SSTI Digest

The SSTI Innovation Advocacy Council continues to work toward additional appropriations for Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs, Build to Scale, and the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership. This week, the Council facilitated meetings with SSTI members and congressional offices to discuss funding priorities. SSTI also released a letter signed by 70 national and regional entities that support fully-funding the Tech Hubs program. During the meetings, offices across the Hill expressed support for the SSTI Innovation Advocacy Council’s priority programs. However, staff do not yet have sufficient clarity about the FY 2024 budget levels or process to know how this support may translate into actual funding. Matt Riehl with JumpStart and Markus Videnieks with Lorain County Community College were among the SSTI members participating in Hill Day this week in Washington, D.C. Tom Womack with AgLaunch and Lindsey Cox with Launch TN met with the Tennessee delegation during the SSTI Innovation Advocacy Council Hill Day. Interested organizations can support SSTI's efforts to bolster these programs by adding their name to the…

The idea of changing the 40 hour workweek standard has been floated for decades, and more frequently discussed in recent years as companies confront pandemic-related stress, burnout and the “Great Resignation.” But, even as some smaller U.S. companies (mostly in tech) have moved toward offering a shorter workweek, the idea has not become mainstream, despite some states’ best efforts. A shorter work week for the nation has been floated since 1956, when during a reelection campaign stop, then-Vice President Richard M. Nixon predicted that a four-day workweek was in the “not too distant future,” as part of the GOP administration’s economic policies. Earlier this month, California Congressman Mark Takano reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act. Similar to legislation he co-sponsored with Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) in 2021, it would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to change the national standard workweek to 32 hours. (The current 40-hour week dates back to a 1940 amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The amendment, which revised the standard from 44 hours, is the last time the workweek has been legislatively adjusted in the…

Expanding U.S. innovation capacity sits at the heart of SSTI’s mission, and it was that driving force that guided our response to the Economic Development Administration’s request for information to inform the planning and design of the regional Technology and Innovation Hub (Tech Hubs) program last week. With $10 billion authorized for the program, and $500 million appropriated, the opportunity for growth in the nation demands a thoughtful and actionable plan. SSTI argues that where the country is now has been decades in the making; therefore, a deliberate, well-considered plan providing ample opportunity for regions to both comment on proposed program guidelines and develop local partnerships is needed. In short, EDA should resist the temptation to get the money out the door as fast as possible. The SSTI response takes into consideration our broad perspective of previous federal and state initiatives intended to strengthen regional economies, as well as feedback from prior awardees and applicants for EDA programs. The Tech Hubs program will provide a new opportunity to meet current social, health, climate and economic challenges, and it is imperative that…

The press release for the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) opens in what has become a tradition for environmental reporting: a dire statistic intended to inspire a desire for action. This time, it’s that average global greenhouse gas emissions for the 2010-2019 decade were the highest levels in human history. The strategy has worked on the world’s young people and the small handful of people out of 100 who vote for and contribute to environmental change each year (less than 4% of American charitable giving went to environmental/animal welfare organizations in 2021). Unfortunately, these crowds are both powerless and too small. The second sentence of the latest IPCC press release is also predictable: “Without immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors, limiting global warming to 1.5°C is beyond reach.”  [Emphasis added.] What the IPCC doesn’t do next, after sounding the alarm based on three year old data, is point out that global carbon dioxide emissions actually increased to even higher record levels in 2022, according to the New York Times story. The finger for the emissions increase, according to the…

The Advanced Research Projects for Health (ARPA-H) released plans to establish hub sites in three locations across the United States and announced their strategy for site selection. With one site to be located in the National Capital Region (NCR), ARPA-H will issue a draft Request for Consortium Agreement (RCA) to solicit recommendations for the second and third hub sites.  The ARPA-H hub sites are planned to support a network of partners, or spokes, that will form the foundation of a nationwide health network to “accelerate better health outcomes for everyone.” Although the region for the first hub site has already been determined, ARPA-H will issue a draft Request for Consortium Agreement (RCA) to solicit recommendations for the second and third hub sites. Submitted recommendations should describe why the geographic location is a best fit considering the goals and capabilities of ARPA-H.   The first hub, to be located in the National Capital Region (NCR), will take a “human-centered approach” and emphasizes stakeholder engagement and legislative collaboration to ensure new health capabilities reach target…

The White House released the President’s Budget for FY 2024 today, and the administration is making a strong statement of support for science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. Highlights from the request include more than $4 billion for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs, $300 million for the National Science Foundation (NSF) Regional Innovation Engines, $277 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and a total of $30 million for the three primary Small Business Administration (SBA) innovation programs. Congress is not likely to adopt the president’s budget as-is, but the proposal may factor into the negotiations throughout the appropriations process. More information on the president’s budget is available below. Note: These items are highlights from the President’s Budget for FY 2024, which does not include information about every initiative that will be appropriated. This level of detail is usually available in the agency-specific congressional budget justification documents, which are expected next week. Department of Commerce…

