SSTI Digest

Joan Myers resigned as president and chief executive of the North Carolina Technology Association to join the global public policy division at a local software company. Myers' resignation is effective Aug. 21.

The New Mexico SBIR Outreach Center exists again, following a year's hibernation.

The Northern Kentucky E-Zone has become a part of the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corp. The E-Zone will operate as a program of Tri-ED, with Casey Barach, the former head of E-Zone, leading the program as vice president of entrepreneurship services for Tri-ED.

The Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence is now the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance.

Elaine Pullen resigned as chairman of Connecticut Innovations to focus on her consulting business.

Colin Scanes is the new vice chancellor for research and economic development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Scanes formerly was the chief economic development strategist at Mississippi State University.

John Weete, president and executive director of the West Virginia University Research Corp., was named executive director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. Weete starts his new position Sept. 1.

Oregon lawmakers haveagreed to fund nearly all of Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s innovation proposals, including investments in seven new industry initiatives and the creation of two new signature research centers. The innovation plan passed by lawmakers falls $10 million short of the original $38 million proposal introduced by the Oregon Innovation Council and included in Gov. Kulongoski’s fiscal year 2007-09 budget released in December 2006 (see the Dec. 18, 2006 issue of the Digest).  

After running on a month-long stopgap budget, North Carolina lawmakers reached a $20.7 billion budget agreement for fiscal year 2007-08 earlier this week that includes funding for major research initiatives, public and higher education, and TBED-related items.   Under the budget agreement signed Tuesday by Gov. Mike Easley, University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill is slated to receive $25 million this year, $40 million next year and a recurring $50 million in future years to expand cancer research. Funding for the initiative comes from a 10 percent increase on tobacco products other than cigarettes, $21.2 million in general fund revenue over the biennium, and $8 million from the Tobacco Trust Fund each year.  

A majority of angel investment groups report that the quality and quantity of their deal flow increased last year, according to a recent national survey of angel investors. Roughly 54 percent reported an increase in activity in 2006, and almost 58 percent expect even more investments and higher quality deals throughout 2007.   The Angel Group Confidence Report, conducted by the Angel Capital Association, is a first-of-its-kind overview of the U.S. angel market. The list of respondents includes angel investment groups of all stripes, from Southern California’s 300-member TechCoast Angels to groups with fewer than 10 accredited investors. The average group invested $1.78 million last year (with a median of $1.06 million). Groups invested an average of $240,000 per round.  

The venture capital industry appears to have rebounded from the post-tech bust slump, according to Ernst & Young’s latest Global Venture Insights Report. In the past year, venture investment has climbed to its highest point since 2001. Much of this growth has taken place in emerging markets like India, Russia and particularly China, where the venture industry is a relatively recent phenomenon. After three years of consecutive growth, China has outpaced the United Kingdom, Israel and Canada to assume the rank of second most active target market for venture investment. The report observes that this rapid growth has finally allowed China to make the leap from a promising new market to an important player in the industry.  

With the goal of improving the competitiveness of their workforces, many states and regions are searching for the best policies to encourage participation in educational opportunities beyond high school. Dual enrollment plans are one type of such policies that enable students to enroll in postsecondary level courses while still in high school.   According to a recently released study that examines Ohio’s dual enrollment plan, 47 states have enacted policies related to dual enrollment as of August 2006. A joint publication by the KnowledgeWorks Foundation and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), The Promise of Dual Enrollment: Assessing Ohio’s Early College Access Policy is the first report that collects and analyzes available data on the state’s program since its inception 18 years ago. The report provides insight into the participation rates, accessibility, levels of success, and costs of the policy to the state.