SSTI Digest

The demand for highly qualified talent in Massachusetts' bioscience industry will add more than 10,000 life sciences workers to the state's workforce by 2014, according to a recent report prepared by the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute. As described in Growing Talent: Meeting the Evolving Needs of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Industry, 81 percent of these new life sciences jobs are expected to require at least a four-year degree. In preparation for this need, the report identifies the key challenges for increasing the quality and number of potential employees in the state, as well as policy recommendations for future growth. Outlined are the expected top ten occupations for growth in the life science field, which illustrates just how varied the needs are within the industry. Medical scientists are projected to increase in number the most, with over 900 new hires, followed by systems software engineers, lawyers, computer systems analysts, and application-based software engineers. Not included in these projections are downstream jobs estimated by multiplier effects, nor are jobs associated with the state's $1 billion Life Science Initiative (see…

Foreign-born and ethnic workers continue to rapidly grow in their importance to the U.S. innovation economy, according to two recent studies that address this issue by examining the links between these groups and patenting activity. In How Much Does Immigration Boost Innovation?, Jennifer Hunt uses state panel data from 1950 to 2000 to measure the extent of immigration's impact on U.S. patenting, state innovation economies and the science and technology workforce. Foreign-born residents account for just over ten percent of the working population, but represent about 25 percent of the science and engineering workforce. The 2003 Survey of College Graduates found that immigrants patent at double the rate of native U.S. residents. That study found that the difference was attributable to disproportionate educational attainment in science and engineering. Hunt finds that a 1.3 percent increase in the share of the population composed of immigrant college graduates can increase patenting per capita by between 10 and 26 percent. Post-college immigrants had an even larger positive impact. In addition, immigrant college graduates can have positive spillovers for the non-…

According to figures released last week by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), 85 percent of the nation's 363 metro areas experienced growth in real GDP from 2005 to 2006. For the U.S. metro areas as a whole, the aggregate GDP in current dollars was $11.79 trillion in 2006 - about 90 percent of the U.S. GDP. Trends in GDP growth can be more informative than one-year changes that might be caused by sudden changes in a local economy (e.g., Hurricane Katrina). SSTI has prepared a table displaying changes in metro area GDP estimates for the five-year period 2002 to 2006. To facilitate comparison across metro areas, the data has been presented in chained 2001 dollars. The GDP in 23 metro areas decreased over the five years, 2002 to 2006, some like New Orleans and Gulfport-Biloxi for reasons related to the natural disaster. The decline in other metro areas may be more systemic as the local economies continue to restructure away from declining industrial sectors. Alternatively, 167 of the metro areas experienced gains at a rate larger than the U.S. metro total - calculated to be 12.8 percent. The metro area centered around St. George, Utah experienced…

John Hindman announced his resignation as secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Governor Rick Perry recently announced Alan Kirchhoff of Austin has been promoted to director of Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF). Kirchhoff replaces longtime Perry advisor and former TETF director Mark Ellison, who left the Governor's Office to become associate vice chancellor of economic development for the Texas A&M University System beginning Oct. 1, 2008. Governor Jim Doyle appointed Richard Leinenkugel of the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing family as his Commerce secretary. Thomas Peterson, dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Arizona, has been selected as the new assistant director of the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Engineering. Elias Zerhouni, the director of the National Institutes of Health, announced his plans to step down at the end of October 2008.

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation is seeking candidates for a senior portfolio manager. This is an at-will position responsible for managing and overseeing investment and grant portfolios for the 21st Century Job Fund. Negotiates all investment contract and grant agreements, serves as a resource for portfolio companies seeking information about investment capital, and identifies opportunities to leverage investments for Michigan's competitive edge technology industries. Requires a Master's degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or related field and a minimum of five to seven years business related experience in the area of life sciences and experience in business, finance and investments in the areas of position-specific technical business environment, public sector investing, capital markets, venture capital, private equity, portfolio management, and/or commercial lending. The Illinois Technology Development Alliance (ITDA), a private, not-for-profit, professional services firm that is dedicated to creating the next generation of better,…

In an effort to keep science, innovation and entrepreneurship on the mind of our next President, several groups are releasing comparisons of the Presidential candidates' positions on a number of issues affecting state, local and university tech-based economic development strategies. Here is a sampling from this week: ScienceDebate 2008: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com The new website is sponsored by AAAS, the Council on Competitiveness, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, and signed by over 175 leading American universities and other organizations. It includes the candidates' responses to 14 questions regarding national innovation policy positions, climate change, energy policy, K-12 education, national security, biosecurity, genetics, stem cell research, ocean health, water, space, scientific integrity, research funding, and health. The site also includes links to news articles on topics such as how consistent the candidates are on the campaign trail with the positions espoused in their responses to the questions. ITIF Report: Comparing the Presidential Candidates' Technology…

