SSTI Digest

SBDCs slated for $23 Million Increase; FAST Restored

While the federal budget process is a long way from completed for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, last Thursday was a good day for beneficiaries of many programs run through the Small Business Administration (SBA). The U.S. Senate passed an amendment to the budget resolution that will add $130 million to the President's 2007 Budget Request for SBA, bringing the agency to a total of $754 million for next year and including funding for several programs recommended for elimination. Senate Amendment No. 3134 was introduced by Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and John Kerry (D-Mass.), Chair and Ranking Member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The items shown below are among those approved in the Kerry-Snowe amendment for the Fiscal Year 2007 SBA budget. Items the president proposed for elimination are noted in parentheses:

Probably everyone involved in tech-based economic development (TBED) can name at least one research building, innovation center or tech park named after a significant contributor to the project. And has become commonplace individual components of the structure have been named for individual donors: a wing, the auditorium, the foyer, the artwork, the chairs in the board room. The difference between naming rights, endorsements and sponsorships of business marketing, particularly evident in sports, and "patron recognition" in the arts, education and now, TBED, is increasingly blurred.

As that great English bard reminded us, what's in a name?  Naming rights can be a relatively free thing to give away for an organization or institution short of resources to advance its mission. Does it really matter, other than changing the website and stationary, if the Center for Whatever is now the John Q. Public Center for Whatever?

Universities play a central role in supporting regional technology-based economic development and only one small federal grant program focuses each funding cycle toward new models for improving university-centered collaborative innovation strategies. The Partnership for Innovations (PFI) Program within the National Science Foundation (NSF) opened a new round of competition last week, offering funding of up to $600,000 for 10-15 successful proposals.

Created in 2000, the PFI program "seeks to stimulate and capitalize on innovation by catalyzing partnerships among colleges and universities, the private sector, and federal, state and local governments." While each PFI grant must be awarded to a lead university, the role of collaborations and partnerships extending outside the recipient institution is an important component of the program.

In SSTI's second look at the Geographic Area Statistics: 2004 from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Manufactures, SSTI highlights more of the report's key findings, including data on employment, payroll, and average pay per employee. (The first look at 2004 statistics was in the March 6 issue of the Digest.)

In December, SSTI invited those involved in and interested in tech-based economic development to consider becoming a member of SSTI. Membership is growing so fast  that we are proud to announce already reaching the 100th member milestone for our Affiliates and Supporters! Special Recognition goes to our 99th member Northwestern University, Office of the President; 100th member Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, BioBusiness Center; and our 101st member CincyTechUSA.

Thank you to all our members who have made this milestone possible, and may it be a speedy trip to 1,000 from here! There has never been a better time to join SSTI.

Rob Atkinson resigned from the Progressive Policy Institute to become president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a new think tank.

Richard Bendis, an SSTI Board member, is leaving his position as president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia to become president and CEO of True Product ID, Inc..

The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center selected Alan Brown as its executive director.

Anne Conroy was named president of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit agency in New York.

Rob Atkinson resigned from the Progressive Policy Institute to become president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a new think tank.

Richard Bendis, an SSTI Board member, is leaving his position as president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia to become president and CEO of True Product ID, Inc..

The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center selected Alan Brown as its executive director.

Anne Conroy was named president of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit agency in New York.

Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. named Trish Costello as its newest Entrepreneur in Residence.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Robert Cresanti as the Department of Commerce's undersecretary for technology, succeeding Phil Bond as head of the Technology Administration.