SSTI Digest

States across the U.S. are directing their attention to science, technology, education and technology (STEM) education, and already have passed a plethora of new initiatives in the current legislative session.  These programs are directed at various levels of education including primary education and higher education, with one program specifically designated for the state’s community colleges. A number of states have created STEM advisory councils under the governors’ offices, following the lead of Iowa and Massachusetts. Such measures suggest that STEM is no fleeting policy issue and that states are beginning to recognize the economic value of making long-term investments in students. Both Connecticut and Massachusetts included funding for STEM initiatives within their most recent budgets. The Massachusetts budget included a line item of $4.75 million for a new STEM Starter Academy that will work with one or more community colleges in the state to train students interested in STEM career fields. Connecticut allocated $1.5 billion to University of Connecticut campuses over the next 10 years to expand STEM facilities and enrollment. See SSTI’s…

A continued trend toward improved fiscal conditions gave rise to targeted and riskier investments in research for several states this legislative session. In particular, lawmakers dedicated funds for life sciences research and for initiatives aimed at commercialization through partnerships with higher education and the private sector. Other states dedicated additional funds to expand promising research and technology-focused initiatives already underway. Lawmakers Support Efforts to Promote Research CommercializationNew funding commitments in life sciences occurred in Connecticut and Indiana. Connecticut lawmakers approved Gov. Dan Malloy’s proposal to create a $200 million fund to spur bioscience R&D as part of a broader economic development agenda announced in his State of the State address. With the passage of SB 842, Connecticut Innovations (CI), a quasi-public venture development organization, over 10 years will provide capital to early stage companies with the goal of driving efforts toward commercialization of new businesses and products. CI also plans to focus funds toward translational research and riskier investments for helping university…

Industry support for additive manufacturing is exploding as startups find new ways to market the technology to businesses. States and universities are taking advantage of this growing trend to form partnerships with companies that support the lean innovation approach is driving the 3D printing renaissance. The Wall Street Journal reports that Stratasys, a major 3D printing company that focuses on additive manufacturing, acquired MakerBot in a deal worth $403 million in stock. MakerBot, which specializes in the production of consumer 3D printers, will retain its brand and operate as a subsidiary. The move positions Stratasys to push for broader adoption of 3D printing across industries. MakerBot has sold 22,000 3D printers since 2009, but because of rapid market growth, half of those sales have come in the past 9 months. This has propelled the company's stock to rise 76 percent over the past 12 months. The MIT Technology Review provides a background on the argument for a 3D printing renaissance: manufacturing was previously the domain of large companies and trained experts because of the expertise, equipment, and costs associated with production. Now, because…

Connecticut's General Assembly approved a biennial budget that includes major increases for science and technology research and education at the University of Connecticut and a boost in funding for the state's others higher education institutions. The $44 billion budget also includes continued funding for the state's economic development programs. The budget, in conjunction with the Next Generation Connecticut legislation, passed this week, significantly expands funding for science and technology education at the campuses of the University of Connecticut. Under the Next Generation Connecticut plan, the university's campuses would receive $1.5 billion over the next ten years to expand science and technology facilities and enrollment. The additional funds would be used to support the construction of new STEM facilities, building out of teaching and research labs, upgrading of information technology and additional housing and parking. With the approval of this spending, state leaders intend to greatly expand the University of Connecticut's reputation as a leader in research and STEM education in order to improve the quality of its workforce and to…

Pramod Khargonekar has been selected to serve as the National Science Foundation's assistant director for the Directorate of Engineering. Dan Blake will join the Wisconsin Technology Council as the director of its Wisconsin Angel Network in mid-March. Blake succeeds Zach Brandon, who recently became president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. Robert Sternberg, who currently serves as provost and senior vice president at Oklahoma State University, has been named president of the University of Wyoming. Susan Froshauer has accepted the position of chief executive officer and president of CURE (Connecticut United for Research Excellence), effective April 1. Dan Hasler, former secretary of Commerce for the state of Indiana and CEO of the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, will become the president of the Purdue Research Foundation and chief entrepreneurial officer.