Whether it's symptomatic of a tough job market or increased recognition of the economic rewards for obtaining an advanced degree, the number of doctoral degrees awarded and graduate enrollment in the U.S. rose sharply in 2007. Most trends for the past ten years also are positive; suggesting at first glance that a commitment to advanced education is permeating more of the population, particularly among women and minority groups. Enrollment and awards of masters degrees are seeing much lower growth rates, and in some critical cases like engineering, experienced a decline. Consequently, rises in the number of engineering doctorates may be short-lived trends. The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) reported Sep. 16 that the number of doctorates conferred by U.S. graduate schools rose 9 percent between 2006 and 2007, compared to 2 percent average annual growth over the past decade. The survey includes responses from 683 institutions. The survey report, Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 1997 to 2007, reveals that five broad fields of study increased more than 10 percent in one year, including health sciences (up 18 percent), engineering (14 percent), and biological…

States are increasingly seeking new approaches to maintaining a pipeline of skilled workers, qualified to fill the gaps left by baby boomers retiring in the coming years and college graduates pursuing career options elsewhere. Over the past several years, state economic development agencies, nonprofit organizations, and industry-led groups have not only stepped up their efforts to recruit and retain high-tech workers, but also are examining the key factors involved in attracting high-tech workers to a region. Recently, a privately-owned manufacturing contractor in Idaho announced a new initiative to build the skills of workers in rural areas of the state, which in turn will make the region more likely to attract new industries. Several partners have signed on to take part in the program, called Rural Idaho Outreach Partners, including the Idaho Department of Labor, the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Salmon Valley Business and Innovation Center. While the program is very much in its infancy, early plans include outreach at area high schools to expose students to opportunities in various technical fields and a forum for organizers to further refine the…

Cluster strategies show proximity is seen as an important requirement for tacit knowledge flows and the resulting economic development benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship. Research by Barak Aharonson, Joel Baum, and Maryann Feldman showed spillover benefits of agglomeration for businesses are strongest within 500 meters of a site. The benefits faded rapidly over distance - so is the reverse true? What happens when you put aspiring young entrepreneurs in the same dorm? Last week, the first group of 70 upper-year and graduate students began living in VeloCity, a combination residence hall and business incubator at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, designed for student entrepreneurs interested in mobile communications and digital media. The university has spent about $400,000 to convert a 40-year-old building into the residence, which will include a wireless device lab, wi-fi, videoconferencing space, increased bandwidth, student presentation space, a LCD wall screen, and common areas to encourage collaboration. Students interested in living within VeloCity must pass an interview process, where they are asked questions about…

As news on the economy turns darker shades of bleak, communities across the country are looking for alternative ways to finance their innovation strategies. Some of their approaches will be the topic of two breakout sessions at SSTI's upcoming conference, Encouraging Regional Innovation. This story looks at one example. For more information on the conference, visit: http://ssticonference.org/ Earlier this month, the non-profit Wooster Growth Corporation in Northeast Ohio voted to authorize $50,000 to cover the application costs for creating an EB-5 visa regional center through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Community leaders hope the designation, if selected, will produce a funding source from wealthy immigrant investors to assist in the construction of buildings within the BioHio Research Park. The research park is planned to be adjacent to the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, a facility of 200 scientists owned by The Ohio State University. While the BioHio Research Park already has acquired a $750,000 federal grant to convert an existing building into an incubator and $3.2 million from the state for road…

Following several weeks of deliberation over the past summer months, a panel of highly qualified TBED practitioners has selected recipients demonstrating exceptional achievement in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies to receive SSTI's Excellence in TBED Award for 2008. The recipients will be announced at SSTI's 12th Annual Conference, to be held Oct. 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland. Be there to witness the highly anticipated unveiling of recipients, Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 1:10 p.m. in the elegant Founder's Ballroom. Then, join the award winners during dedicated breakout sessions later in the conference to hear best practice overviews and lessons learned told directly from those involved in development and implementation of the winning initiatives. No matter what stage of development your organization fits into, you are certain to benefit from the stories conveyed by the Excellence in TBED Award winners. Find out how these leaders in the TBED community responded to a critical need in their region by applying innovative approaches, leveraging resources of government, industry and academia and…

With a blockbuster agenda, the first block of hotel rooms already sold out and a second block in the nearby Intercontinental Suites filling rapidly, SSTI's 12th Annual Conference in Cleveland, Oct. 14-16, is on pace to be a very special event for those TBED practitioners and policymakers who wisely register soon! Registrations for the premiere professional development event of the year for state, local and academic tech-based economic development professionals are streaming in faster than they did for last year's great conference in Baltimore. SSTI closed attendance last year at 375 to ensure the highest quality professional development experience possible for conferees. Easily the TBED community's most complete conference ever, Encouraging Regional Innovation, SSTI's 12th annual conference, is already drawing participation from more than 40 states and several countries. The early registration discounts for expire on Monday, Sept. 23, 2008 less than two short weeks away! Registrations may be made by phone (614.901.1690), fax or online through the conference website, which is packed with more details about what the buzz is all about! See for yourself at…