SSTI Digest

Editor's Note: Last week's issue of the Digest included a Recent Research item, Are Leading Firms Team Players? that drew an animated reaction from a reader whose opinion SSTI holds in great respect because of his contributions to improving the understanding and delivery of technology-based economic development initiatives. As a result, Dr. Jerry Paytas, director of the Carnegie Mellon University Center for Economic Development, accepted our request to prepare an alternative review of Andrea Morrison's "Gatekeepers of Knowledge" within Industrial Districts: Who They Are, How They Interact. He is joined in this response by Dr. Donald F. Smith Jr., university director of economic development for Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. SSTI believes this guest article, while rare, is a welcome addition to the Digest. There needs to be greater discourse concerning the practical and policy implications of academic research in the field as well as the validity of conclusions drawn from or within that research -- including our own. The Digest may present the best medium for…

Hoping to combat and reverse job losses in the manufacturing sector, Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell outlined his blueprint for recovery last month, entitled "Manufacturing Innovation." Nearly 165,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost in Pennsylvania since 2001. Manufacturing, however, remains one of the largest sources of jobs in the state's economy, accounting for one out of every eight jobs. Gov. Rendell's blueprint targets this important sector for Pennsylvania, defining key business finance, workforce and technical support tools for manufacturers to remake themselves. To increase business capital for manufacturing, the blueprint recommends the state undertake three steps: Explore opportunities for new pension investment in manufacturing by working with the state and public school's employees' retirement systems; Strengthen linkages between venture funds and manufacturers; and Aggressively pursue federal grants for small business innovation research and technology transfer programs. The plan also outlines a number of steps needed to make manufacturing more…

Kelly Lewis, a state legislator in Pennyslvania, will be the new president and CEO of the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania, beginning Jan. 1.

During the states' fiscal crisis, a number of TBED programs were eliminated, while others survived. SSTI staff spent a fair amount of time analyzing what the survivors had in common, and we boiled the results down to three items that successful TBED programs have in common. While it may seem simplistic, the three commonalities are: They do a good job, They measure whether they're doing a good job, and They tell people they're doing a good job. Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow's Challenges is designed around those three points. The conference sessions will help you create, implement and modify programs that will produce results. Two of the sessions are specifically focused on measuring whether you're doing a good job. And, one of the pre-conference sessions addresses the aspect of success that the TBED community tends to do poorly: telling people you're doing a good job. Marketing Success: Telling the TBED Story on Oct. 13 will offer advice on what to do and the pitfalls to avoid in all aspects of TBED marketing: defining your strategy, building support for…

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP), a nonprofit economic development organization based in Philadelphia, seeks someone to serve as director of its investment and entrepreneurial services. Established in 1982, BFTP exists to stimulate economic growth through innovation, entrepreneurship and the development and adoption of new technologies. The selected candidate will direct the planning, coordination and execution of activities associated with the sourcing and evaluation of BFTP's applicants, among other responsibilities. The candidate also will oversee the client management of portfolio companies in the manufacturing and nanotechnology sectors. Qualifications include having a B.S. or B.A. in Engineering or other technology discipline, preferably with an MBA. Inquiries should be directed to Katie Rotella, manager of administrative services for the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, at katie@sep.benfranklin.org. A complete position description is available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm

The discounts ending this week on registration and accommodations for SSTI's annual conference will pay for much, if not all, of your round trip airfare to Philadelphia, so we encourage you to act soon on both. Or you can use the savings toward having one of your colleagues attend as well! Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow's Challenges will be held at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel on Oct. 14-15, 2004. Three optional, intensive pre-conference workshops and a tour are offered on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The full conference offers 30 timely and focused breakout session options. The early registration period to attend the premier professional development opportunity of the year ends Friday, Sept. 17. Conference details, including the complete program, slate of participants, and registration form, are available at: http://www.ssti.org/conference04.htm [expired] SSTI has negotiated for its guests an incredible single/double sleeping room rate for the event of $124/night plus tax at the exquisite Loews Philadelphia Hotel. The rate is only good for reservations made by the end of…

A two-year grant from the Pennsylvania Dept. of Community and Economic Development enabled Lehigh University to announce last week the appointments of Glenn Doell and Graham Mitchell to serve respectively as director of the office of technology transfer and director of the entrepreneurship program.

Travel and training dollars are limited for most tech-based economic development programs. For many states, these are the first budget items frozen in a cutback. As a result, you need to get the most bang for each dollar spent on professional development for each staff member. Fortunately, SSTI thinks this way too when planning its annual conference, Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow's Challenges. In addition to 30 top-of-the-line breakout sessions during the main conference -- a full slate for your full staff -- we are offering three intensive pre-conference workshops and a behind-the-scenes tour to use your limited training dollars to their fullest potential. Each pre-conference offering could stand on its own as a great learning opportunity on issues critical to successful technology-based economic development. Couple any one of them with SSTI's 8th annual conference and you have the nation's most complete one-stop professional development experience! This year's pre-conference offerings are: Marketing Success: Telling the TBED Story…

Few of us would consider one piece of a jigsaw puzzle to be sufficient for comprehending the whole picture. Similarly, a state or regional strategy to develop a knowledge-based economy is not complete with just one element of a complete portfolio to nurture science, technology and entrepreneurship. Research has found innovation does not follow a simple linear path, but instead requires a complex system of inputs. It also happens locally with the presence of key resources. Strategically developed public and public-private initiatives can be supportive players in strengthening a regional innovation system, but only if well designed, well managed and well funded. While there are several great organizations and associations around the country offering valuable assistance to the key elements of tech-based economic development, only SSTI provides a balanced, impartial and comprehensive picture of what it takes to grow your tech-based economy. We believe that's why SSTI's annual conferences have grown to be so well respected in the field. Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow'…

Florence Mendelson has resigned as president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based Innovation Works. She will remain in her position through the end of the year, helping to identify her successor and implement plans for fiscal year 2005.

To get your experience at SSTI's annual conference off on the right foot, the City of Philadelphia proudly invites you to enjoy a private evening at its most beautiful and interesting new cultural center — the National Constitution Center. The evocative museum is the first devoted to one of the most important and innovative documents in world history — the U.S. Constitution. Whether you're unwinding after one of the four pre-conference options or just arriving in the City of Brotherly Love, the Opening Reception affords a wonderful, relaxed environment to reconnect with colleagues and network with other conference attendees, speakers, as well as Philadelphia's government, academic, and corporate leaders. The Opening Reception will be held on Oct. 13, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., providing a stimulating setting to open the premier event for the field. Shuttle transportation for conference participants will be available to and from the National Constitution Center and the conference site, the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

On October 13, SSTI will offer four exciting options as pre-conference activities: three day-long sessions on topics that will help you prepare for tomorrow's challenges and a tour of one of the world's foremost science parks. The sessions are: Marketing Success: Telling the TBED Story Successful tech-based economic development organizations (TBED) have three things in common: they do good work, they know they're doing good work through program evaluation and impact assessments, and they make people aware of the good work they’re doing. This stimulating, day-long workshop goes in-depth into the best way to communicate your success. We’ll consider how to define your audiences, determine what your message is, and then tailor your message to clients, constituents and key decision makers. Sharing their experiences and offering advice on what to do and pitfalls to avoid, our panels of national leaders have expertise in all aspects of tech-based economic development marketing, including developing a tech image for your community, building support for investing in…