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). Instead of focusing on one industry sector, Gov. Malloy's approach is built around the creation of a top-notch workforce to fill high-wage STEM jobs that he says will be generated through targeted investments in UConn. Like the aforementioned plans, Connecticut's initiative would be supported over 10 years with the state investing $137 million in operating costs and $1.5 billion in capital investments.…

The fifth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Connecticut, Illinois, Oklahoma, and Utah. Our first four installments were in the Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23 and Jan. 30 issues of the Digest. ConnecticutGov. Dan Malloy, Biennial Budget Address, Feb. 6, 2013“... Even as we find savings, even as we continue to support our towns and cities — we have to work to grow jobs. “To start with, I am proposing the Bioscience Innovation Act. This new program will establish a 200 million dollar fund to strengthen Connecticut's bioscience sector over the next ten years. ... “... Historically, we've ranked among the top states for patents on a per-capita basis. But now, we're in a global economy. The competition has gotten stiffer. My proposal is that we get Connecticut and UConn back in the game, in a big way. We can do it with an injection of more than 1.5 billion dollars over the next ten years into a new program: Next Generation Connecticut. “This funding will drive innovation, enhance job creation and spur economic growth. It will allow us…

In Connecticut, Governor Daniel P. Malloy has proposed a Bioscience Innovation Act, which would create a 10-year $200 million fund to invest in the state's bioscience sector. The proposed fund would be administered by Connecticut Innovations, a quasi-public venture development organization. Governor Malloy's announcement was presented at the headquarters of Jackson Lab, a research and development institute that is being developed with assistance from the state of Connecticut. The Bioscience Innovation Act officially will be released as part of Governor Malloy's legislative package on February 6th.

Amid the economic uncertainty surrounding fiscal cliff negotiations, and what it means for states, some governors are erring on the side of caution when it comes to funding recommendations for the upcoming year. At the same time, several state budget officers are projecting significant revenue shortfalls in the current fiscal year or biennium as a result of lower than expected tax collections. States could lose an estimated $7.5 billion in federal funding if the automatic spending cuts take effect for 161 grant programs, according to a recent analysis by the Associated Press. States with heavy defense spending, such as California, Texas and Virginia could also take a hit with $33.6 billion in cuts slated for military and defense contractors. In the coming months, governors from across the nation will present their State of the State addresses — a key time to unveil new and expanded TBED programs. But for some states, shoring up budgets and preparing for worst case scenarios is the top priority. Following is a synopsis of recent news announcing budget deficits throughout the states and possible short- and long-term solutions from state officials.…

New energy plans unveiled by governors in Connecticut and Mississippi promise to capitalize on current strengths, build capacity for future projects, and encourage public-private partnerships to scale up clean energy projects and create jobs by attracting more R&D investment to the states. Connecticut's draft strategy proposes economic incentives to drive down costs of new technology and maximize the use of clean energy finance banks — an approach that is heralded as a model for other states in a recent policy report. At the same time, a new roadmap for energy opportunities in Mississippi focuses on using available resources to attract businesses while expanding research and training more high-tech workers. ConnecticutA draft comprehensive energy strategy unveiled by Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy emphasizes a flexible finance model to leverage private capital and encourage entrepreneurship to deploy renewable energy on a large scale but with less government funding. Connecticut's model, called the Clean Energy Finance Investment Authority, was established last year as the nation's first state-based clean energy finance bank. Also called the…

The Department of Commerce announced the winners of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Challenge, the Economic Development Administration-led competition seeking to help cities and regions develop a comprehensive economic development strategy. Greensboro, North Carolina, Hartford, Connecticut, and Las Vegas, Nevada each were awarded $1 million to assist in the refinement and implementation of their respective plans. This year's competition follows on the success of a 2011 pilot program, which made awards to six cities, and a Presidential Executive Order signed in March establishing the White House Council on Strong Cites, Strong Communities. Through a competitive process, applicant cities submitted proposals to receive the $1 million, which they will use to support a two-step program. The cities will first announce a call for a submission of multi-disciplinary economic development plans, including business, transportation, engineering, and community development. Selecting finalists from this initial submission group, the cities will then utilize a panel of administrations, academics, and a variety of public and private parties to select the team with the…

Unlike last year when a wave of new governors pushed sweeping proposals to re-organize economic development activities and grow the economy, the 2012 legislative sessions brought mostly modest changes for tech-based initiatives. While many programs were level funded or received smaller increases than in previous years, a handful of states increased funds or introduced new initiatives to support economic development efforts. Colorado lawmakers provided additional funds to attract new companies, Connecticut lawmakers expanded programs from last year's Jobs Bill, and in Virginia lawmakers accepted the governor's amendments to add funds for research and commercialization initiatives. ColoradoAfter several weeks of negotiations, lawmakers ultimately approved a $4 million funding boost for economic development incentives requested by Gov. John Hickenlooper last year to help the state attract high-wage jobs. The governor asked for $6 million for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), which is typically funded at $1 million per year (see the Nov. 16, 2011 issue of the Digest). The budget signed by the governor included a total…