SSTI Digest

Proposals that promise job creation and economic growth have taken center stage in several state legislatures. Lawmakers who recognize the importance of R&D, tech commercialization, access to risk capital, and investment in higher education are fighting for passage of TBED-focused bills in the final months of their states' 2011 legislative sessions. A bill to revive the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act, which failed in the legislature last year, recently passed the House with broad, bi-partisan support, restoring hope for the program that aims to grow science and technology companies. Meanwhile, two bills in Connecticut seek to boost technology transfer and lawmakers in Alaska and Florida are pushing for statewide R&D tax credits. An overview of select bills relating to TBED is included below.

The fourth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, and Vermont. The first three installments are available in the Jan. 5, Jan. 12 and Jan. 19 issues of the Digest.

Two measures, one dealing with improving access to higher education in Alaska, and another focusing on economic growth through renewable energy in Nebraska, recently were approved as part of the 2010 legislative sessions. Lawmakers in Alaska passed a measure establishing a merit-based scholarship program championed by Gov. Sean Parnell, but left funding for the program uncertain. Meanwhile, Nebraska legislators passed a bill to promote economic growth through renewable energy export.

Alaska Lawmakers passed a measure creating a merit-based scholarship program for higher education that includes many of the same elements proposed last year by Gov. Sean Parnell, with the exception of a funding mechanism. SB 221 establishes the Alaska Merit Scholarship Program providing grants for students who complete a more rigorous high school curriculum, including four years of math and science. Legislators scrapped a plan proposed by the governor that would have allocated $400 million to initiate the program by tapping into the interest earned on budget reserve funds.

The fourth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alaska, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, and Oklahoma. The first three installments are available in the Jan 13, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27 Digests.

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell, State of the State Address, Jan. 20, 2010 "We will create even more jobs by funding construction of two new statewide buildings, the Anchorage crime lab I mentioned earlier and we will construct the Life Sciences building at [the University of Alaska, Fairbanks]. …

"… Where energy is concerned, we will continue reducing dependency on diesel across Alaska. And we are putting $25 million toward more in-state renewable energy projects. …

To help train future scientists and support cutting-edge research in health and environmental issues, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is recommending $109.5 million in the FY11 capital budget for the University of Alaska Life Sciences Facility in Fairbanks. The multi-purpose teaching and research facility would house the Department of Biology and Wildlife and accommodate a wide-range of research programs, reports Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The proposal hinges on legislative approval of $88.9 million in financing through certificates of participation and $20.6 million in bond financing through the University of Alaska for construction, according to the governor’s press office. Read more at: http://www.gov.state.ak.us/news.php?id=5191.

Using the interest earned from $400 million in state savings, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell announced a plan that would provide Alaska high-school students with scholarship funds to attend the University of Alaska or in-state vocational institutions based on academic performance.

The Governor’s Performance Scholarship would be awarded to students based on grade average. Students with an A grade average would receive a 100 percent tuition scholarship, students with a B average would receive a 75 percent tuition scholarship, and C students would receive a 50 percent tuition scholarship.

In an effort to promote college preparedness, the governor’s plan also stipulates that high-school students take four years of math, science, and language arts, and three years of social studies to be eligible for the scholarships.

Gov. Parnell will seek approval from the legislature in the upcoming session to set aside $400 million of nearly $8 billion currently in the Constitutional Budget Reserve Fund and Statutory Budget Reserve Fund to initiate the program.

Legislators in Alaska, Iowa and Oklahoma recently approved funding for several TBED-related initiatives within state operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.

Highlights from State of the State addresses delivered in Alaska and Hawaii are included in the third installment of the Tech Talkin’ series.   Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, State of the State Address, Jan. 15, 2008 “I'm appointing an Energy Coordinator, to activate a statewide Energy Plan. We'll use earnings from a $250 million ‘Renewable Energy Fund’ for alternative projects, like hydro, wind, geothermal, and biomass.” Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, State of the State Address, Jan. 22, 2008 “We are proposing to start Creative Academies, modeled after the successful STEM Academies, to nurture and support the many talents of Hawai‘i’s keiki. These academies would focus on animation, digital media, game development and writing and publishing in elementary through high school.

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC), a public/private partnership that serves to foster a healthy and sustainable economic climate in the City and Borough of Juneau and in Southeast Alaska, has openings for two positions. JEDC seeks both an experienced program manager and a technology manager for SpringBoard, its Department of Defense (DoD)-sponsored technology transfer program. The program manager builds relationships with DoD labs nationwide and cultivates partnerships with industry, government and academia. The technology manager works with a portfolio of clients and projects to deliver program metrics, including various contracts, agreements and projects that help transfer technology or commercialize DoD technology.

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a research associate to assist the company with R&D efforts related to Griffins products. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The research associate will be responsible for exploring new applications for Griffins technology and will report directly to the company's staff of senior research scientists. Applicants should have a bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry and two or more years of applicable experience in instrumentation maintenance and operation.

SSTI has compiled a table of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards in total dollars and state rankings from fiscal years 2000-2004. The states are ranked by percent change over the five-year period. The greatest gains were posted in North Dakota (202.51 percent), Alaska (200.98 percent), Idaho (157.48 percent), Montana (144.72 percent), Virginia (120.85 percent), and Hawaii (107.06 percent). Although award dollar totals in these states more than doubled over the five-year period, they showed some of the lowest increases from FY 2003. Idaho experienced the lowest dollar increase from FY03, $57,634.

The available pool of equity capital grew substantially last Thursday as the board of trustees for the $31.7 billion Alaska Permanent Fund approved the placement of 8 percent of the fund's value into alternative assets, such as venture capital funds and hedge funds. The Associated Press reports the current value of all alternative investments held by the Permanent Fund totals $292 million. With the new authorization target, equity capital could comprise more than $2.5 billion at the fund's present value.

The change will happen gradually, however, as the board increased the mandate to Crestline, the fund’s current absolute return manager, from $250 million to $500 million. The board also increased the allocation for absolute return strategies from 1 percent to 4 percent. The target asset allocation to private equity also is at 4 percent.