SSTI Digest

The Coleman Foundation has allocated up to $1,000,000 for this year's Entrepreneurship Awareness and Education Grant program. The program will award a one-time grant of up to $25,000 to any university, college, community college or community-based nonprofit organization to establish or significantly expand an entrepreneurship initiative that focuses on any of the following areas: Entrepreneurship course(s), program(s) or a minor targeting non-business majors in a collegiate setting; Cross-curriculum entrepreneurship education in disciplines, such as medicine, law, architecture, engineering, psychology or veterinary science; Entrepreneurship training or certificate program targeting non-degree seeking students that are owners of an active existing business; Entrepreneurship course(s) or program(s) targeting performing, non-performing or other art-related studies; and, Entrepreneurship outreach program(s) targeting high school, elementary or alternative school students. The foundation also will award a one-time grant of up to $15,000 for any high school or community-based nonprofit…

Tom Thornton is resigning his position as President of the Illinois Coalition to join a Midwest Venture Capital firm.

Cary Nourie has been named Vice President of Policy and Planning for the Illinois Coalition; he previously was with the North Carolina Governor's Washington Office.

John Dougherty resigned his position with the Illinois Coalition to accept a job in the private sector.

In his first budget address, Illinois Governor George Ryan outlined a series of initiatives which would catapult Illinois into the top tier of states for technology-based economic development spending. Coupled with the $3-million-plus technology initiative announced earlier this year by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Illinois S&T investments could grow to $20 million annually, a threshold only six other states have crossed and maintained: Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Citing Pennsylvania's "Tech 21 Initiative" as the model, Governor Ryan outlined $100 million in technology investments, the vast majority to support information technology acquisition for educational institutions. The Governor's S&T proposals include: $10 million for the Technology Development Bridge Program, which provides seed stage equity financing to small technology companies. The program, developed by the Illinois Coalition, is administered by the Illinois Development Finance Authority. Currently the program invests approximately $2 million annually. $5…

On Monday, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced a series of initiatives to promote technology development for the city, including an information technology incubator, formation of a Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors, and a Civic Network to support capacity needs for Internet commerce by Chicago businesses. The cornerstone of the Mayor’s technology initiatives, however, is the formation of the Chicago Technology Growth Fund, a $3 million venture capital fund to provide seed-stage financing in conjunction with private investors for high-tech startup firms located within Chicago. The Illinois Coalition was named to manage the fund for the city. The Mayor’s Council of Technology Advisors will work to position Chicago as a leader in information technology (IT) by promoting the growth and retention of IT businesses, helping to meeting the growing capital needs of entrepreneurs, developing a strategy to pool technology talent in the city, and promoting access and understanding of IT throughout the city. The Council will be chaired by the Illinois Coalition…

November 17, 1998 The National Association of Seed Venture Funds is sponsoring a seminar entitled "Seed Investing as a Team Sport" to be held in Des Moines. The purpose of the seminar is to expand the attendees' understanding of business investing, help locate a team of like-minded investors in the region, and provide new tools to help optimize investment dollars. For more information, visit NASVF's website at http://www.nasvf.org November 18-19, 1998 The Progressive Policy Institute is sponsoring a two-day conference "Understanding America's Transformation To a New Economy" in Washington, DC. Scheduled speakers include Vice President Al Gore and Sen. Tom Daschle. For more information, contact PPI at 202/608-1235.

Northwestern University invites nominations and applications for the new position of Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. The person who fills this position will develop and implement initiatives that will enhance the University=s research enterprise. Reporting to the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies, the Associate VP will: Coordinate overall strategy and management of faculty initiated start-ups; Develop cross-campus, inter-school initiatives for university investment; Provide leadership for the development, implementation, and communication of policies and programs affecting research and commercialization; and, Work closely with faculty and directors of University Research Centers in shaping research priorities. A more detailed job description and instructions for applying can be viewed on SSTI's webpage at www.ssti.org.

The Illinois 1997 High Tech Yearbook is a first-ever annual report documenting the people, organizations and infrastructure driving the high technology industry in Illinois. The report was recently released by the Illinois Coalition and KPMG Peat Marwick, in cooperation with the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago. The Yearbook is the latest addition to a growing number of states or regions that are developing technology indexes. The state's science and technology strengths are highlighted in the yearbook through a series of indicators tracked by the Illinois Coalition. The indicators identify and explain the ingredients and dynamics of Illinois' technology economy. According to the report, in 1984 Illinois was tenth in the U.S. for the size of its technology economy. Today, it is fourth. The following outline some of the key indicators the report highlights: Level of R&D spending by industry, universities, federal laboratories and non-profit research centers Illinois' share of federal R&D funding Number of patents issued Venture capital investment…

The State of Illinois recently announced a new World Wide Web site that provides Illinois firms with a means to quickly locate the technical and business assistance available in Illinois. The Illinois Coalition reports that perhaps the most innovative feature of the site is its linkage to the new on-line version of the Thomas Regional Directory Company’s industrial buying guide.  The buying guide covers the North Central Tri-State Region, which includes Illinois and parts of Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.  The directory can be used to conduct product and company information searches. The site can be reached at: http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/illcoalition