SSTI Digest

University-focused initiatives that help bring new technologies and products to market help drive regional economic development and encourage an entrepreneurial culture on campuses. SSTI’s latest Trends in TBED report featured a number of commercialization efforts launched in 2013, including university-based funds to support ideas from faculty, staff and alumni. So far, 2014 also has proven active in this area with the announcement of several new initiatives to support university technology startups.

Robbie Melton has been named the executive director and CEO of the High Technology Development Corporation.

Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed Louisiana Tech University president Les Guice to chair the Louisiana Innovation Council.

Brian Cummings, formerly Ohio State University’s vice president of technology commercialization, has joined Alta Ventures as the Midwest representative.

KP Reddy, community catalyst at ATDC, has been named interim general manager. Previously, Michael Hersh held the position of general manager.

The Michigan State University Foundation has named David Washburn, president and CEO of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, as its executive director.

Filling the pipeline with skilled workers able to perform the high-tech jobs employers say are sitting vacant has long been advocated by state leaders and policymakers as essential to competing in the global economy. Governors in Florida and Louisiana are stepping up efforts this legislative session with proposed multi-million dollar investments through training and scholarship programs to change the landscape of their states’ workforce.

Sean Greene has joined the Case Foundation as entrepreneur in residence. Greene most recently served as associate administrator for Investment and special advisor for Innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Jane Oates, assistant secretary for the Employment and Training Administration, which oversees the Job Corps program for the U.S. Department of Labor, has announced her resignation effective at the end of the month.

Euan Robertson has been appointed president and COO of MaRS Discovery District. Robertson joins MaRS from the New York City Economic Development Corporation

Mark Lytle has been named the University System of Georgia's new vice chancellor for economic development.

Frederick Cartwright has been appointed the executive director of the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research.

Jeffrey Margolis recently joined the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition as managing director.

F. King Alexander has been appointed as president of the Louisiana State University System and Chancellor of LSU A&M.

A new Office of Economic Development and Competitiveness started operation April 1 within the Washington state Department of Commerce. The new office has merged the business services division and energy office into one entity.

Leslie Guice officially was approved by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors to become the 14th president of Louisiana Tech University. Guice will take office July 1, 2013.

Camille Saltman has joined MD Revolution as president. Saltman was previously president of CONNECT and continues to be a member of CONNECT's board of directors.

Ted Ford has been named president & CEO of Advanced Energy Economy Ohio. Previously, he was the president & CEO of TechColumbus from 2005-2011.

David Karpinski has joined the Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation as vice president of operations. As NorTech vice president and director of its Energy Enterprise initiative, Karpinski has worked closely with LEEDCo since its inception in 2009.

In what is considered typical for an odd-numbered year, only 34 questions have been certified in nine statewide ballots this election year. Some of those measures include redirecting funds to support higher education, revenue enhancements for states, and repealing legislation that limits collective bargaining for public employees.

Ballot Initiatives

Colorado
Voters in Colorado will decide on a measure to increase the state income and sales tax to 5 percent and 3 percent, up from 4.63 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively. Reports estimate the measure would generate about $3 billion to help fund education. The measure is Proposistion 103.

Spending time at a technology or business incubator may be the key to learning about entrepreneurship. Some universities, seeking to ramp up entrepreneurship programs, are turning to incubators as real-world teachers. A recent Washington Post article points to several business schools pairing traditional education, such as courses and lectures, with less-conventional approaches, including incubators and business competitions to prepare students for opportunities outside the classroom. Recent announcements of new and emerging technology incubators from across the U.S. and Canada are included below.

At the close of the 2011 legislative session in Louisiana last week, lawmakers approved three measures to encourage investment in high-tech economic endeavors. This includes renewing and enhancing the R&D tax credit and the Technology Commercialization credit and reinstating an angel investor tax credit for investment in emerging startups.

One is a proposed tech corridor focused on energy and environment in southeastern Louisiana and the other is being called a "knowledge district" meant to capitalize on the life sciences sector in Providence, but both have the same goal: growing high-tech industry sectors and creating high-wage jobs. Though the concept has been around for decades and is successful in many areas of the country, some states and regions are just now finding their niche and gaining support to establish tech hubs.

Officials from the University of Louisiana (UL) and business leaders unveiled this week a proposed Regional Innovation Corridor to be located in the southeastern part of the state. The area is home to scientists, engineers, state and federal agencies, UL, and other research groups, reports The Advertiser. Officials will focus on industry sectors that make the most sense for the region, including energy, environment, water management, and health care, the article states.

Recognizing the value in supporting companies that innovate to create high-quality jobs, governors in New Jersey and Louisiana recently outlined proposals to enhance tax incentives for R&D, technology commercialization, and transferable tax certificates during the upcoming legislative sessions. In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie proposed increasing the R&D tax credit to 100 percent and restoring full funding for the Technology Business Tax Certificate Transfer program as part of his FY12 budget recommendations. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal announced his intentions to work with the legislature to extend and enhance two innovation-related tax incentives — the R&D tax credit and the Technology Commercialization Credit/Jobs Program — when the session convenes in April.
New Jersey

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber seeks an executive director for its Regional Innovation Organization (RIO). The desired candidate will be a dynamic, visionary, and entrepreneurial leader who will launch a new regional acceleration entity that will lead entrepreneurial development in the Baton Rouge area. The individual will have direct responsibility for developing programming and capacity to support best-in-class business acceleration services that prepare companies for rapid growth in the region. The individual will be charged with creating and implementing a strategy for developing an entrepreneurial culture in the region; serving as an advisor to existing incubator partners; synthesizing existing business development services and addressing existing service gaps; developing a mentoring program for high potential early stage businesses; and creating a solid network of angel, seed and early stage capital providers.