SSTI Digest

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is soliciting proposals from institutions of higher education to join a network of Innovation Corps (I-Corps) regional nodes that will work cooperatively to establish, utilize and sustain a national innovation ecosystem that further enhances the development of technologies, products and processes that benefit society. NSF intends to commit approximately $2 million to establish four regional nodes that will be diverse in research areas, resources, tools, programs, capabilities, and in geographic locations. Applications must be submitted by October 19, 2012. Read the announcement...

In a fast-paced global economy, the workforce has to be nimble and easily adaptable to changing needs. The new workforce is being shaped by improvements in technology, cuts to higher education, and a new generation of workers who think differently about the labor market. Two emerging trends reshaping the high-tech workforce are the rise of highly-skilled independent contractors or "supertemps," and industry-sponsored boot-camp style training to quickly fill the specialized needs of employers. Temps on the Rise in High-Tech FieldsA recent article in Harvard Business Review pointed to a growing number of supertemps and the increasing acceptance by corporations to embrace independent contractors for mission critical work that would have been done only by permanent employees in the past. Unlike the low-paying contract assignments people generally associate with temporary work, supertemps are high-paid executives that flee from large corporations and law or consulting firms for the autonomy and flexibility of project-based work. The shift, the authors say, is due in part to a growing number of professionals deciding this is the way they want to work and…

A plan introduced last week by the president places the future of the nation's standing in math and science in the hands of highly-specialized teachers who would serve as national ambassadors and mentor fellow educators across the country. In exchange, STEM Master Teachers would receive an extra $20,000 per year on top of their annual salary. Funding for the initiative is part of the FY13 budget plan, which requires congressional approval. School districts can compete for $100 million available now, however, through an existing fund aimed at achieving similar goals of identifying and developing quality STEM teachers. To launch the new STEM Master Teacher Corps, 50 of the best and brightest math and science teachers would be chosen through a rigorous selection process administered locally or regionally based on a set of national benchmarks. These 50 corps members would mentor additional educators over the next four years to reach 10,000 Master Teachers who are expected to improve math and science scores and develop a highly-skilled workforce through enhanced teaching and learning. The corps members also will take on leadership roles in their communities and assist…

Borealis Ventures and the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority recently announced the creation of the Borealis Venture Fund, an early stage venture capital fund that will support the states's high-tech startups. Borealis Ventures will manage the fund, which is being backed by $4.5 million through the federal State Small Business Credit Initiative. The firm plans to raise an additional $25.5 million from private investors. Under the partnership, the state will share in any profits from Granite Fund investments, and will absorb the first 15 percent of any losses, according to a StateImpact-NPR article. Read the article...

Businesses that received Kentucky incentives reported creating 55,173 jobs between 2001 and 2010, according to a report from the Anderson Economic Group (AEG). In addition, each year approximately 33,000 jobs were maintained due to the incentives. In 2010, the gross cost to the commonwealth was $140 million and averaged $3,330 per job per year between 2001 and 2010. The report's authors also compared Kentucky to 15 peer states (e.g., Indiana, Missouri, South Carolina) and provided ways to encourage growth in knowledge-based industries. Read the report...

An InfoBrief from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) provides a preview of the results of NSF's latest survey of R&D activities performed and funded by state government agencies in FY09. Though the InfoBrief is not a comprehensive guide to state R&D spending, the summary sheds some light on state research priorities. A total of $1.2 billion in spending was reported by state agencies, which also were asked about the type of R&D performed with those funds. Unlike past NSF reports on state R&D expenditures, this year's InfoBrief also includes a more detailed breakdown of spending by agency in California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. NSF's survey results include spending data from 422 agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The FY07 survey, the last survey conducted on state agency spending, included Puerto Rico, but their data was not available for FY09. All spending included in this survey passed through state agency budgets and do not include direct appropriations from state legislatures to universities, colleges and private organizations. Laboratories and experiment stations controlled by state…

