SSTI Digest

During the Clinton Global Initiative's (CGI) America meeting, CGI announced 51 new projects that will create jobs and spur economic growth in the U.S.. On the final day of the conference, former President Clinton discussed the impact that these commitments will have when fully funded and implemented. Clinton said, "[the] 51 commitments will improve the lives of 2.7 million people in the United States." These commitments also should create or fill more than 124,000 jobs, provide more than 364,000 people with access to job training and support entrepreneurs with $265 million in investments or loans. The former president hopes that these projects "will inspire others to take action to revitalize their own communities." The CGI America conference focused exclusively on the U.S. and brought together over more than 750 leaders from businesses, nonprofits and all levels of government to generate new ideas for spurring economic growth and highlighting existing programs.

The clean economy employs over 2.6 million workers spread across a diverse group of industries, according to a new report from the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Instition in partnership with Battelle's Technology Partnership. In Sizing the Clean Economy: A National and Regional Green Jobs Assessment, the researcher developed, analyzed and commented on a detailed database of establishment-level employment statistics related to clean economy industries at the national, state and regional levels. Through the report, the research team intends to define what constitutes a clean/green job and what the clean/green economy in the U.S. is. The authors contend that the clean economy is "defined as the sector of the economy that produces goods and services with an environmental benefit."

The report's significant findings include:

The Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking applications for the director, Technology Innovation Program. This position is perfect for you if you are ready for a challenge and are committed to making significant improvements in the operations of one of the world's premier research and science organizations. NIST is located in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, MD. This is a great opportunity to have a tremendous impact on an agency's programs and enjoy the benefits of working outside the Washington beltway.

The director of the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) serves as the executive responsible for managing and leading this critical program for NIST. The TIP was established as part of the America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) to assist United States businesses and institutions of higher education or other organizations, such as national laboratories and nonprofit research institutions, to support, promote, and accelerate innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need.

Pamela Goldberg has been appointed as the executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Currently, Goldberg serves as director of entrepreneurial leadership at Tufts University.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced the appointment of Greg Canfield as the new director of the Alabama Development Office. Current ADO director Seth Hammett is returning to his position with PowerSouth Energy. Canfield is expected to begin his duties on or before Aug. 1.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced that Jim Leftwich is resigning as director of the Development Department. Leftwich, former CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, stepped in as former director Mark Kvamme moved to a different position within the administration.

President Barack Obama recently announced the creation of a national Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) to accelerate the development of manufacturing technologies at top engineering universities. The AMP initiative, which was developed based on recommendations from a report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), would leverage existing programs and proposals to invest more than $500 million in university and private R&D. The partnership is being called an "umbrella" for federal innovation programs.

Funding for the effort would support federal research and research at universities and private companies that could help invent, deploy and scale next-generation technologies. Through the programs associated with the AMP initiative, the federal government would invest in four key technology development areas, including:

The 2011-13 biennial budget for the Oregon Business Development Department recently approved by lawmakers allocates $16 million for the Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC), the same amount as last biennium, but short of the $19 million requested by Gov. John Kitzhaber to broaden research and technology transfer programs.

Funding for Oregon InC is provided through lottery revenues and is divided among six signature centers and programs dedicated to growing the state's innovation economy. Funding in 2011-13 will be distributed as follows:

$5.2 million for the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) $3.8 million for the Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center (BEST) $2.8 million for the Oregon Translational Research and Drug Development Institute (OTRADI) $2.5 million for the Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) $1.2 million for Drive Oregon $0.5 million for the Northwest Food Processors Innovation Productivity Center

 

At the close of the 2011 legislative session in Louisiana last week, lawmakers approved three measures to encourage investment in high-tech economic endeavors. This includes renewing and enhancing the R&D tax credit and the Technology Commercialization credit and reinstating an angel investor tax credit for investment in emerging startups.

Lawmakers last week passed a measure establishing the Innovate NY Fund to invest $25 million of federal funds in technology development organizations, research universities, and seed-stage investment funds. The Empire State Development Corporation will administer the fund and establish a competitive process for evaluating applicants. Investment priority is given to companies involved in commercialization of R&D or high-tech manufacturing.

Funding comes from the State Small Business Credit Initiative, which is part of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 signed into law by President Obama in September. All states are eligible to apply for the funds meant to spur lending to small businesses and manufacturers. New York was awarded $55.4 million. The legislation requires funds to be invested in New York-based, seed-stage companies with substantial potential growth and job development in emerging technology fields. The bill (A. 8452) awaits action by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and is available at: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the largest overhaul of U.S. patent law in 60 years. Under the new legislation, patent decisions would favor inventors who file for patents first, rather the the current "first-to-invent" system. The change would bring U.S. patent law more in line with the patent systems of Europe and Japan. A similar bill was passed by the Senate in March, which will be reconciled with the House bill in the near future. Read the full text of H.R. 1249...

Europe needs increased and "smarter" investments in both public and private research and development (R&D) to address the European Union's (EU) "Innovation Emergency," according to the European Commission's 2011 Innovation Union Competitiveness Report. The commission contends it is necessary to accelerate investments into R&D to achieve the EU's target of 3 percent of GDP being spent on R&D. EU members currently invest approximately 2 percent of GDP on R&D spending. The increased R&D spending will not only boost economic growth in the medium-term, it will also have a counter-cyclical effect on the current crisis according to the commission. However, due to the current debt crisis faced by several member states, public and private investments must strategically target sectors that the EU maintains a competitive advantage in including the climate change technologies. In 2007, EU researchers and companies filed approximately 40 percent of all patents related to climate change technologies. These are two of the several recommendations outlined in the report to deliver smart sustainable growth across the union.

Whether you are new to the tech-based economic development (TBED) field or a seasoned practitioner, SSTI's podcast interviews with experts in all areas of TBED serves as a useful learning tool. These short and "to the point" interviews delve into questions such as:

How do you ensure that stakeholders and leaders know about the successes of the program? How do you prepare your portfolio companies to grow and pursue additional investment? What has made your organization successful in working with regional organizations and philanthropic institutions? If an organization were trying to emulate your success, what advice would you give them?

 

Interviews with all 20 Excellence in TBED award winners are available at: http://www.ssti.org/Awards/podcasts. Or, you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, your RSS reader or any podcast client. Look for new interviews with the 2010 winners in the coming months! Learn more about the 2011 awards: http://www.ssti.org/Awards

Job CornerNorTech, a regional nonprofit technology-based economic development organization, is seeking applications for the position of vice president. The individual will be responsible for managing multiple internal and external special projects, developing and managing fundraising strategy, operations and government engagement program activities. It is critical for the candidate to be able to represent the CEO at various meetings and for execution of projects. This position requires the ability to multitask and continue to shift and prioritize projects as new opportunities emerge.

The Idaho National Laboratory is seeking applications for a senior economic development manager to leverage INL's scientific and technical capabilities, build local and state relationships, identify the science and technology needs of state and regional entities, work with commercialization managers and make funding recommendations to technology deployment management.