provide tax credits to encourage investment in biotechnology firms and $2.4…

The Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest hired Diane Durance as its new executive director, succeeding Art DeMonte, now a full-time business consultant. Durance formerly was president of the Ann Arbor IT Zone.

As part of SSTI's 11th Annual Conference, recipients of the first annual SSTI Excellence in TBED Awards were honored for their participation in a national competition showcasing best practices in approaches to building tech-based economies.   Designed to celebrate exceptional achievement in addressing the elements that have been found in successful technology-based economies, the awards program recognizes efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation.   “Successful tech-based economies have strong research infrastructure, ability to commercialize research, access to capital, a skilled workforce, and an entrepreneurial culture,” said SSTI President and CEO Dan Berglund. “They also encourage existing industries to become more competitive. These initiatives demonstrate the successful approaches that are being taken across the country.”   The 2007 Excellence in TBED Award winners include: Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars® - Expanding the Research Infrastructure Category. The purpose of the GRA Eminent Scholars program is to bring pre-eminent…

Thank you! Interest in SSTI's 11th annual conference has been extremely high since the agenda was released during the summer, and, as we expected and warned, SSTI will not be able to accommodate walk-in registrations on the day of the event. We apologize for the inconvenience and the missed opportunity this creates for a number of Digest readers. The 375 TBED practitioners that will be in attendance next week are in for a great professional development experience. More than 240 different TBED-related organizations from across the continent are represented among the lucky participants - not unlike the six golden ticket winners for the tour of Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory (the nice Willy Wonka from the 1970s, not the darker one in the more recent Tim Burton remake). The conference has its own cast of stars with more than 60 presenters, panelists and discussion leaders to lead the 19 breakout workshops and plenary sessions. Among the stars presenting next week will be key staff representing the six recipients of the Inaugural winners for SSTI's Excellence in TBED Awards. All six categories of TBED strategies and programs…

Michael Dailey was elected president of the Maryland Business Incubation Association.

Only a dozen seats remain available for new registrations to attend SSTI's 11th Annual Conference, which will be held Oct. 18-19 in Baltimore's fun-packed Inner Harbor. That's 12 seats, not a baker's dozen of 13. Given the two-week lead time before the event, SSTI strongly anticipates we will not be able to accommodate walk-in registrations the day of the conference. We encourage those of you making arrangements or planning to attend to register as soon as possible. Registrations can be taken over the phone (614.901.1690) or on our secure webpage: https://www.ssti.org/Conf07/registration.htm We're called crazy when we do it, but SSTI firmly believes that it is in the best interest of our conference participants to limit the size of the audience. It stimulates better discussion during the 19 dialogue-intensive breakout sessions. It makes it much easier to start and continue conversations during the 30-minute networking breaks, breakfasts, lunch and two receptions. Overall, it is meant to convey SSTI's commitment to a quality event. Our attendees are participants in the TBED community's premier professional development event of the year, not merely…

Socially-responsible entrepreneurs at the University of Maryland now have a new financial resource available to help them get new businesses off the ground. The university's Impact Pre-Seed Fund program will offer grants to students with business plans that could offer potential benefits to global society. Students participating in the university's Hinman CEOs program and the Hillman Entrepreneurs program will be eligible for two kinds of grants: Seed Fund grants of $2,000 to $5,000 will be awarded to students with complete, well researched business plans, and Opportunity Assessment grants of $500 to $1,000 will be available to fund promising ideas that require additional research. Each grantee will be assigned a mentor to help guide the new business and to monitor the use of the award. Warren Citrin, co-founder of the Solypsis Corporation (now Raytheon Solypsis), donated $250,000 to launch the fund. Citrin hopes it will provide students with the financial support they need to exert a positive influence on the world around them. "The weakest link for student entrepreneurs has always been the funding," says Citrin in a press release announcing the new…