Caren Franzini, the CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, stepped down after leading the agency for 21 years. Michele Brown, Gov. Chris Christie's appointments counsel, will take over as CEO. Karen Merrick has joined the Iowa Innovation Corporation as CEO. Merrick previously had been with the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Thomas Dann, the founder and managing director at CastleHaven Advisors, a Washington, D.C., private-equity firm, was named managing director of the Maryland Venture Fund. Baiju Shah, the president and CEO of BioEnteprise, is leaving to become the CEO of BioMotiv, a drug development company that spun out of University Hospitals. Mark Wdowik has joined the Office of the Vice President for Research at Colorado State University as an assistant vice president for Research and Industry Partnerships. Wdowik has been at CSU Ventures since 2006. Jack Brittain stepped down July 1 as vice president of technology venture development at the University of Utah. Vice president for research Tom Parks will oversee tech ventures on an interim basis. Arati Prabhakar will join the Obama administration on…

Two bold proposals seeking to make big changes to community colleges in Massachusetts and New Jersey research universities recently were approved by lawmakers. In Massachusetts, more funding for the state's 15 community colleges is tied to increased oversight, performance measures and integration of workforce development initiatives. Meanwhile, New Jersey lawmakers passed a bill merging a medical and dentistry school with Rutgers University in hopes of strengthening partnerships for research projects and drawing more federal funding. In both states, the governors say the reforms are crucial for economic and job growth. MassachusettsThe skills mismatch in the labor market is a hot topic for state and education leaders. Businesses say they have jobs to fill but not enough qualified people to fill them. Many state leaders are responding to the call from industry by working with colleges to better match employer needs. Gov. Patrick's plan to provide more skilled workers for regionally specific jobs by increasing oversight and integration of workforce development initiatives was included in the FY13 budget signed into law this week (see the Feb. 22, 2012 issue…

The Small Business Administration released a funding announcement for the Regional Innovation Cluster (RICs) Program. The SBA will announce up to seven RIC awards intended to support public-private partnerships that bring together businesses, academic institutions, economic development organizations and other local actors to lay the foundations of sustainable growth and economic competitiveness. Three of the awards will be set aside to support small businesses that provide cluster-related services. Proposals must be submitted by August 6, 2012. Read the announcement...

There is still one week left to submit a proposal for SSTI's 2012 Excellence in TBED awards. Over the last five years, SSTI has recognized 26 initiatives for helping to strengthen U.S. competitiveness. This could be your year to join the ranks of TBED pioneers and innovators improving the landscape of our nation's economy. To apply, send us a five-page narrative describing your most successful efforts to build, transform or accelerate state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation. Winners will be announced in a special ceremony on Oct. 29 during SSTI's 16th Annual Conference in Atlanta! More information is available at: http://www.sstiawards.org/.

Two of the Small Business Administration's (SBA) proposed changes to the federal SBIR/STTR programs have caught the attention of small business advocates and groups warning of loopholes in the language that they say could negatively impact U.S. companies and affect eligibility. The proposed rule amends the size eligibility requirements by addressing ownership, control and affiliation issues raised in the reauthorization act passed by Congress last year (see the Dec. 21, 2011 issue of the Digest). Specifically, advocates of SBIR/STTR are concerned that foreign-owned companies would be provided a mechanism to compete for awards under SBA's proposed size standard rule and that venture capitalists, hedge funds and private equity firms would be given more opportunity to participate in the program than what was intended in the reauthorization act. Another proposed change calls for determining an applicant's size and eligibility both at the time of application and the time of award. To learn more about the proposed changes, please visit: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-15/pdf/2012-11586.pdf. Interested parties are encouraged to make their voices heard…

In 2011, European startups and other projects raised approximately €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) through crowdfunding, according to a report from Nesta, an innovation focused foundation located in the United Kingdom. In The Venture Crowd, Nesta researchers found that a significant portion of those funds raised were by reward-based crowdfunding, where participants receive non-financial rewards in exchange for donating to a project. However, other crowdfunding models are growing rapidly including donation crowdfunding, crowdfunded lending and equity crowdfunding. The report focuses on the recently adopted equity crowdfunding model, for which individual investors receive small stakes in a privately owned startup in return for investment and its rapid growth across Europe (approximately €9.9 million in equity was raised in 2011). Five online portals are the major facilitators of these investments via equity crowdfunding by connecting entrepreneurs with potential investors and seek funding from the crowd. Another three web portals are intended to launch by the end of this year. The report contends that has the potential to be a complementary source of risk…