SSTI Digest

In the "TBED People and Organizations" column of the Dec. 10 Digest, Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry was incorrectly identified as the new chairman for the Southern Growth Policies Board.  Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour serves as chairman for the organization and will host the 2009 annual meeting June 7-9 in Biloxi, MS. More information is available at: http://southern.org/conference/conf.shtml. SSTI apologizes for the error.

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…

This week, the Department of Homeland Security released its environmental impact statement comparing several locations nationwide regarding the future site of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).  After considering factors such as environmental, economic, technical, security and safety concerns, the preferred site is situated on the campus of Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. The report estimates around 1,500 temporary jobs producing between $138 and $184 million in labor income will be generated during construction. A further 250 to 350 jobs of researchers, technical support, and operation specialists will be employed when the NBAF is functioning. The NBAF will house research, diagnostic testing and training programs associated with diseases that affect livestock, especially viruses and bacteria that can harm agriculture and public health in the U.S. The facility will have the capacity to handle the deadliest and most infectious microscopic entities, as categorized at the highest biosafety levels. The selection process to identify the Kansas site has taken…

Despite projected deficits in several Western and Great Plains states, governors in Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming recently unveiled budget proposals for the upcoming fiscal year, providing level or increased funds for research priorities and workforce training central to each state's economic vitality. The following is an overview of the budget recommendations outlined by the respective governors. Montana Last month, Gov. Brian Schweitzer unveiled a two-year budget that provides several one-time appropriations for workforce training to ensure the state remains competitive in the global economy and sets aside $250 million in reserves. The fiscal year 2010-11 budget proposal includes $73.2 million over the biennium for the Department of Commerce. Included in the governor's request is $100,000 each fiscal year to seed the Montana Fund of Funds, which was created in 2005 under the Montana Equity Capital Act but never funded (see the Dec. 19, 2007 issue of the Digest). New proposals within the Department of Commerce include $8 million over the biennium to provide workforce training grants under the New Worker Training program and $1.6 million over…

Last week, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh announced that the country would form a quasi-independent panel modeled on the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to promote research in science and engineering. The new National Science and Engineering Research Board (NSERB) would make decisions regarding research funding and the creation of research centers around India. The new board will oversee the distribution of funds associated with an unprecedented boost in Indian funding for scientific research. Prime Minister Singh announced that the country would double its investment in research from one percent to two percent of India's gross domestic product (GDP). In his announcement, the Prime Minister emphasized that the new panel would be autonomous and would seek a balance between the immediate needs of industry and the pursuit of basic scientific discovery. Industry is becoming a more important source of research funding in India, but the NSERB would have the flexibility to focus on less market-oriented and short-term ends. Researchers also hope that the NSERB will be able to reduce some of the bureaucracy associated…

Two weeks ago, SSTI reviewed the TBED strategies states are advised to pursue as presented in the 2008 State New Economy Index released by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the Kauffman Foundation (see the Nov. 19, 2008 issue of the Digest). The report compares numerous indicators that concentrate on the economic structure of states and the characteristics of new waves in the economy, opposed to measuring only state economic performance or state policies. As in previous editions of the Index, the measures are divided into five categories: knowledge jobs, globalization, economic dynamism, the digital economy, and innovation capacity. An example of an innovative metric is the Index's measure of IT jobs, defined not by counting employees working at information technology companies, but as the "employment in IT occupations in non-IT industries as a share of total jobs."  That is, gauging how IT is permeating various fields within the state economies, which in turn improve productivity and push along the development of new products and services. As compared to the 2007 version of the Index, this year's report drops the "…

The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new data series tracking employment changes at the establishment level. This data allows users to track the expansion and contraction of employment within existing businesses and creation and destruction of jobs through the birth and death of firms. In addition, the Census Bureau has broken down the data by firm size, age, sector and state. Using the data available through these new Business Dynamics Statistics, SSTI has assembled a table presenting the job churning rate of very small businesses by state for 2005. For the purposes of this table, very small businesses include establishments with fewer than ten employees. Across the country, businesses of this size account for about 60 percent of all firms and just over 10 percent of all employment. These firms are younger than other businesses on average and tend to be more volatile in their employment numbers. Examining this data by state gives a clearer picture of the relative influence of these firms in different state economies and their relative growth within a particular year. Florida, Wyoming and Vermont stand out as states with an unusually high percentage…

