SSTI Digest

You've registered for the conference; booked your travel and hotel; made sure your iPod is charged... but have you told your friends and colleagues you'll be attending SSTI's biggest event of the year? Don't forget to RSVP and look for updates on our social media sites. Twitter: @ssti_org or #ssti2011Facebook: ssti.orgLinkedIn: SSTI Annual Conference

This year SSTI is linking with the Ohio Early Stage Summit to offer the unique opportunity for attendees to maximize their time by attending two conferences, three receptions and endless networking opportunities in just three short days and all in the same location. The Ohio Early Stage Summit provides an inside look at the growing ecosystem of technology companies and venture capital resources in the state. The Summit will include presentations by emerging high-potential Ohio companies seeking venture capital, an overview of Ohio venture capital and will showcase various elements of Ohio's growing entrepreneurial network. The Summit offers many opportunities to network with entrepreneurs, investors and economic development practitioners while highlighting the many reasons Ohio is a perfect place to launch and grow a technology or healthcare-based business. The summit is sponsored by the Ohio Capital Fund and the Ohio Third Frontier Program, two critical components that are catalysts for early stage company formation and early stage as well as growth stage capital in the state. For more information or to register for the free event visit: https://www.…

Renée Winsky, chief executive officer of the Technology Council of Maryland (TCM), has been elected to the board of trustees of SSTI. Prior to joining TCM in 2009, Winsky served as the president and executive director of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation. An SSTI member since 1999, Winsky has been a speaker at SSTI conferences and accepted the 2008 Excellence in TBED award for Commercializing Research Category on behalf of the Maryland Technology Transfer Fund. She previously held positions at the Information Technology Association of America, the National League of Cities and its affiliate, and the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors. A list of current SSTI board members can be found here.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the 20 winners of the $37 million Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. The multi-agency competition will support cluster-based, regional initiatives to spur job creation and economic growth. Descriptions of all 20 winning projects are available on the EDA site. Read the announcement...

President Obama last week announced several initiatives aimed at spurring technology commercialization following the signing of the America Invents Act, including two new programs to assist biomedical entrepreneurs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The administration also will develop a national plan focused on reforms to speed commercialization and open new markets. A blueprint outlining those efforts is due in January. Following is an overview of new and existing programs focused on accelerating commercialization: NIH will offer new license agreements for startup companies to reduce the cost and paperwork associated with obtaining patents related to drugs, vaccines or therapeutics in the NIH/FDA portfolio. Under the short-term Startup Evaluation License Agreement, which can be obtained for $2,000, small companies can apply for any of the available NIH patents and patent applications by submitting a business plan detailing how they propose to use them. Companies that are less than five years old, have fewer than 50 employees and receive investment of less than $5 million are eligible to apply beginning Oct. 1. NIH also will establish a new National Center for…

The Association of American Universities (AAU) will undertake a five-year initiative to assess and improve the quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning focused on the first two years of college. Specifically, the group will create a demonstration program at a subset of AAU universities to implement its framework and develop tools to survey and assess the quality of teaching, the extent to which effective teaching methods are being used, and the effects of improved teaching on retention of STEM majors and completion of STEM degrees. The group plans to work with federal agencies, individual universities and the business community. Read the announcement...

SSTI is thrilled to announce that Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee will be the Keynote Speaker. Dr. Gee has held more university presidencies than any other American. He is the co-author of eight books and the author of numerous papers and articles on law and education. He is both an insightful and entertaining speaker that you won't want to miss. Be sure to register for the conference today!

The Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC) announced Innovation in Milwaukee (MiKE) — a new $500,000 initiative designed to align southeastern Wisconsin's global and advanced manufacturers with the region's design, technology and innovation companies. MiKE will be built around three core elements: Developing hi-tech talent for design and technology startups aligned with service and product delivery for companies in the cluster and for entrepreneurship within the cluster; Creating OPEN MiKE — a physical and virtual space that promotes open source entrepreneurship and technology prototyping; and, Establishing the MiKE Council— a leadership group tasked with guiding the growth of Milwaukee's design, technology and innovation cluster. GMC hopes that the development of a design, technology and innovation cluster will turn Milwaukee's strong manufacturing base (ranked second among the top 50 U.S. metros, according to the press release) into an advanced manufacturing hub fueled by rapid innovation and talent growth and attraction. The MiKE initiative is supported by a grant from ArtPlace — a new initiative of 11 of America's top…

Startup America, the nationwide, White House-endorsed entrepreneurship initiative, officially began operations last week. Young companies may now register to receive support services from more than 25 private partners. Offerings include free and discounted software packages, professional network memberships and market data. Visit the site...

The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) released International Benchmarking of Countries' Policies and Programs Supporting SME Manufacturers — a new report that identifies and analyzes manufacturing support programs and practices for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have been implemented in ten foreign countries (i.e., Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Korea, Spain and the United Kingdom), in addition to those of the United States. The authors, Stephen Ezell and Robert D. Atkinson Ph.D., provide a cross-national comparison of countries' SME manufacturing support programs and pratices across five categories: Formal SME manufacturing support agencies or programs; The range of services provided by SME manufacturing support agencies and programs; Funding levels and business models for these agencies or programs; Best practices observed across countries' SME manufacturing support programs; and, Measures of impact and return on investment from these programs; The authors concluded that the leading manufacturing countries feature an "integrated, multifaceted approach toward supporting…

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released the 10th edition of its annual Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard. Each year, OECD examines major trends in the global innovation economy and uses 180 indicators to evaluate the high-tech economies of OECD countries, as well as select non-OECD countries. The overarching theme of this year's release is the increased importance of the non-OECD countries, including Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, Indonesia, the People's Republic of China and South Africa, together dubbed the BRIICS countries. In the wake of the most recent global economic crisis, BRIICS countries have become more important, not just in manufacturing, but in high-tech manufacturing. While the U.S.' vaunted higher educational system continues to boast 40 of the world's top 50 research universities, the report provides a more diverse picture emerges once the rankings are broken out by research area. In the OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2011, the 180 indicators are grouped into five categories based on the role they play in national tech-based development. The categories include: Building Knowledge…

Maria Haley, the executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission passed way Sept. 13 after suffering a brain aneurysm. The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration announced Matthew Erskine will join the agency as the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and chief operations officer. Tom Palisin has been named the acting deputy director of the Technology Investment Office at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The University of Utah selected Bryan Ritchie to be the next director of its Technology Commercialization Office. Paul Washington has been named Denver's director of economic development. John Ryan has been named the director of the Vermont Agriculture Development Program. The new program will provide comprehensive technical support to help the state's value-added food enterprises manage their growth. Two administrators in Workforce Development & Continuing Education at Pennsylvania College of Technology have been appointed to assistant vice president positions. Larry Michael was named assistant vice president…