SSTI Digest

Marc Holtzman, Colorado's former science and technology advisor, is taking the position as president of Denver University.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently announced the recipients of its 2003 Excellence in Economic Development Awards. A total of eight award-winners were named across seven broad award categories. Those pocketing awards in Innovation and Technology-led Economic Development, respectively, are described below.

Innovation

Colorado Governor Bill Owens has appointed Paul Ray as the state's first director of biosciences.

Earlier this week, Colorado Chief Technology Officer John Hansen released a statewide plan to develop biotechnology and life sciences industry sectors in Colorado. Colorado's Place in the Sun: A Bioscience Future provides analysis, direction and recommended actions for three key sector areas — workforce development, business development, and research development.

After outlining the state's current strengths in biotech and life sciences, the plan identifies several key factors for success:

Governor Bill Owen has named Trip Carter as the state's first aerospace advocate, the state's latest effort to help the industry, which employs approximately 110,000 residents and has $4 billion in revenues. Only Florida, California and Texas have larger stakes in the aerospace industry. As a result, the state has undertaken several initiatives over the past two years to develop and promote the industry's health as it goes through a transition period.

The Aerospace Advocate appointment follows a Space Symposium held in Colorado Springs in April and the Colorado Space Strategy Initiative completed two years ago to study the importance of aerospace for Colorado's economy and outline specific recommendations for public-private initiatives to support the industry.

The State of Colorado is creating an office to recruit and assist space technology businesses, the Associated Press reported. Approximately $240,000 has been raised for the office, which will be led by a yet-to-be-named "Colorado space advocate." One fourth of the funds are provided by the state, with the balance received from the private sector.

Colorado On Monday, Colorado Secretary of Technology Marc Holtzman announced a new $11 million partnership between the Public Employees’ Retirement Association of Colorado and ITU Ventures, LLC. The partnership was formed to invest in technology emerging from Colorado's research institutions. ITU will assist the commercial growth of technological innovation by working with researchers, administration and university tech transfer offices. More information is available at: http://www.oit.state.co.us/about/press_1.asp?prid=16

Last week, David Allen began his tenure as Assistant Vice President for Technology Transfer at the University of Colorado. Allen was the Assistant Vice President for Technology Partnerships at the Ohio State University.

Lu Cordova is the new President of the Colorado Technology Incubator.

Colorado The Governor’s Office of Innovation and Technology and the state’s Science and Technology Commission have teamed up to create the Colorado Technology Alliance to provide tech business recruitment information and assistance. According to a recent Pueblo Chieftain article, the Alliance will prepare a clearinghouse website and a 120-page resource magazine. Local and regional information for the website will be administered and maintained by local tech-based economic development officials. Covington, Kentucky

Colorado The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is donating $8 million over five years to support the creation of four “high tech” high schools around the state. Modeled after San Diego’s High Tech High, the Colorado schools will have teacher-to-student ratios of 1:15 and the same teacher will work with the students for four years. Students would have individualized workstations and practical internship experience will be built into the curriculum. The state is providing an $8 million match for the grant. Marc Holtzman, the Governor’s Secretary for Technology, is chairing the effort. The Gates grant will also support the creation of a charter school network and breaking three large public schools into smaller multiplex schools managed by a private organization. For more information, see: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/

Colorado leaders want to encourage more college students to go into science and teaching and two recent proposals, coming from Governor Bill Owens and the state's Commission on Higher Education, are designed to do just that.

In Owens' proposed FY 2002 budget for education, announced on Dec. 6, $51.3 million will be allotted in teacher pay incentives to allow principals to reward outstanding teaching, to offer recruitment bonuses to encourage Colorado's best teachers to serve in schools with unsatisfactory academic performance, and to offer recruitment and retention bonuses in hard-to-recruit subjects including math, science and special education.