SSTI Digest

Three states recently wrapped up their 2008 legislative sessions, resulting in the passage of operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. State lawmakers approved funding for new and existing TBED initiatives aimed at diversifying the states' economies through increased investments in energy programs, higher education research initiatives and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.  South Dakota Lawmakers agreed to Gov. Mike Rounds’ recommendation of a one-time appropriation of $3.8 million for construction-related expenditures and $887,000 in operating costs to supplement an $8 million grant for a high speed data network connecting universities and research centers across the state (see the Dec. 12, 2007 issue of the Digest).   The legislature also supported a bond proposal for science facility and laboratory upgrades at the state’s six public universities. HB 1085 authorizes the South Dakota Building Authority to finance up to $74.5 million through the issuance of bonds for projects that are part of an overall strategy to boost the state’s research…

Earlier this month, three universities - Stanford University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley - announced partnerships with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a graduate-level research university set to open in Saudi Arabia by September 2009. Each of the U.S.-based universities will assist with the development of the following initiatives within specific academic fields of study at KAUST: Organize and evaluate the graduate curriculum. Nominate the initial faculty members. Define the requirements essential for graduate degree attainment. Conduct joint research projects. Collaborate in joint thesis advisory committees for KAUST graduate students. Exchange visiting fellows and host joint seminarsCollaborate on the acquisition of research equipment and needed facilities. Specifically, Stanford will assist in the creation of KAUST's Applied Mathematics and Computer Science field of study, UT Austin with the Computational Earth Science and Engineering field of study, and UC Berkeley with the Mechanical Engineering field of study. The partnerships will provide between $25 million to…

The presence of "surrogate universities" - that is, nonacademic institutions able to attract a skilled workforce, produce marketable innovations and cultivate local entrepreneurship - have greatly influenced the growth of the tech-based economy of Boise and Idaho's Treasure Valley. Furthermore, distinctions in these surrogates' culture, innovation model and marketable products may help to explain the development of new technology firms in the metro area. In Boise, Idaho: An Overview of the High-Technology Economy in the Treasure Valley, Heike Mayer of Virginia Tech follows the establishment and business activities of tech firms over the last four decades in a region without a research-intensive university, a factor often seen as a critical driver of economic development. In Boise's case, the selection of the region in 1973 as a branch location of Hewlett-Packard (HP) and the establishment in 1978 of the semiconductor-producing company Micron, were important early events for the region's growth. Mayer's survey work shows about 20 percent of entrepreneurs who went on to establish other companies in the region were employed at either HP or Micron, as…

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced the recipient universities to conduct security research through five new Centers of Excellence. These centers will develop new technologies to prevent natural and man-made disasters, improve government response to such crises and monitor the nation's shores and borders. The Department's Office of University Programs, under its Science and Technology Directorate, will manage the five new centers, which will each receive multi-years grants of up to $2 million per year for 4-6 years. The five centers include: Center of Excellence for Border Security and Immigration, co-lead by the University of Arizona and the University of Texas at El Paso; Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response, co-led by Northeastern University and the University of Rhode Island; Center of Excellence for Maritime, Island and Port Security, co-led by the University of Hawaii and Stevens Institute of Technology; Center of Excellence for Natural Disasters, Coast Infrastructure and emergency Management, co-led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Jackson…

State universities and research programs depend on public support to develop and commercialize new technologies, but the actual science involved in these discoveries can seem intimidating and arcane to the layman. How then should a state go about engaging the public in scientific research?   To address the issue, Vermont Public Television and Vermont EPSCoR have joined forces to launch a new television series that will introduce Vermont residents to the research and innovations being developed in the state's universities and labs. The program, Emerging Science, will explore the work of Vermonters engaged in scientific exploration and highlight the successes of the state's scientific community. Each episode will feature a developing scientific field, including nanotechnology, global climate change and remote sensing.   Vermont Public Television plans to issue eight short weekly podcasts on its website leading up to the April launch of Emerging Science. One can subscribe to these podcasts through iTunes or watch previews of the episodes at: http://www.vpt.org/programs/emergingscience.html  …

More information on these opportunities and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The City of East Lansing, Mich., a residential community of 47,000 people and home to Michigan State University, is seeking a project manager for its New Economy Initiatives. This newly created position will focus on business and economic development, including the Lansing Regional SmartZone, East Lansing’s high-tech incubator/accelerator, arts and cultural entrepreneurship program, and related initiatives. The position also will have some responsibilities with housing and Community Development Block Grant programs. A bachelor’s degree in business, economics, urban planning, community development, geography, or a related field is required; a master's degree is preferred. The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, which provides economic and community development and cultural enhancement throughout the state and administers programs that assist businesses, communities and people, recently announced two position openings: Business Support Services Manager. This position is responsible for managing a team…

