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SSTI Digest
Tech Talkin’ Govs, Part II
This is the second installment of SSTI’s look at the Inaugural, Budget and State of the State Addresses delivered in the past week. With a heavy emphasis on alternative energy, TBED priorities continue to receive significant time in the speeches delivered by the nation’s governors at the start of the 2007 legislative season. Selected excerpts of new initiatives are provided below:
Arkansas
Gov. Mike Beebe, State of the State Address, Jan. 10, 2007
Massachusetts Innovation Index Reports Shrinking High-Tech Labor Pool in Leading Technology States
The gradual aging of the American workforce and the domestic migration of young workers may be at fault for slow economic growth in many states that have historically been successful in promoting high-tech business, according to this year’s Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. The 10th anniversary edition of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) publication reports that the state shows several signs of recovery from the technology bust of the early 00s, but cites accelerating population loss among 22- to 34-year-olds as a major challenge for high-tech industries. The group warns that if Massachusetts continues to lose skilled younger workers, the state will be ill-equipped to capitalize on advances in emerging technologies, such as renewable energy, nanotechnology and the life sciences.
SSTI Welcomes Our Newest State Members
Recently, Enterprise Florida Inc. and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development joined SSTI as state sponsors. We are pleased to have 38 state science and technology (S&T) organizations show their commitment to technology-based economic development as state sponsors. Our members see value in the educational opportunities, technical assistance and quality research information SSTI provides.
"We share SSTI's commitment to economic improvement through science and technology, which is evidenced by our focus on building Florida's economy through life sciences and other technology sectors," said Enterprise Florida President and CEO John Adams Jr. "The collaboration with SSTI and its members will benefit us in developing Florida as a hub for top level research and technology commercialization."
Membership in SSTI allows access to the most extensive network of current and past practitioners, academics and policymakers who are attempting to speed commercialization and encourage innovation. SSTI has active members in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Canada.
Job Corner: Penn State Seeks Director of Economic and Workforce Development
Penn State University is seeking an entrepreneurial leader for its Office of Economic and Workforce Development. This office serves to advance the economic well-being of Pennsylvania, ultimately by helping to create and retain jobs and enhance the skills of the workforce in the Commonwealth. The director of economic and workforce development reports to the vice president for outreach at Penn State's campus in University Park, Pa. A master’s degree or equivalent knowledge and at least seven years of related experience are required. A full description of this opportunity and others is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
Tech Talkin' Govs, Part I
SSTI annually scans the inaugural, budget and state of the state addresses given by the nation's governors to see how TBED priorities fare as the state leaders present their legislative priorities for the year. If the addresses are right, more than a handful of states will be "the" leader for alternative or renewable energy within a variety of time spans. Highlights of speeches available at press time include:
Arizona
Gov. Janet Napolitano, State of the State Address, Jan. 8, 2007
"I want to focus on where we go from here, where we will take Arizona in the 21st century. There are three components to this One Arizona Plan – the keys to making our state stronger than it has ever been:
The first key is Education … to guarantee that every young person who graduates from Arizona’s schools is truly prepared for a world of competition and innovation...The third key is Innovation.
New Jersey Appropriates $270M to Build Biomedical and Stem Cell Research Facilities
Last month, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill that will contribute $270 million to the construction of five biotechnology research facilities across the state. The funding source will be bonds backed up by cigarette tax revenue, as issued by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Gov. Corzine believes the state is at a strategic moment to accumulate "a critical mass of scientists, researchers, doctors and physical facilities" ahead of the next presidential administration, which will dictate future federal spending on stem cell research.
The proposal includes:
$95M California Research and Innovation Initiative Would Target Green Energy, Biotech and Nanotech Jobs
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that his proposed budget for 2007-08 will include a $95 million initiative to support new and existing facilities for high-tech research. The California Research and Innovation Initiative would provide funding to several university-based projects around the state hosting clean energy, biotechnology, and nanotechnology research and commercialization activities. Gov. Schwarzenegger explained that his initiative would build upon the state’s academic resources and large pool of scientists and engineers to ensure California’s continued leadership in high-tech innovation.
Hawaii’s Investment in State TBED Agencies to Increase Dramatically in Proposed Budget
Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle has submitted her budget proposal to the state legislature for the fiscal biennium 2007-09, including significant increase in the amount allocated for certain state economic development entities. The High Technology Development Corporation (HTDC), a state agency that develops and supports Hawaii’s science and technology resources, would grow from average annual expenditures of $4.2 million in the 2005-07 biennium cycle to $9.8 million in the next cycle. Projects funded by HTDC include providing matching grants for Hawaii-based companies receiving SBIR funds, administering high-tech incubators across the state and the state’s MEP program, and managing a renewable energy development initiative.
The Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation (HSDC) also would see a marked change going from a $246,500 budget in fiscal year 2005-06 and $4.3 million in FY 2006-07, up to a proposed $9 million in FY07-08 and $6.9 million in FY08-09. The primary goal of the HSDC is to provide investment capital to Hawaii-based businesses, such as seed capital and venture capital.
Gov. Douglas Introduces Four-part Strategy to Promote Vermont TBED
In his inaugural address last week, Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas announced a four-part plan to bolster research and high-tech economic development. The governor’s Vermont Way Forward strategy would promote high-tech business, particularly in the state’s emerging environmental engineering industry. In addition, the strategy includes a plan to make Vermont what the governor says would be the country’s first “e-state,” one in which universal access to broadband and wireless technology are available anywhere within the state’s borders.
South Carolina Governor Proposes $2M for Broadband
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford announced that his budget for fiscal year 2007-08 will include a request for $2 million to bring high-speed Internet access to rural parts of the state. This allocation from the state’s Capital Reserve Fund would be used to create a Rural Broadband fund to increase broadband penetration in underserved communities and is designed to boost economic development by providing Internet access to students, businesses and entrepreneurs.
High-speed broadband connections are only available in 73 percent of the areas receiving phone service in South Carolina, according to recent data from the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff. The governor’s budget cites a study by the Freedom Works Foundation, which estimates that widespread broadband deployment in the state would add nearly 13,000 jobs and increase gross state product by $4.55 billion. The new fund would support efforts to provide rural counties and other local government entities with high-speed broadband, which could be used to assist local businesses, entrepreneurs and schools.
Useful Stats: 2005 Science & Engineering Doctorate Awards by State
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the 2005 statistics for science and engineering (S&E) doctorate awards. Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2005 details trends in doctorate awards by S&E field and recipient characteristics, institutions awarding doctorates, and postgraduation plans of recipients.
Using NSF and U.S. Census Bureau data, SSTI has prepared a table providing state ranking for doctorate awards by major field and state rankings for the total S&E doctorates awarded per 100,000 residents. The top five states in 2005 for total S&E doctorates awarded per 100,000 residents are the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Delaware and Maryland.
SSTI's table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/010807t.htm
NSF’s Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2005 is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf07305/
Save the Dates!: SSTI's Annual Conference Set for Oct. 18-19, 2007
As you begin to fill in your 2007 calendar, remember to mark Oct. 18-19, 2007 to attend SSTI's 11th annual conference in Baltimore! Past attendees know SSTI's conference is the perennial premiere professional development event for the TBED community. And 2007 will be no exception. The conference will be held at the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel, right on the city's exciting waterfront. As in past years, the conference agenda will be set by our members and affiliates to ensure the most timely and relevant topics for transforming regional economies. Look for more information on SSTI's website soon. Please contact Noelle Sheets, director of membership services, at 614.901.1690 if you have any questions.