SSTI Digest

SSTI's ninth annual Tech Talkin' Govs series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses. The first installment of the series includes excerpts from New York and North Dakota. New York Gov. David Paterson, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 7, 2009 "We should also understand that our current Empire Zone program does not work and we need to reform it. ....  That's why we set an aggressive target to have Empire Zone participants produce 20 dollars of benefits for every dollar of state money. With the savings generated by reforming Empire Zones, we will make strategic investments in the job-creating industries of tomorrow, such as biotechnology and manufacturing, and we will offer R&D tax credits to foster innovation. . ". To maximize the extraordinary academic and scientific resources available in the Western, Central, and Capital Regions, we will create an upstate research consortium on hybrid electric batteries and energy storage technologies. This will help reshape the upstate economy and create a clean corridor that includes cities in the Erie Canal corridor built…

As governor of one of only a handful of states to project a surplus for the upcoming fiscal year, Gov. John Hoeven outlined additional funding for several initiatives supporting North Dakota's TBED strategy in the FY 2009-11 biennium. Investments centered on diversifying the state's economy through agricultural and energy research, 21st century workforce training, and higher education support in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are prominent in the governor's budget recommendations. Anticipating growth in agricultural-based renewable energy development, Gov. Hoeven's budget provides $25 million to augment existing programs and support new initiatives in agricultural R&D. This includes $11.5 million for the second phase of the Agricultural Research Greenhouse on the North Dakota State University campus ($4.5 million above the FY 2007-09 appropriation) and $2.9 million for additions and renovations to the state's Agricultural Experiment Stations. The governor's budget for the Industrial Commission combines the biomass research incentive fund with the renewable energy development fund and authorizes $5 million from the…

While the Presidential election takes center stage on November 4, voters in several states also will cast their votes on statewide ballot issues affecting the TBED community. In addition to the 11 gubernatorial races and more than 5,800 state legislative seats up for grabs, voters across the nation will consider measures to provide funding for public education, expand investment in alternative and renewable energy, lift restrictions on stem-cell research, and eliminate income tax and state spending caps. Following is a summary of selected ballot issues from across the nation. Funding Public Education Florida Florida voters will be asked to amend the state constitution to require that the legislature authorize counties to levy a local option sales tax to supplement funding for public community colleges. Ballot question 8 requires voter approval to levy the tax. Maryland A proposal in Maryland asks voters to approve an amendment to the state constitution authorizing video lottery terminal gaming to provide funds for public education. Question 2 legalizes up to 15,000 machines at sites in four counties and the city of Baltimore. HB 4 requires…

Last week, three contracts between North Dakota State University (NDSU) and research partners at two Department of Energy federal laboratories were announced, building research opportunities within the Red River Valley Research Corridor. They included the following: A $50,000 contract from Sandia National Laboratories to develop water purification membranes through polymer research; A $25,000 contract also from Sandia for solar cell research which will utilize technologies patented at NDSU; and, A $30,000 contract with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory with NDSU researchers to design and build a radio frequency sensor laboratory.  A press release outlining the contracts was released by Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Chairman of the Senates Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, can be found at: http://dorgan.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=302158

A number of crucial TBED initiatives introduced earlier this year by North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven were recently enacted by the state legislature, including a $42 million renewable energy plan, $20 million in new funding for university-based Centers of Excellence, a 25 percent R&D tax credit, and additional investments in research and workforce development.   A comprehensive renewable energy plan aimed at supporting both state and national energy goals was created to help maximize use of the state’s renewable energy resources. The package also includes funding for programs that support the 25 x 25 Initiative, a nationwide goal that calls for 25 percent of the nation’s energy to come from renewable resources by the year 2025.   Funding for renewable energy investment programs and alternative energy development is central to the plan. This includes a new Biomass Energy Center to conduct research on biomass production and conversion; $5 million for the Biofuels PACE Fund, an interest buy-down program; and, $7.3 million for the governor’s Ethanol Production Incentive Fund, offering counter-cyclical support for ethanol…

Bill Goetz, chief of staff in the North Dakota Office of the Governor, has been selected to be chancellor of the North Dakota University System, beginning July 1, 2007.

