SSTI Digest

The potential opportunity for bio-based fuels to supplement or supplant some of the nations fossil fuel addiction has enticed two entities with deep pockets - one public, one private - to separately offer $750 million to support research in the growing field. Working independently, both entities are planning to concentrate their investments in only 1-2 research institutions, creating instant anchors for growing localized clusters for the new industry. On Aug. 2, the U.S. Department of Energy launched a competition for proposals to select two new bioenergy research centers as part of the Office of Science Genomics program. The winning centers will receive up to $125 million over a period of five years $25 million in the first year for start-up costs and up to $25 million per year for operations during the subsequent four years. While a major emphasis will be on developing cost-effective means to produce ethanol from inedible plant fiber such as cellulose, to replace gasoline, DOE also is interested in supporting well directed research on other biofuels from biomass, including biodiesel, biofuels for aviation, and…

There are a number of reasons why developing a business incubation program may be appropriate for your organization or community. Whether it is creating new jobs or developing and commercializing new technologies, business incubators can provide a variety of resources to help ensure that companies succeed. Two new handbooks document some of the best practices and successful business incubation models across the country. Developing a Business Incubation Program In Developing a Business Incubation Program: Insights and Advice for Communities, the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) sheds light on ways to strengthen or expand business incubation programs. Because each incubator development project is different, a how-to book on the topic is not possible, NBIA states in a press release. Instead, author Kathleen Boyd spent more than a year interviewing experts and practitioners about the underlying assumptions, challenges and activities that are essential to the process. Topics covered by the NBIA publication include understanding the incubation concept, conducting feasibility studies, business…

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez recently announced the creation of a 15-member advisory committee to examine methods used around the country to measure innovation. The panel, dubbed the Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economic Advisory Committee, will be composed of academia and private industry representatives and will convene this fall to identify new ways to assess regional innovation activity and the impact of innovation policies. An interim report is due in early 2007, with a final draft to follow by the end of next year. In his announcement, Gutierrez singled out the need to expand the commonly understood definition of innovation to include not only new products and services, but also process improvements that boost business productivity. New approaches to assessing innovation realities and practices have been attracting greater attention in recent months. In June 2006, the National Science Foundation (NSF) held a two-day workshop of academics and government officials to share the latest methods in innovation data collection and analysis. The results will be shared in an upcoming issue of the Journal of…

In 2004, U.S. academic R&D expenditures totaled $42.9 billion up 7.21 percent from 2003, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, FY 2004. The NSF report details R&D expenditures at public colleges and universities by geographic location, institution, science and engineering fields, and source of funding.   Using NSF data, SSTI has prepared a table presenting state rankings and figures for academic R&D from 2000 to 2004. Over the five-year period, North Dakota and South Dakota more than doubled their academic R&D expenditures, with an increase of 125.07 percent and 107.27 percent, respectively. In addition to the Dakotas, six other states increased academic R&D by more than 60 percent: New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee and Mississippi.   When ranked by academic R&D spending, the top 10 states showed little change from 2000 to 2004. California, New York and Texas maintained first, second and third places, while Maryland and Pennsylvania switched ranks to 4th and 5th places, respectively. In…

Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a proposal coordinator to generate research proposals in response to federal and state funding solicitations. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The proposal coordinator will work with Griffin's R&D and management teams and will report directly to the companys vice president of research and development. Applicants should have a Master of Science or Ph.D. degree in a scientific discipline, or a bachelor's degree with five or more years of applicable proposal writing experience. More information on this opportunity is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Recognizing an immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have announced their intention to become partners and act aggressively to address climate change and promote energy diversity. Gov. Schwarzenegger and Prime Minister Blair signed an agreement during an hour-long roundtable focusing on clean energy and climate issues. The event, held July 31, was attended by more than a dozen CEOs. At the signing, Gov. Schwarzenegger did not shy away from criticizing the lack of action on the federal level. California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming, Gov. Schwarzenegger said. Today, we are taking an unprecedented step by signing an agreement between California and the United Kingdom. International partnerships are needed in the fight against global warming and California has a responsibility and a profound role to play to protect not only our environment, but to be a world leader on this issue as well. …