Early registration is nearly over and the conference hotel is full, but you still have the opportunity to join representatives from 47 states and Canadian provinces at SSTI's 11th Annual Conference in Baltimore, Oct. 18-19, 2007 -- the nation's premier gathering for the tech-based economic development field. SSTI conference registrants can book rooms at the Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel. This hotel is located just 1.5 blocks from the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, the site of this year's conference. Spacious rooms with large windows and 9-foot ceilings, complimented with rich Mahogany furniture, are available. To get the contract rate of $199 plus tax, please call the Hampton Inn & Suites at 410-539-7888 and mention you are part of the State Science and Tech Institute Block. The deadline is the end of day Thursday, Sept. 27. A Google map to the hotel is available by clicking here. The hotel can be reached at: Hampton Inn & Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor 131 East Redwood Street Baltimore, MD 21202…

What factors will enable regions with a historical strong industrial heritage to become attractive to creative individuals? According to Richard Florida in his 2002 book, The Rise of the Creative Class, creative people are most drawn to places that have an abundance of existing creative talent, a tolerance for diversity, and the ability to produce technology. Florida uses various measures to quantify a region’s talent, tolerance and technology - also known as the 3Ts - and combines them to produce a creativity index that allows comparison between locations.   Using this framework, Zoltan Acs from George Mason University and Monika Megyesi from the University of Baltimore compare the metro Baltimore region to seven other similar regions with a strong industrial heritage. In Creativity and Industrial Cities: A Case Study of Baltimore, the authors rank the Baltimore metropolitan statistical area first among Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis in an overall creativity index. Of all metropolitan areas in the U.S. with populations greater than one million, Baltimore placed 17th with its creative index score, and…

Register today to be sure you receive this special rate. On Wednesday, Sept. 26, registration fees will increase by $100. Hosted by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, and the University System of Maryland, the 2007 SSTI Annual Conference will be held at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel Oct. 18-19. In a word, the SSTI Annual conference promises quality. With more than 20 carefully planned sessions, conference participants are ensured access to the latest thinking and best practices in tech-based economic development. Limited attendance further affords one the opportunity to engage in open, creative dialogue, and registration fees are kept reasonable so you can send your entire leadership team. All added up, SSTI's annual conference is the field's most stimulating and rewarding professional development investment of the year. For many, the networking breaks are what the conference is all about. It's where the latest TBED thinking and technology come alive. You won't want to miss being a part of the this year's most dynamic and influential…

Incubators and accelerators. Angel, seed and venture capital. Research parks. University and industry research. Technology licensing and commercialization. Entrepreneurship assistance. R&D tax credits. Technology workforce development. Regional technology councils. Manufacturing extension. Science and technology advisers. While all have specific functions, collectively, when supported by public funds, these activities are working toward a single goal of transforming a regional economy to be more competitive in the knowledge-driven global market for innovation and growth. These are not the same components used for conventional economic development approaches that strive to improve or maintain economic vitality of a geographic area. Technology-Based Economic Development (TBED) is driven to improve the standard of living of the residents and businesses of an area while simultaneously increasing their capacity to generate new opportunities for wealth creation into the future through targeted strategies and investments focused on encouraging a combination of knowledge, innovation, and entrepreneurship.…

Once again, SSTI's members have assembled one of our finest slates of sessions yet to anchor the 11th annual conference, Oct. 18-19, in Baltimore. Providing the core of the conference, the 19 sessions are structured to allow ample discussion time among participants, something we're told sets SSTI's conferences apart from the rest. Additionally, SSTI uses a two-stage survey process each summer to develop the conference agenda rather than having the agenda set by invitation or call for papers many months in advance. The result is all topics to be discussed were ranked as being of highest interest or most pressing need by SSTI's sponsors and affiliates — your peers from around the country! Given the breadth and diversity of interests and perspectives present among SSTI's membership, the slate of sessions is assured to offer at least one topic of interest for nearly every component of the TBED community during each of the five time slots offering concurrent breakout sessions. In many cases there will be multiple sessions you'd like to attend, making the team approach the best way to participate. Bringing multiple members of your state or local TBED…