SSTI Digest

Academic institutions throughout the nation are committing themselves to the Maker movement, with the hopes of empowering a culture on their campus that promotes student confidence, STEM education, and hands-on creativity, according to a recent report by the MakeSchools Higher Education Alliance. Created in response to the Obama administration’s activities around Maker spaces, such as the White House Maker Faire in June 2014, the MakeSchools Higher Education Alliance is a consortium of more than 150 higher education institutions (research universities, colleges, and community colleges) committed to supporting Maker activities as an element of STEM education. Coordinated by Carnegie Mellon University and seven other schools, the network seeks to establish K-12 pipelines that provide higher-level education through Maker portfolios, enhance and expand Maker facilities on campuses, and develop new scholarships and opportunities for aspiring Makers. The State of Making Report highlights the work of 40 of the higher education institutions active in the MakeSchools Alliance movement, with principal findings organized around six themes:   Defining “Maker…

In response to an assessment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI),a federal R&D initiative focused on developing nanotechnology, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently released a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks suggestions for Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges for the Next Decade. A critical element of the president’s Strategy for American Innovation, grand challenges are ambitious but achievable goals that leverage science, technology, and innovation to solve important national or global problems with the potential to capture the public’s imagination. Grand challenges proposed for this RFI would specifically harness nanoscience and nanotechnology for problem solving while helping to: guide the science and technology priorities of federal agencies, catalyze new research activities, lead to the commercialization of nanotechnologies, and inspire different sectors to invest in taking action. The RFI includes a number of potential grand challenges as examples in areas such as health care, electronics, materials, sustainability, and product safety. Seeking input from a broad range of…

Over the last month, several universities have announced new initiatives to support entrepreneurship among faculty, students, alumni, and the community that surrounds them. These efforts focus on providing individual and teams of entrepreneurs with access to capital, education, and other resources. In an effort to reshape their entrepreneurial ecosystem, Princeton University released a new report to guide the university’s entrepreneurial education and support efforts.  Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) alumnus James R. Swartz, a founding partner of the global venture capital firm Accel Partners, announced a $31 million donation to support the university’s entrepreneurship activities. The donation will spur the creation of the $10 million Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship to serve as a hub for university-wide entrepreneurial activities. The donation will support several activities including: The development of a new campus-wide curriculum to increase entrepreneurial activity; A new fund to seed ideas across CMU’s colleges and schools; and, Community outreach efforts to engage local secondary schools in entrepreneurship learning opportunities…

This may be one of the best environments for tech companies to receive funding since the extreme financing figures recorded during the tech boom in 2000, according to a new Small Business Administration (SBA) factsheet. In Q1 of 2015, venture capital (VC) investments totaled $13.4 billion making it the fifth straight quarter to see over $10 billion in VC investments. This trend is part of a sizeable post-recessionary rebound in VC evidencing major growth – VC investments have grown by more than 150% over the last five years. However, this increased VC activity is not benefiting many early stage startups because VCs are shifting away from funding startups as they are just developing. Most VCs are making targeted investments in more mature tech companies in order to potentially jump in before companies go public. The result of this trend of late stage investment by VCs has caused a reduction in the availability of risk capital for promising startups. Read the factsheet…

Nearly one million U.S. workers have gone to work for themselves since February 2015, according to recent survey results from the Department of Labor as reported by Bloomberg Business. In May, the number of U.S. self-employed workers surged by 370,000, the largest single-month gain since the Great Recession. The Kauffman Foundation reports that U.S. startup activity improved in 2014, reversing its post-recession downward trend, with startup activity growing in 32 states. In addition, the annual Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2014 Global Report suggests that most Americans believe there are good opportunities for entrepreneurship in the current economy. U.S. entrepreneurial activity had its largest year-over-year increase in two decades last year, according to the 2015 Kauffman Index: Startup Activity. On average, 0.31 percent of American adults started new businesses every month. Most of these people who started new businesses were opportunity entrepreneurs, meaning they were neither unemployed or looking for new jobs before they launched their new business. Kauffman found that 79.6 percent of entrepreneurs fell into this category last year.…

Although the uncertainty associated with business churn may cause concern for some, regions with more job turnover also exhibit signs of higher life-satisfaction, according to a recent study. In Creative Destruction and Subjective Wellbeing, researchers from Harvard University, Princeton University, and the University of Pennsylvania use cross-sectional MSA level data to analyze the relationship between turnover-driven growth and subjective well-being. Ultimately, the authors find life satisfaction is significantly higher in regions with high job turnover rates.  Business dynamism refers to the continuous process by which firms are born, fail, expand and contract, leading to jobs that are both created and destroyed. As new markets are created and outdated models are replaced, this creative destruction plays a major role in several aspects of macroeconomic performance, including long-run growth, economic fluctuations, structural adjustment and the functioning of labor markets. University of Maryland professor John Haltiwanger notes that while the costs of this process are highly visible (e.g., unemployment and business failure, among others), the reallocation of jobs…