For many areas of the country, the first five years of the 21st century may well be remembered as a period of dramatic economic transformation, or the beginning of one as the rate of change continues at a fast clip. Having statistics for the five-year period of 2000-2005, however, provides the first opportunity for policymakers and academic researchers to look for meaning in the trends. The previous Digest included an article on a Brookings study looking at manufacturing losses in the Great Lakes region (see the July 24 issue of the Digest). This week, our attention is turned to New Jerseys New Economy Growth Challenges, the July 2006 Rutgers Regional Report written by James Hughes and Joseph Seneca at Rutgers School of Planning and Public Policy. Where the Brookings paper examined the rate of advanced service jobs replacing manufacturing jobs for its selected states, the new Rutgers Regional Report considers the recent loss of New Jersey jobs in manufacturing and high-wage service sectors, such as information, financial activities and professional/business services. In other words, during the opening years of this decade, New Jersey is…

American K-12 students are becoming less and less interested in math, science and technology fields. Recent studies reveal that students are increasingly dropping science and math classes and pursuing careers in the arts and social services. Since national and regional competitiveness in high-tech fields depends on a skilled labor market, fueled by college graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, many areas are attempting to generate more interest in these subjects. Several recent efforts are doing so by giving students access to more advanced technologies. According tto the Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, the report issued earlier this year by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) on the country's science and technology prospects, K-12 students are abandoning difficult STEM coursework, in favor of other subjects and less advanced STEM classes. NAS recommends public-private partnerships, greater cooperation between educational institutions, more rigorous requirements, and the creation of specialty high schools. The findings, however, focus more on…

A new report released in conjunction with the Fourth International Competitive Brazil Congress gives a positive assessment of the country's potential as a leader in life sciences and provides useful model for competitiveness assessments in other regions. The report, Mechanisms of Innovation and Competitiveness, was prepared by the Center for the Support of Technology Development at the University of Brasilia and coordinated by the five-year-old Competitive Brazil Movement (Movimento Brasil Competitivo, MBC).   Five science and technology parks were selected for analysis in order to collect data on the progress of Brazilian innovation over the course of two years. During the study, the MBC developed an assessment methodology that can be applied to evaluate the potential of an environment to foster innovation and improve regional competitiveness. This model, based on previous studies by the U.S. Council on Competitiveness in North Carolina and Mexico, relies on several categories of high-tech competitiveness indicators including: Business Environment; Regulation System; Regional Knowledge and…

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a research associate to assist the company with R&D efforts related to Griffins products. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The research associate will be responsible for exploring new applications for Griffins technology and will report directly to the company's staff of senior research scientists. Applicants should have a bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry and two or more years of applicable experience in instrumentation maintenance and operation. The Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC) is seeking a technology engineer to assist Alaskan businesses trying to meet Department of Defense (DoD) mission-critical needs. The technology engineer will facilitate discussions and negotiations between DoD laboratories, Alaskan companies and other organizations in support of…

John Butler, director of the Institute for Innovation and Creativity, was appointed distinguished scholar and adjunct professor at Babson College. James DeLong is the new vice president of the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association. William Even was named South Dakota's new economic development director. The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices has named Chris Hayter as its program director for economic development, a newly created position. Hayter joins NGA from the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing. Bill Johnson, formerly the director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, left his position to become the grassroots coordinator of Gov. Bob Riley's re-election campaign. Doni Ingram, who was the agency's assistant director, is now acting director. Rob Monsees left his position as Gov. Matt Blunt's deputy chief of staff-policy to become the executive director of the Missouri Technology Corporation. The University of Wisconsin-Green…

John Butler, director of the Institute for Innovation and Creativity, was appointed distinguished scholar and adjunct professor at Babson College.