SSTI Digest

We've been keeping you focused on SSTI's 12th annual conference, coming up Oct 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland, but believe it or not, we're already working to ensure the 2009 and 2010 are as good or even better!

On Feb. 13, we announced the 2009 conference will be hosted by KTEC, one of the oldest and most successful TBED models in the country. The event will be held in Overland Park, KS on Oct. 20-22, 2009.

Today we are pleased to let our readers know 2010 will mark a first for SSTI conferences: we will be returning to the city  which hosted one of our earliest and most exciting conferences. For SSTI's 14th Annual Conference, we will be returning to Pittsburgh and the wonderfully elegant and historic Omni William Penn.  Pennsylvania's TBED community, led by the visionary and ever-creative Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development,  will be our hosts once again in 2010.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced a four-year plan to invest approximately $70 million a year in a nationwide network of life science research centers. The Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network will employ high-tech screening methods to identify molecules that can be used as probes to explore the functions of cells. This research is intended to help increase the pace of discovery in the field of chemical probes, which have become a key resource in fighting disease.

The network is the second phase of the Molecular Libraries and Imaging Initiative and is part of NIH's Roadmap for Medical Research program. The Roadmap program was launched in 2004 to support initiatives that address fundamental gaps in U.S. medical research. Funding for the network will be made available through the roadmap initiative for the initial four years, and then transition to other funding sources in years five and six.

Drawing on its high-tech cluster, Provo, Utah garnered the highest score in the 2008 Best-Performing Cities Index released today by the Milken Institute and Greenstreet Real Estate Partners.

The rebounding technology sector boosted several newcomers to the top 10 in the annual ranking of where America's jobs are being created and sustained. Metros that are highly dependent on resource extraction and export-intensive industries also showed success.

Rounding out the top five metros are Raleigh-Cary, NC; Salt Lake City, UT; Austin-Round Rock, TX; and Huntsville, AL.

The report explains that several past leading cities fell in the standings due to the national decline in housing and construction markets, and metros that remain concentrated in manufacturing continue to lag in the rankings. Rising energy prices have hindered the performance of cities where industries with high energy use are the key drivers, while benefiting those regions with significant oil and gas production and exploration activities.

On a per student basis, state support for public higher education on average increased 4.2% over the four years of 2003-2006. Over the same time period, enrollment figures increased even more rapidly.

The percent change in appropriations per student varies greatly among the states. SSTI has prepared a table presenting the amount of state funds appropriated to postsecondary institutions per-student (2003 to 2006) SSTI's table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/091008.htm

In 2006, the most recent year enrollment values were available, the U.S. average for the state-based postsecondary appropriations per student was $5,069.

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

The Kansas Bioscience Authority is seeking someone to serve as the director of Heartland BioVentures (HBV). The position is responsible for working with HBV's leadership to develop and sustain a robust pipeline of fundable bioscience companies by implementing a technical and business assistance activity following consultative evaluation of investment opportunities.  The best candidates will have substantial business development experience, a proven record of success in a start-up environment and/or investment firm, and experience working in one or more facets of the bioscience industry.  Experience working with boards of directors and/or advisors is preferred as is experience in the bioscience sector.

Federal funding of academic science and engineering (S&E) R&D failed to outpace inflation for two consecutive years, according to the latest annual Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges from the National Science Foundation (NSF).  The decline in two consecutive years has never occurred before in the survey's 36-year history. The survey presents FY07 data obtained from 672 S&E degree granting universities and colleges that expend at least $150,000 in S&E R&D in the survey period.

In current dollars, federally-funded academic R&D expenditure rose 1.1 percent in FY07 to $30.4 billion. After adjusting for inflation, the spending represents a 1.6 percent decline from fiscal year 2006 and a 0.2 percent decline from FY05.

With an increased need to compete globally, the need for a highly educated workforce has taken center stage in a number of states. But with the continuing issue of college affordability, states are looking at new ways to increase the number of college graduates within their borders.

In Arkansas and Ohio, recent examples of increasing college attendance are focused on efforts to expand scholarship opportunities for students. A legislatively charged task force in Arkansas recommends the state spend $95 million over the next six years to meet the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) average percentage of citizens holding a bachelor's degree. In Ohio, the state is awarding $8.5 million to colleges and nonprofit agencies with the goal of leveraging more than $90 million towards efforts to increase college participation. Details of the state plans are outlined below. 

Register today to be sure you receive this special rate. On Wednesday, Sept. 24, registration fees will increase by $100. Hosted by NorTech, the 2008 SSTI Annual Conference will be held at the beautiful InterContinental Hotel & Conference Center Cleveland, October 14-16.

This year, SSTI is providing conference attendees with the unique opportunity to take part in plenary and semi-plenary conference sessions through direct involvement and interaction with leaders in the TBED community – industry leaders, economic development directors, and university presidents to name a few.

Drawing on the expertise and insights of four university leaders, SSTI will examine the challenges facing higher education. What we expect from our universities is rapidly changing – even if policymakers and politicians are not clearly stating what those expectations are. As states simultaneously fund ambitious centers of excellence while cutting core operating support, today’s environment for universities is entirely different from that of just 10 years ago. Aptly titled Universities’ Current and Future Role in Regional Innovation, this session seeks to answer the questions, where are we heading? Where should we be heading? And what does it mean for the TBED community and universities?

Even in the venture capital-rich state of California during a boom period for clean energy investment, some clean energy entrepreneurs still have a hard time finding the capital resources they desire. As a result, one non-profit venture capital group, with a unique history of its own, is launching a new effort to support early-stage businesses. The California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF) is currently helping to raise a $20 million angel fund to bridge a perceived gap in seed and start-up stage capital availability. Despite the rapid growth of clean energy investment in the past two years, CalCEF believes that early-stage investment is not yet sufficient to ensure a steady stream of high-quality investments at later stage of development.

The Alberta Center for Advanced Microsystems and Nanotechnology Products (ACAMP), funded with $8 million from the provincial Alberta government and $3.5 million from the Canadian government, recently commenced operations in the Edmonton Research Park. The new program will be structured around three central components to assist commercialization in this area: packaging and assembly, product development, and marketing.   As identified in the federal government’s science and technology strategy, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage (see the May 21, 2007 issue of the Digest), Alberta is poised to become a leader of Canada’s nanotechnology industry, as the province is home to Canada’s National Institute for Nanotechnology. ACAMP was developed in coordination with Alberta’s $130 million five-year nanotechnology strategy announced in 2007, which includes the goal of obtaining two percent of the world’s nanotech market by 2020.   More information on ACAMP can be found at: http://www.acamp.ca/

As many stories in this issue of the Digest point out, academic institutions serve a critical role in performing R&D for the nation’s innovation pipeline. While most of the attention of national policymakers is directed toward the size of federal and industrial investments in R&D, the burden of financing the infrastructure to support much of that research activity falls on states and institutions of higher education. And that burden has a steep price tag.

For instance, in late August, the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin-Madison officially opened the first tower of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR), an estimated $600 million three-tower project which will house 1,500 lab workers by 2015. This first tower is devoted to interdisciplinary work studying cancer, with five floors dedicated to varying fields of cancer research, one floor for core laboratory equipment, one floor of outpatient radiotherapy, and one floor for the medical physics department which will concentrate on medical imaging.