Western democracies are losing the race for scientific and research breakthroughs, and the ability to retain global talent, integral ingredients in developing technologies, according to a recent report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI). In the project funded by the U.S. State Department’s Global Engagement Center and a grant from The Special Competitive Studies Project, ASPI says that their research reveals that “China has built the foundations to position itself as the world’s leading science and technology superpower, by establishing a sometimes stunning lead in high-impact research across the majority of critical and emerging technology domains.” The report, ASPI’s Critical Technology Tracker The global race for future power, finds that China’s lead is due to deliberate design and long-term policy planning. The report shows that China leads in 37 of 44 technologies that ASPI is tracking. The report delves into the implications for China’s research lead and also provides possible solutions to democratic nations’ technology lag. It calls for “deeper collaboration between partners and allies, greater investment in areas including R&D,…

The U.S. Department of Treasury has announced approval of $635.6 million in State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funding for Texas and Washington. The addition of these two states means 48 states and three territories have had their SSBCI programs approved. Texas Texas has been approved for $472.0 million to operate a capital access program and loan guarantee program. The loan guarantee program will be allocated $354.1 million to increase access to financing by providing loan guarantees to small and medium-sized businesses throughout the state. Washington Washington has been approved for $163.4 million to operate a collateral support program, three loan participation programs and an equity/venture capital program. Washington State Venture Capital Fund, the state’s equity/venture capital program, has been allocated $49 million and will provide capital commitments to new venture capital funds with diverse investment teams that invest in underserved startups. The state will also allocate $13 million to one of three loan participation programs to improve payment flexibility for small business growth. The remaining programs include: a…

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Program Office (LPO) has announced a conditional loan commitment of $2 billion to Redwood Materials for the construction and expansion of a battery materials campus in McCarran, Nevada. If approved, the project would support production in a fully closed-loop lithium-ion battery manufacturing process by recycling end-of-life battery and production scrap and remanufacturing it. The agency says this project would mark a step toward meeting the Biden administration’s target of making half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles. The onshoring the production of anode copper foil and cathode active material, the two most critical and valuable components of lithium-ion battery manufacturing for EVs, would help build America’s energy independence and help ensure the long-term success and sustainability of an advanced battery manufacturing industry in America, according to the LPO. At full production capacity, the project’s anode copper foil and cathode active material output is anticipated to support the…

In his budget proposal, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore proposed $10 million in funding for a new program that would provide grants of up to $2 million to defray specified costs associated with an eligible innovation infrastructure project; the projects are intended to support innovation in eligible technology sectors including advanced manufacturing; aerospace; agriculture; artificial intelligence; biotechnology; blue technology; cybersecurity; defense; energy and sustainability; life sciences; quantum; and sensor and robotics. The governor also proposed $1 million in new funding for the creation of the Maryland Equitech Growth Fund, which would use multiple investment vehicles including direct investments, grants, and loans leveraged with private capital to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship and to meet the goals of promoting equitable economic development in Maryland’s advanced technology sectors. The new initiatives fit recommendations from a recent study for TEDCO (Maryland Technology Development Corporation) that outlines the steps to grow the innovation economy in the state. The Maryland Innovation Competitiveness Study, a…

Although men and whites still make up the largest share of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce, it has been gradually diversifying over the past 10 years, with increased representation of women and underrepresented minorities — that is, Hispanics or Latinos, Blacks or African Americans, and American Indians or Alaska Natives, according to the 2023 biennial report, Diversity and STEM: Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities, from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.  The total STEM workforce grew 20% between 2011 and 2021, increasing from 29.0 million to 34.9 million workers. STEM workers as a percentage of the total workforce also increased, growing three percentage points from 21% in 2011 to 24% in 2021. While fewer women than men work in STEM occupations, their share of the STEM workforce increased 31% from 9.4 million to 12.3 million, while the number of men increased 15% from 2011 to 2021. White workers represented the largest race and ethnic group in the STEM workforce at 22.4 million (64% of the STEM workforce), followed by workers who were Hispanic (5.1 million or 15%), Asian (3.6 million or…

The Biden administration this week took a significant step in its efforts to catalyze expansion and modernization of the U. S. semiconductor industry, with the announcement of how it will begin to deploy $50 billion of funding under the CHIPS and Science Act, with $39 billion of the funding intended for incentives for the construction, expansion, or modernization of commercial facilities for the front- and back-end fabrication of leading-edge, current-generation, and mature-node semiconductors, all with a goal of returning semiconductor manufacturing to the U.S. In a statement last week, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo emphasized that the incentives are designed to spur private investment, leveraging the federal dollars by at least a 10:1 ratio, so applicants are strongly encouraged “to bring capital to the table.” This week, Commerce released the funding opportunity and a series of factsheets detailing the funding. These awards may be provided as direct funding, federal loans, or federal loan guarantees. A number of requirements are placed on awardees, including provision of affordable child care, financial transparency, environmental compliance, workforce…