With the recent passage of the state's biennial budget, North Dakota's universities and colleges can now compete for a share of $20 million in matching funds to create Centers of Excellence. The money is the first installment of the state legislature's $50 million commitment to the Centers program, which is the centerpiece of Gov. John Hoeven's initiatives to transform the state's economy toward science and technology. The initiative, unveiled during Gov. Hoeven's 2004 State-of-the-State Address, is designed to pursue academic excellence and spur R&D, new technology, and job creation. Centers will be located on university campuses throughout the state and will focus on technology, aerospace, value-added agriculture, energy, advanced manufacturing, and tourism. Centers must match each state dollar invested with private or non-state public funds. For the 2006-07 biennium, the legislature set aside $16 million of the permanent oil tax trust fund to establish the university-based centers. Senate Bill 2018 also grants authority to borrow up to $5 million…

Most of the nation's governors use the winter months to publicly lay out their agendas, visions and budget requests for the coming year. The text of State of the State Addresses, Budget Messages and, to a lesser extent, Inaugural Addresses, often reveals each governor's legislative priorities and new initiatives to be pursued over the coming months. As a service to the tech-based economic development (TBED) community, SSTI provides excerpts from the various gubernatorial speeches and addresses that provide glimpses into how tech-based economic development issues are positioned in each governor's 2005 agenda. We kick off the sixth annual series of "Tech Talkin' Govs" with TBED highlights from addresses given by the governors of New York and North Dakota. New York Gov. George Pataki,State of the State Address, Jan. 5, 2005 "Just as we created Operation IMPACT to target high-crime counties, let's create an economic version to leverage job growth and investment in communities that need it the most. To that end, I will propose Operation SPUR - the Strategic Partnership for…

In an effort to increase the economic impact of the state's university-based research, Gov. John Hoeven has included $50 million in his 2005-07 budget request to create Centers of Excellence on each of the North Dakota 's college campuses. First proposed by the governor during his state of the state address nearly one year ago, (see the SSTI Weekly Digest for Jan. 16, 2004), the centers are envisioned as hubs for education, research, training and job creation. Individual center activities would be focused in targeted sectors, such as technology, aerospace, value-added agriculture, energy, advanced manufacturing and tourism. To provide at once such a substantial sum for a state with a population of about 634,000, Gov. Hoeven recommends the initial $50 million be borrowed from the Bank of North Dakota and repaid through the biennial appropriations to the state's Department of Commerce. The 2005-07 request includes $5 million toward that obligation. Gov. Hoeven anticipates the state's contribution would be matched on a two-to-one basis by federal and private sector resources. Also…

Securing the multi-year funding needed to properly ramp up technology-based economic development (TBED) initiatives can be difficult in states with annual budget cycles and tight revenue streams. Fortunately, there is one federal agency that provides financial assistance increasingly toward local and regional projects matching the interests of the nation's TBED community. Unfortunately, annual appropriations for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) have dropped by nearly 20 percent over the past four years, making competition for the federal matching grants that much more fierce as the nation's economy heightened the need to encourage innovation-based growth. Two separate EDA grants awarded last week in North Dakota, totalling $1.2 million, provide examples of how states and local communities can direct the funding toward TBED programs. The agency awarded the Center for Innovation and the University of North Dakota $750,000 toward completion of a second technology incubator, the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center. The new 20,000-square-foot facility will cost $3.8…

Jim Petell is the first director of technology transfer and commercialization for the University of North Dakota.

North Dakota Governor John Hoeven dedicated the lion's share of his State of the State Address to promoting a vision of economic growth for the state based entirely on technology-based economic development. The proposals centered on more than a dozen new university-based Centers of Excellence and new tax credits. "I challenge all of us today to share a vision; a vision of what North Dakota can be. And I challenge all of us to work together to make that vision a reality. The future I speak of has Centers of Excellence multiplying across all of our state's college campuses, creating new enterprises, opportunity, and good paying jobs. It is a vision where a technology corridor drives growth in the east, where an energy corridor drives growth in the west and where value-added agriculture, advanced manufacturing and tourism enterprises flourish throughout our state." To back that up, Gov. Hoeven's budget request includes $50 million to support the creation of new Centers of Excellence on each of the state college campuses to accelerate the growth of targeted industries in all…