SSTI Digest

The sixth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in New Hampshire and North Carolina. Our first five installments were in the Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23, Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 issues of the Digest.

New HampshireGov. Maggie Hassan, Budget Address, Feb. 14, 2013"The drastic cuts made to higher education in the last budget have hurt our ability to train a highly skilled workforce and to give our people the bright future they deserve. ...

Following up on President Obama's advocacy of American manufacturing in the State of the Union address, the White House has released a document detailing the administration's manufacturing strategy. The strategy includes the formation of a new national network of Manufacturing Technology Acceleration Centers (MTACs), which will focus on moving technology into the products and processes of small- and medium-sized manufacturers. The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership program would oversee the initiative. Read the White House release...

Over the last month, Gov. Scott Walker has slowly rolled out a series of ambitious proposals ranging from $25 million for venture capital investment to $100 million for worker training and nearly $500 million in new state funds for public education. Together, these and other broad-ranging initiatives make up the $68 billion 2013-15 biennial budget unveiled in its entirety yesterday.

Seeding startups and encouraging an entrepreneurial climate is a major focus of the governor's economic development budget, which in addition to the venture capital initiative provides nearly $6 million for two interrelated programs where entrepreneurs can participate in an accelerator program and apply for early stage capital. Managed by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), the seed accelerator program provides matching funds to communities and partners to establish accelerators that offer services such as mentoring, business planning and networking. Under the capital catalyst program, entrepreneurs can apply for financing to start or grow their venture.

Gov. Jay Inslee's vision for creating a more prosperous state economy through investments in key industry sectors came full circle with the announcement of his Working Washington Agenda, which prioritizes a similar set of proposals touted last year during his run for governor. The plan includes legislation, government reforms and new state investments totaling nearly $120 million focused around five areas. Tax breaks for startups in high-demand fields, instituting a tradable R&D tax credit, creating 500 enrollment slots in aerospace training programs, and tapping state capital funds to develop clean energy solutions are among the proposals. Gov. Inslee has issued policy briefs in support of each focus area, which are available at: http://www.governor.wa.gov/issues/economy/jobs/default.aspx.

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.