The innovation gap between Europe and the U.S. is shrinking by several measures, according to the latest benchmarking study from the European Union (EU). The size of the gap remains significant, however, due in part to factors such as an increasing public R&D intensity in the U.S. and a decreasing public R&D intensity in the EU.   The European Innovation Scoreboard 2007 examines the 27 EU member states, in addition to Croatia, Turkey, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Japan, the U.S., Australia, Canada and Israel. Prepared by the United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), Scoreboard 2007 compares these countries using 25 different measurements where comparative data is available.   In order to evaluate if an innovation gap exists between the EU and the U.S., the study creates a composite index aggregating 15 of the selected indicators. The size of the innovation gap has experienced a reduction every year from Scoreboard 2003 to Scoreboard 2007. The EU maintains a lead in four of the metrics: S&E graduates per capita, share of…

Venture capitalists invested almost $2.5 billion in China in 2007, according to a new report from Dow Jones VentureSource. That figure is a 5 percent increase over the 2006, and the highest since 2001, despite a decrease in the number of deals. Though investment is not growing quite as quickly as it is in the U.S., where venture investment rose by 8 percent last year, China is becoming a key global market for venture investment.   The decrease in the number of deals appears to be a sign of a maturing venture capital industry, according to the VentureSource report. Though seed and first-round investments still constitute 61 percent of the country's venture deals, more investors are looking at companies in their second round of financing or later. Fifty percent of total investment went to these later-stage companies. Second-round investment dollars increased by 15 percent over the previous year. Deal size may be decreasing as firms devote more money to investment in relatively mature companies.   The Chinese business, consumer and retail sector experienced the greatest gains in investment, up 83 percent over 2006. The most…

Last week, three venture capital firms were chosen by the Department of Energy (DOE) to participate in its new Entrepreneurship in Residence (EIR) program, a pilot initiative designed to get advanced energy technologies out of the federal labs and into the marketplace. In the program’s design, an entrepreneur affiliated with each venture capital firm will work with the selected DOE laboratory staff in order to identify and evaluate marketable technologies.   The selected venture capital firms and their respective federal laboratories are: Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers (Menlo Park, CA) to work with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; ARCH Venture Partners (Chicago) to work at Sandia National Laboratory; and, Foundation Capital (Menlo Park, CA) to investigate technologies at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The DOE is providing $100,000 to each entrepreneur to defray salary and other expenses. The partnering venture capital fund is expected to match that amount, plus provide additional funds if needed.   The entrepreneur in residence and the venture capital fund will select a technology…

Gov. Bobby Jindal unveiled his fiscal year 2008-09 budget to the legislature last week, focusing heavily on improving the existing workforce and creating a business climate that encourages entrepreneurship.   The governor’s recommendation for the Louisiana Department of Economic Development (DED) is $29.2 million in general funds, down $11.2 million from last year. The recommendation for total funds is $85.9 million, down from $201 million last year. The reduction is largely due to nonrecurring funding and interagency transfers and will not impact the department’s services in the coming fiscal year, according to budget documents. Workforce and economic development initiatives slated for funding include: $3 million from the Louisiana Economic Development Fund for the Quick Start Initiative to deliver comprehensive specialized workforce training services. This initiative will be designed based on best practices in place elsewhere and will be implemented largely through partnerships with the Louisiana Technical College System and private providers. $2.5 million in statutory dedication for a State Economic Competitiveness Benchmarking,…

Using the state’s regional advantage, the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) wants to create high-wage jobs in targeted industry sectors and establish new equity and financing programs that provide growth capital to sustain the ventures, the agency announced last week.   RIEDC released an economic growth plan with the goal of increasing the percentage of jobs that pay above the national average from its current 40 percent to 60 percent over the next 10 years. The average private sector wage in Rhode Island is $38,700 -- $4,600 less than the national average and much lower than neighboring states Connecticut and Massachusetts.   The advantage of being located in a “knowledge-rich corridor” that expands from Boston to New York City and encompasses 86 colleges and universities is the formation of a strong R&D and entrepreneurial base, the report states. Rhode Island can build upon this base by targeting industries that depend on knowledge resources and workers, according to RIEDC. The report recommends expansion and attraction efforts within six of these high-wage sectors, including Health and Life…

The following overview is a synopsis of selected recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including new tenants, groundbreakings and tools for financing start-up companies.                         The chemical company BASF announced in January a $1 million contribution to the Brazosport College Foundation for construction of a new process technology center at the school’s planned Science Technology Corridor. The new facility will include analytical labs and classrooms for curriculum supporting the petrochemical, energy and nuclear energy. The BASF center groundbreaking is expected this summer as the first phase of the Science Technology Corridor, which will also include a health professions and science technology complex with laboratories, classrooms and department offices for health professions programs.   Tuesday marked the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bio-Research and Development Growth Park at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in Missouri, a $36.1 million, 118-square-foot multi-…