SSTI Digest

Dr. Michel Bitritto was named director of the new business incubator being run by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission. Dr. Peter Reczek was appointed executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. Don Siegel, president of the Technology Transfer Society, will be dean of the School of Business at the University of Albany, SUNY, beginning in fall 2008. Michael Skaggs, former president and CEO of Next Generation Economy Inc., was named executive director of the Nevada Commission on Economic Development. Paul Wetenhall stepped down as executive director of High Tech Rochester (HTR) to become president of the Ben Craig Center in Charlotte. David Hessler, an HTR entrepreneur-in-residence, was appointed interim president in Wetenhall's stead.

This Friday, May 16, is the final day to submit your TBED initiative for consideration in SSTI’s premier national competition that showcases best practices and out-of-the-box thinking across six categories focusing on several elements found in successful tech-based economies.   An SSTI Excellence in TBED Award distinguishes your initiative as a best practice worthy of emulation in the TBED community through your successful efforts to: Expand the Research Infrastructure; Commercialize Research; Build Entrepreneurial Capacity; Increase Access to Capital; Enhance the Science and Technology Workforce; and, Improve Competitiveness of Existing Industries. Do not miss this opportunity to showcase the accomplishments of your initiative.   Applications are due Friday, May 16 at 5 p.m. ET. For more information, please visit www.ssti.org/awards.htm.

Operating with a $152 million surplus for the current fiscal year, Gov. Mike Easley unveiled his recommended budget adjustments for FY 2008-09 earlier this week, providing additional funding for university projects and expanding TBED initiatives. North Carolina is one of a shrinking number of states to still project black ink for its next fiscal year.   Lawmakers approved the FY 2007-09 biennial budget last July, allocating $20.7 billion each fiscal year and making appropriations for fiscal year 2008 (see the Aug. 1, 2007 issue of the Digest). The proposed $21.5 billion budget for FY 2008-09 includes reductions, expansions and adjustments among state agencies, reflecting $396 million in general fund budget cuts and tax increases for alcohol and cigarettes. Appropriations recommended by the governor for the Department of Commerce include: $5 million in additional funding for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) matching program ($200,000 increase over last fiscal year); $4 million for the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, including $2.5 million to help expand its existing building and $1.5…

“I recognize the importance of attracting venture capital and new investments to Maine,” Gov. John E. Baldacci said. The governor later added, “However, as it is currently written the bill carries enormous risk. This bill would guarantee a rate of return for venture capital investors while Maine would shoulder all the risk. The potential liability for the State is too great for me to sign this bill.”   By not signing the bill, Gov. Baldacci pocket vetoed LD 2320, entitled "An Act To Stimulate Capital Investment for Innovative Businesses in Maine.” The act would have created a Maine Fund of Funds program within the state’s Small Enterprise Growth Board to increase availability of venture capital.   Modeled on statutes in Arkansas, Iowa, Michigan, Montana and Utah, LD 2320 authorized up to $80 million in refundable tax credits to capitalize the fund. No more than $10 million in tax credits could be redeemed in a single year; however, the fiscal note for the legislation determined the maximum potential loss in revenue to the state for any one fiscal year could reach $18.96 million.   The…

The General Assembly approved the fiscal year 2009 budget last week, providing $21 million for the Life Sciences Research Trust Fund. Established in 2003, the fund was created to support life science research, commercialization, and technology transfer using a portion of the state’s tobacco settlement funds. The FY09 appropriation will be administered by the Life Sciences Research Board, which is responsible for awarding grants and contracts for research.   Last year, the General Assembly approved a one-time appropriation of $13.4 million for the fund dedicated to research focusing on animal and health nutrition, renewable energy and plant sciences (see the May 21, 2007 issue of the Digest).   The FY09 budget includes $1 million for eMINTS – a statewide instructional model for teachers – in support of the Missouri Mathematics, Engineering, Technology and Science (METS) Initiative. The goal of the METS program is to support schools in creating school-wide reform for improved instruction and student achievement in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. Gov. Matt Blunt recommended $5 million for…

Early-stage Colorado bioscience companies and researchers in clean and alternative energy working to commercialize new technologies are among the victors of Colorado’s legislative session that ended last week.   To encourage bioscience research and speed technology commercialization, Gov. Bill Ritter signed into law HB 1001, establishing the Colorado Bioscience Research Grant Program. The grant program will provide $26.5 million over five years to research institutions and private companies, beginning with $5.5 million this year. Unveiled by the governor last fall, the program is the first portion of the administration’s business development package to be approved by legislators (see the Oct. 3, 2007 issue of the Digest).   The legislation mandates that at least 30 percent of the funds go toward university and research institution technology transfer offices to accelerate the development of research projects focusing on life sciences, engineering, material sciences, computer sciences, photonics or nanotechnology. Another 30 percent of the funds will go to early-stage bioscience companies that are commercializing technology from a…