On Monday, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed a $7.1 billion fiscal year 2016 budget (HB 2242) that includes a 3.5 percent reduction in base higher education funding. A portion of this reduction was offset by an agreement to pick up the cost of higher education bond debt service, which brings the net percentage reduction closer to 2.44 percent, according to the The Oklahoman. K-12 education funding will remain at current levels. The budget includes $16 million in appropriated funds for the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology OCAST). Another $4.8 million in dedicated and other funds will be provided through the state's Research Support Revolving Fund to finance OCAST duties. Earlier this year, as part of her budget proposal, Gov. Fallin launched the Oklahoma Works initiative, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and operated by the Oklahoma Department of Commerce. The new effort was launched to create partnerships between educational institutions and the private sector to create a pipeline for high-quality jobs.

Hawai’i Gov. David Ige signed into law a bill (HB 623) that would increases the state’s renewable portfolio standards to 30 percent by the end of 2020; 70 percent by the end of 2040; and, 100 percent by the end of 2045. With the passage of the new renewable energy mandate, the state became the first in the country to have a statewide renewable goal of 100 percent. This marks a drastic shift from the state’s current distinction as the country’s most oil-dependent state. The state spends nearly $5 billion a year on foreign oil, according to a release from the governor’s office. Luis Salaveria, director of the Hawai’i Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, hopes that the new mandate will drive investment and make the state a more attractive destination for entrepreneurs and businesses from around the world, looking to develop, test, and prove emerging renewable technologies and strategies. The state is on track to reach its first milestone of 30 percent by the end of 2020 due previous state investments intended to support the growth of solar and wind startups. Read the press release…

Last week, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) released a combined synopsis/solicitation with the intention of awarding up to three contracts for entities to head regional innovation cluster initiatives. SBA intends to make three awards including one to an entity that will provide cluster initiative services to a community affected by changes in the coal economy. Each contract awarded will be for a base year (not to exceed $500,000) and four option years. Applications are due August 4, 2015. Read the solicitation (SBAHQ-15-R-0015)…

The Small Business Administration announced the FY15 awardees of its Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. In FY15, 20 state and local economic development agencies, business development centers, and colleges and universities will receive $100,000 each to support programs to establish and/or sustain programs that provide support to innovative, technology-driven small businesses in their state and help them compete in federally funded research and development through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Activities supported by FAST awards include: research and development assistance; technology transfer efforts; proposals development and mentoring for small businesses applying for SBIR awards; and, the commercialization of SBIR/STTR-funded technologies. Recipients of the FY15 FAST awards include: Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas (AR); Connecticut Innovations, Inc. (CT); D.C. Department of Small and Local Business Development (DC); University of Delaware (DE); Boise State University (ID); Wichita State University (KS); Louisiana State University and A&M College (LA…

Uber and the City of London are among the growing number of backers of a nearly driver-free world. Proponents of autonomous vehicles contend that they will lead to large cost savings for both consumers and transportation organizations while delivering a faster, more efficient transportation experience. However, there are still major strides to be made before the technology can be safely deployed in real world settings. Several U.S. states, cities, and the Canadian Province of Ontario have recently announced initiatives in an attempt to position themselves as leaders in the rapidly growing industries of autonomous and connected cars. MichiganSeveral new initiatives to support the Michigan’s growing autonomous and connected car industry clusters have recently been announced. The long-time home of the U.S. auto industry, Michigan hopes to remain a global hub for next-generation automotive technologies as they evolve.   MICHauto, an economic development program led by the Detroit Regional Chamber, announced the Michigan Mobility Initiative – an effort to support high-tech research and development into self-driving cars, connected vehicles, new…

Part three of a 3-part series: Part one, Part two It has long been known that academic institutions are a key driver of research and development performance in the United States. While industry still funds and performs the majority of R&D in the U.S., universities and colleges (U&C) play a pivotal role in the advancement of basic human knowledge. Using the latest data update of the National Science Foundation’s National Patterns of R&D Resources series, this article, the third and final of SSTI’s series on basic research, describes how the performers of R&D and basic research in the U.S. have changed over time. The first installment of SSTI’s series on basic research found that, in general, U.S. spending on research and development has failed to keep up as a share of total spending. The article also described the changing nature of federal research and development spending, namely that basic research as a share of federal spending on R&D has increased over time while making up a relatively small proportion of total spending compared to development and applied research. The second installment of SSTI’s…