SSTI Digest

As U.S. cities increasingly focus economic development strategies on technology and innovation to spur economic growth, they should be cognizant that growing these businesses and jobs can also exacerbate local inequities and should, therefore, develop plans to address this issue, according to a newly released report from the Equitable Innovation Economies Initiative (EIE). Prototyping Equity: Local Strategies for Equitable Innovation Economies is a report of the EIE, a multi-year project launched by the Pratt Center for Community Development, PolicyLink, and the Urban Manufacturing Alliance focused on inclusive growth strategies for innovation and manufacturing. In addition to describing the importance of pursuing an equitable innovation economy, the report also documents the initiative’s cross-sector efforts in piloting new approaches across four regions: New York, NY; Indianapolis, IN; Portland, OR; and, San Jose, CA. Four principles guide the work of the EIE, and as a result, should be considered by cities pursuing an equitable innovation economy, according to the report. These principles are: choose strategies that promote equity and growth simultaneously by…

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that 30 individuals will serve in the third membership cycle of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (NACIE). NACIE, which was established in 2010, advises the secretary of Commerce on transformational policies to help communities, businesses and the American workforce become more globally competitive. With members serving two-year appointments, the newest appointments tothe council include representatives from the private, nonprofit and academic sectors, including several organizations involved in technology-based economic development. Furthermore, five of the NACIE members are returning to provide institutional knowledge that helps bridge the transition to the next presidential administration, according to a blogpost written by Julie Lenzer, director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the U.S. Economic Development Administration. Included in the appointments is SSTI Board member, Rebecca Bagley, vice chancellor for Economic Partnerships at the University of Pittsburgh. A full list of and biographical information on the newly appointed NACIE members can be found here.

A spate of recent news challenges many common perceptions of venture capital. Academic researchers have identified critical shortcomings with widely used industry data. Major investors have revealed smaller than anticipated returns. An analysis of thousands of investments indicates fund success requires superstar deals of well more than 10x. These articles should drive new evaluations of public policy and programs to support early stage capital. A NBER working paper authored by Steven Kaplan and Josh Lerner recently described the dearth of credible data and analysis of VC fund investments and VC performance. Kaplan and Lerner argue that available VC data is incomplete and biased and raise concerns with a reliance on the release of proprietary data from self-selected funds. Their arguments raise questions as to whether investors are giving enough thought before investing billions of dollars into VC funds. In addition to Kaplan and Lerner’s arguments, a number of developments over the last several months may question public wisdom around VC. CalPERS, the nation's largest pension investor, announced that VC performs worse than any other asset class in its…

Occurring on the first Friday of October, Manufacturing (MFG) Day is October 7 this year. MFG Day is an annual event that showcases the strength of American manufacturing, as well as those who produce its goods and services, and which continues to advance the new technologies that grow the U.S. economy, create jobs, and keeps the nation competitive globally.  It empowers manufacturers across the nation to come together to address their collective challenges, highlight their successes, and illustrate how they can help their communities thrive. Last year more than 2,600 events were held with some 400,000 visitors participating. MFG Day, first observed in 2011, started as a grassroots movement that co-partnered with industry-leading organizations such as the Fabricators & Manufacturing Association, International (FMA), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the Manufacturing Institute (MI), and the National Institute of Standards & Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to draw the public’s attention to both manufacturing and its career opportunities Last year’s Manufacturing Day inspired…

The U.S. Census Bureau announced on Tuesday that median household income increased to $56,516 in 2015, a jump of 5.2 percent from the 2014 median income of $53,718 and the first increase since 2007.  However, real median household income in 2015 was 1.6 percent lower than in 2007, the year before the Great Recession, and 2.4 percent lower than the median household income peak, which occurred in 1999. Ten states (HI, KY, MT, NH, OR, RI, TN, VT, WI and WY) and the District of Columbia saw median household incomes increase by more than 5 percent, although with the margin of error it is possible that some of these states saw increases of less than 1 percent, according to data presented in Table 1 of Household Income: 2015. Only Puerto Rico saw the median household income decline from 2014 levels; ID and NJ saw increases of less than 1 percent. The U.S. Census Bureau also announced that the nation’s official poverty rate in 2015 was 13.5 percent, a 1.2 percentage point decrease in the poverty rate from 2014. The decrease represents the largest annual percentage point drop in poverty since 1999. The findings are contained in Income and Poverty in the United States: 2015.…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced the recipients of 37 Design and Development Launch Pilots as part of its INCLUDES initiative. NSF INCLUDES invests in alliances and partnerships that seek to broaden STEM participation among underrepresented groups, including women, Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, persons with disabilities, people from rural areas and people of low socioeconomic status. The program was originally developed as a response to a 2013 report by the congressionally mandated NSF Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE), which recommended a new initiative focused on broadening participation of underrepresented groups in STEM.  At SSTI’s Annual Conference, Innovation with Purpose: Shaping Future Opportunities, expanding access will take center stage. In The Inclusion Imperative: The Science of Broadening Participation, Professor Kaye-Husbands Fealing, the Dean of the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech, will share her research on the importance of inclusion in STEM education and occupations. This session will explore research on broadening participation in STEM occupations as well as look…