Gov. Jim Douglas plans to merge the Vermont Departments of Economic Development and Housing and Community Affairs. Douglas's deputy chief of staff Betsy Bishop was appointed commissioner of the Department of Economic Development. She replaces Mike Quinn, who stepped down after serving six years in the position. Linda Brander resigns as program manager of the Montana Technology Innovation Partnership Program to begin a new job as the Restoration Coordinator at the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. John Collar has been named Executive Director of the Colorado BioScience Association. The Tech Council of Maryland has announced that chief executive office Julie Conns is resigning her post. Matt Dugener resigned from the LEAP (Lansing Economic Area Partnership). Denyse Ferguson, Executive Vice President, has agreed to serve as the interim president. Governor Brad Henry of Oklahoma has been elected chairman of the Southern Growth Policies Board. Saul Kaplan resigned as the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. Kelsey Kohler has left her position as executive director of the…

The Complete description of this opportunity and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania is seeking a manager of program analyst development (PAD). This management position is responsible for performing economic research, developing metrics and other ad hoc reporting, managing database and PAD Unit staff members, and providing support for execution of new program initiatives. The position also is responsible for monitoring and knowledge of new funding opportunities, and for economic development proposal generation. Requirements include a BS/BA, preferable MBA or Masters degree in a related field and a minimum of two years experience in small business lending, investment or other financially-related experience.

Gov. Ted Kulongoski unveiled his fiscal year 2009-11 recommended budget this week, highlighting the need for targeted investments in nanoscience, manufacturing, and renewable energy research based on recommendations developed by the Oregon Innovation Council. The governor's plan aims to expand and diversify the state's economic base by attracting new industries and companies, building on the $28.2 million innovation plan signed into law last year (see the Aug. 1, 2007 issue of the Digest). The governor's budget proposal dedicates $20.5 million from lottery funds across the following: $5.7 million for the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), the state's first signature research center that conducts R&D in micro- and nanotechnology; $3.5 million for wave energy research; $3.2 million to continue renewable energy investments through the Bio-Economy and Sustainable Technologies signature research center; $2.8 million for the Oregon Translational Research and Drug Discovery Institute, which focuses on R&D and commercialization in controlling infectious disease; $2.3 million for the Forestry Cluster Initiative to increase technology…

Due to overwhelming interest, SSTI's first poster session, held at SSTI's 12th Annual Conference in Cleveland mid October, is now available online 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. You can view more than 35 posters celebrating why states, regions, universities and related organizations engage in technology-based economic development (TBED). Each poster profiles a success story providing hard evidence of how TBED investments are sustaining the nation's position as a global leader for innovation and competitiveness -- one local or regional project at a time. The impacts shown are a direct result of the assistance provided by SSTI member organizations. The site provides one-stop access to some of the best examples of why regional, state and national investments in TBED work. Among the posters on the site are submissions highlighting some of the 2007 and 2008 Excellence in TBED award winners, as well as innovative approaches from universities, technology councils, state agencies, incubators, commercialization centers, other local TBED initiatives, and private companies. A complete listing of the poster session sponsors and participants, with links to the…

Throughout the presidential campaign President-elect Barack Obama continually emphasized the need for new policies to spur the development of clean and renewable energy technologies. Despite the economic downturn, President-elect Obama has maintained that these new programs will remain a priority for his administration. A key plank of his energy plan is the implementation of a national cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050.  Under a cap-and-trade system, the U.S. would place a legal limit on annual emissions, a cap which would be lowered each year until the goal for reducing emissions is met.  Within that limit, companies would purchase and trade for allowances to release pollutants. The cap-and-trade system internalizes the cost of a negative externality, a cost that would otherwise be paid by society through environmental destruction and clean-up. Such a system would create an increased demand for cleaner technologies and technologies that reduce emissions. Though the idea of a federal cap-and-trade for carbon emissions program has been around for decades, one underreported aspect of such a program is its…