Unprecedented investment in alternative energy technologies and growing awareness about the need for clean and renewable energy production have driven many states to initiate strategies to promote alternative forms of power generation, such as solar, hydroelectric, geothermal and wind power. Most current government strategies, however, fall short of what will be needed to build a truly reliable, affordable and clean energy portfolio in the U.S., according to a new study from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The key to creating portfolios that accomplish all of these goals will be diversity. No one source of power will be able to support the nation's need for electricity, but a diverse portfolio of many power sources may be able to provide a flexible and sufficient power supply.   Wind has emerged as one of the more affordable and common alternative sources of power. The cost of drawing power from wind has fallen 90 percent over the past 20 years, making wind power an increasingly viable alternative for regions with the necessary geographic attributes and which have the infrastructure to accommodate wind farms (see the Oct. 23, 2006 special issue of the…

Rallying the myriad local organizations, chambers of commerce and political jurisdictions of any large metropolitan area toward a shared economic development agenda is challenging. To twist a phrase from supply-side economics, the “trickle around” theory of benefits – when any major economic development project occurs in one community will have spillover benefits for the entire region – is a tough sell to communities and school systems trying to keep their budgets in the black.   True success most likely requires radical transformation of several institutions, consolidated tax and revenue sharing systems, and fundamental shifts in one's sense of belonging to a particular place.   That last element, shifting the sense of belonging to a larger region, is a regular challenge for watershed management systems, which, among their other responsibilities, try to get the residents of a particular area to realize the watershed ignores the arbitrarily drawn political jurisdictions we create. We all live upstream and/or downstream from somewhere else and are affected by the activities occurring in those other places.  …

Last week, the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer (FLC) held its annual national meeting in Portland, Ore. The gathering brought together laboratory technology transfer specialists, industry representatives and state and regional TBED organizations, among others, to discuss pertinent issues such as changes in federal legislation affecting intellectual property and SBIR reauthorization, STEM education initiatives, funding opportunities, and best practices for encouraging the successful commercialization of research. The conference also served as an entry point for those new to collaborating with the nation’s system of federal laboratories, presenting their tools and programs that can be used to enhance commercialization partnerships.    At the invitation of the FLC’s State & Local Government Committee, SSTI joined the leadership of two state TBED organizations in a conference session describing the landscape of state tech-based economic development and exploring best practices and examples of collaborative efforts. From a federal laboratory’s perspective, partnering with a state TBED organization makes sense because…

In its first state R&D survey since 1998, the National Science Foundation (NSF) finds 252 different state agencies across the country directly supported R&D and R&D facilities totaling $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2006. The survey, released this morning, was conducted for NSF by the U.S. Census Bureau. California, Florida, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania were the only states to exceed $40 million each in spending. Combined, the six states accounted for 49 percent of the total. Individually, their totals were: $117.3 million - Pennsylvania $107.8 million - California $103.6 million - New York $75.0 million - Michigan $55.1 million - Ohio $42.3 million - Florida Federal sources account for 25 percent of the total. State and nonfederal sources provided $767 million. The NSF Issue Brief that highlights the survey findings advises against making comparisons with previous state agency surveys because of differences "in the survey populations, definition of covered R&D activities, and collection methods." The $1.1 billion figure, much lower than many may expect, does not include direct state appropriations to universities…

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Senate Bill 2739, a component of which directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide grants and seek partnerships for the creation of a nationwide network of advanced energy technology transfer centers. These partnerships can include entities such as state agencies and local governments, utilities, colleges and universities, national laboratories, and other nonprofits providing energy technology expertise. The bill is now awaiting the president's signature. Designed to cover a wide array of energy-efficient technologies, grants for the centers could be used to: Develop and distribute information material; Perform demonstrations of advanced energy methodologies in topics such as biofuels, solar and wind energy, clean coal, and hydrogen among others; Conduct seminars, workshops, and long-distance learning sessions to distribute information on advanced energy technologies; Provide or coordinate on-site evaluations of energy use; Examine energy-efficiency needs to identify future research projects; and, Hire employees to perform the tasks above. The bill also outlines the duration of the grants, which…

Beginning in 2003 with its $510 million investment to lure the Scripps Research Institute (see the Oct. 31, 2003, issue of the Digest), the state of Florida has drawn national attention over the past few years for its aggressive pursuit of major life science research institutions. This year, however, it looks like that strategy will have to be put on a temporary hiatus.   After extended debate about broadening the sectors that benefit from the Innovation Incentive Fund (IIF) – the source of money used to bankroll the post-Scripps package of incentives available to these institutions – the Florida legislature has decided not to replenish the fund altogether. Though funding may resume in future years, the fund is currently depleted and state leaders are considering reprioritizing their economic development initiatives in light of changing economic conditions.   The IIF was established in 2006 to lure larger R&D projects and to take advantage of opportunities to improve the state's innovation economy. Since that time, the fund has mostly been used to attract branches of some of the world's most recognizable life science…