SSTI Digest

The Patent and Trademark Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce published final rules of practice for implementing the first-inventor-to-file provision of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) that will take effect on March 16. The AIA is a major step towards harmonizing the patent systems of the U.S. and its major trading partners. The legislation will aid the U.S. government in the prosecution and enforcement of American patents in use across the global economy, as well as reduce the costs of filing for inventors and companies by simplifying the application of patents across multiple jurisdictions.

Commissioned by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, a study found North Carolina's biotech industry employees almost 58,000 residents at an average annual wage of $78,000. From 2001 to 2010, employment in the state's biotech industry grew by 23.5 percent (approximately 12,000 new jobs) — 3.5 times faster than the national biotech workforce. In comparison, North Carolina's private-sector workforce declined by 2.8 percent in the same period. The report also compares the North Carolina biotechnology industry in comparison to several other leading biotech states including Texas, Florida, California and Maryland. Read the report...

The University of Maryland announced the Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an initiative to infuse a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across its campus through a series of classes, workshops and outside-the-classroom experiences. By providing the necessary encouragement and resources, the university administration hopes to empower students and faculty to translate their passions and creative ideas into real-world solutions to economic, societal, technological and cultural problems. Launching in fall 2013, the academy will be led by Dr. Dean Chang, associate vice president for innovation and entrepreneurship for the University of Maryland. Read the release...

Revolutionizing STEM facilities, hiring new faculty, increasing undergraduate enrollment and even planning new dorms to house the anticipated influx of new students are part of Gov. Dan Malloy's proposed $1.5 billion expansion and investment in the University of Connecticut (UConn).

The plan is somewhat reminiscent of similar ambitious proposals from East Coast governors in Massachusetts and Maryland seeking to transform their states into specialized, high-tech hubs, such as Gov. Deval Patrick's 10-year, $1 billion life sciences investment package and Gov. Martin O'Malley's $1.1 billion bioscience initiative — both of which have sustained public and private support over the past five years (see the June 18, 2008 issue of the Digest).

In partnership with local manufacturing firms, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced that it is accepting applications for the Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT²) program — a pilot program for high school seniors that will combine paid work experience with an associate's degree in the field of mechatronics. While gaining paid work experience in the field, students accepted into the three-year MAT² program will have the opportunity to earn an associate's degree at one of two local community colleges paid for by their employer. MAT² participants must agree to remain at the job for at least two years after successful completion of the program. Read the release...

A new ITIF report authored by Richard Bennett, Robert Atkinson, and Luke Stewart argues that the current negative perception of America's broadband network is inaccurate and that our national position is strong relative to other developed countries. In, “The Whole Picture: Where America's Broadband Networks Really Stand,” the authors argue that negative critics of U.S. broadband strength use skewed data that pulls exclusively from high-density European and Asian cities to portray inaccurate inequalities in broadband distribution.

Following up on an announcement made in September, the Citizen and Immigration Ministry of Canada will launch a new visa program on April 1 to recruit innovators and entrepreneurs to the country. The Start-Up Visa Program will connect immigrant entrepreneurs with organizations who will be able to provide services and expertise to these entrepreneurs to help create startup businesses. Initially, venture capital groups, angel organizations, and incubators will be tapped to provide these services.

Capture national attention. Tell us your story, win an award, attend SSTI's Annual Conference for free, and share on a national platform all of your enviable accomplishments. Those are the simple steps that make up SSTI's 2013 Excellence in TBED awards program. Now in its seventh year, the awards are dedicated to recognizing and showcasing innovative approaches and impressive outcomes from tech-based groups working to improve their state or region's competitiveness. We'll begin accepting applications on April 16 with applications due June 11. Learn more at: http://www.sstiawards.org/.

Listen to podcast episodes from 26 SSTI award winners for helpful advice on issues relevant to your work and look for new interviews from the 2012 winners in the coming months.

The Office of Budget and Management published a set of proposed reforms to streamline the federal grant process by consolidating the multiple federal regulations with duplicative requirements into a single, comprehensive uniform policy guide. The office hopes to augment efficiency and effectiveness, strengthen oversight and reduce fraud and waste, which is a growing concern. The proposal includes specific recommendations to reform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements and is open for comment through May 2, 2013. Read more...

Karen Mills, head of the Small Business Administration since 2009, has announced her departure. She will stay on until her successor is confirmed.

New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan has nominated Jeffrey Rose to be the state's commissioner of Resources and Economic Development.

Carnegie Mellon University has named Subra Suresh as its ninth president, to succeed President Jared Cohon. Suresh currently is director of the National Science Foundation.

Maryann Feldman has been awarded the 2013 Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research.

Cheryl Watkins-Moore has joined the BioGenerator as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence.

After dipping just under 50 percent in 2011, California reclaimed its spot as the site of a majority of U.S. venture capital investment last year, according to the National Venture Capital Association/PricewaterhouseCoopers Moneytree Survey. About 53 percent of all U.S. venture capital dollars were invested in California companies in 2012, the largest share captured by the state since the annual survey began in 1995. The total share of all venture dollars invested in the top five states also reached an all-time high last year, with California, Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Washington capturing 78.5 percent of all U.S. investment.

The fourth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee and Texas. Our first three installments were in the Jan. 9, Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 issues of the Digest.

Maryland
Gov. Martin O'Malley, State of the State Address, Jan. 30, 2013
“Creating jobs through innovation is not just the responsibility of the private sector. There are things we can do together ”“ through the common platform of our government ”“ to accelerate innovation and improve the business climate ... expanding our successful job creation tax credits for biotech, and research and development. And, by creating a new cyber security tax credit. ...