As the school year kicks off, several corporate foundations have announced new commitments to support hands-on K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) experiences for children across the country. These new partnerships continue a trend of corporate funders bypassing funding for STEM curriculum development to focus on active learning experiences that are shown to have positive impact on STEM retention. Among the corporate foundations making announcements include Microsoft Philanthropies, Motorola Solutions Foundation, and Qualcomm. On September 5, Virginia Tech University (Virginia Tech) and Qualcomm Inc. announced the launch of the  Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab at Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center in Falls Church, VA. Through a multi-year partnership, the Thinkabit Lab experience offers both teachers and students an engaging learning environment including access to laboratory space, a makerspace, and classroom sessions. The intent of the Thinkabit Lab is to offer K-12 students “first introduction to hands-on STEM learning and real-world careers.”  Additionally, Virginia Tech faculty research will assess how…

On September 2, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced $7.2 million in funding for the newly established Texas Industry Cluster Innovative Academies. An element of Gov. Abbott’s Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative established in March 2016, the initiative will provide competitive grant funding to establish Innovative Academies within Texas high schools to provide students with learning opportunities in high-demand occupations while earning college course credit prior to high school graduation. The academies will target specific course work and educational opportunities that lead to direct employment in high-demand occupations for Texas’ key industry clusters: Advanced Technologies and Manufacturing; Aerospace and Defense; Biotechnology and Life Sciences (including Health Care); Energy; Information and Computer Technology; and, Petroleum Refining and Chemical Products. Grants for the Innovative Academies will be used to develop program models that can be replicated or scaled across other campuses or different regions of the state. Each Innovative Academy must serve as a partnership between a public high school, an institution of higher education, and an industry…

The Communities That Work Partnership, a national project to support industry-led workforce development efforts, has released seven case studies highlighting what it considers to be best practices for regions seeking ways to strengthen talent pipelines for local employers and improve access to quality employment for jobseekers. Launched in April 2015 by the Aspen Institute Workforce Strategies Initiative and the Economic Development Administration, with additional support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the partnership has two goals: to accelerate regional economic development through peer learning, and to document stories of how regional teams can improve links between the demand side and supply side of regional systems. Since their competitive selection in the summer of 2015, regional teams have collaborated both in person and virtually to develop issue briefs that can serve as a playbook for other communities hoping to replicate aspects of the partnerships' findings. The case studies highlighting the findings of the seven Communities that Work Partner regions are: Arizona: Understanding Skill Needs of Technology Occupations; Buffalo, New…

The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), established in 2001 as a collaboration of 20 federal agencies and cabinet-level departments with an interest in nanotechnology R&D and commercialization, has released a draft of its 2016 strategic plan. The National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan, which describes the initiative’s vision and goals as well as potential strategies to achieve these goals. The plan is an update to and a replacement of a plan originally released in December 2013. Prior to the new plan’s official publication, the public is encouraged to submit comments online by September 23, 2016. Read The National Nanotechnology Initiative Strategic Plan here: http://www.nano.gov/sites/default/files/2016_nni_strategic_plan_public_comment_draft.pdf

To improve private sector partnerships and increase commercialization efforts, the national labs should consider establishing external nonprofit entities to manage their commercialization efforts, according to a new report from Innovation Associates Inc. Supported by Argonne National Laboratory, the report – Enhancing National Laboratory Partnership and Commercialization Opportunities – highlights elements of several models that the author contends will improve U.S. economic prosperity by increasing the effectiveness of technology transfer and commercialization of technologies developed by the national laboratories as well as developing vital industry partnerships. Before discussing specific action times or other models, the report identifies several of the barriers that impede technology transfer and commercialization efforts of national labs supported by the Department of Energy (DOE), including Argonne National Lab, despite the efforts of these labs/DOE to promote their work. Based upon several studies on the topic matter, the roadblocks include: DOE’s over-centralization; Inconsistency and mixed messages regarding the importance of technology…

In August, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced over $40 million in available federal funding for a new DHS Center of Excellence (COE) for Homeland Security Quantitative Analysis via two federal funding opportunities (FFO). DHS will commit up to $40 million to an institution of higher education to act as the lead center for a network of COEs. In addition, DHS also is accepting applications for potential partners to work with the lead institution in support of the center’s activities. The proposed COEs will conduct end user-focused research to enhance the application of analytic tools that support real-time decision making and address homeland security-related threats and hazards. The deadline for submitting proposals is November 1. DHS also announced that it will provide free cybersecurity training and certification prep courses to military veterans through a new partnership with Hire our Heroes– a nonprofit focused on providing workforce services to transitioning military members. The partnership will provide veterans with access to Federal Virtual Training Environment (FedVTE) – an online, on-demand training center…