For three decades, the SSTI Digest has been the source for news, insights, and analysis about technology-based economic development. We bring together stories on federal and state policy, funding opportunities, program models, and research that matter to people working to strengthen regional innovation economies.

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People

Dr. Donald Daniel is the new CEO of the University of Tennessee Space Institute.

People

William Harris is the new president and CEO of Science Foundation Arizona, a recently formed nonprofit organization.

People

Matt Kramer stepped down from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) to become vice president of sales and marketing with a Plymouth health care provider. Kramer served three years with DEED.

People

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute named Nag Patibandla as director of the Center for Future Energy Systems, a New York State Center for Advanced Technology.

People

The State of Maryland has created a new Small Business Programs unit as part of the Governor's Office of Business Advocacy and Small Business Assistance.

People

Team NEO appointed Thomas Waltermire as CEO of the organization, a private sector-led economic development organization that helps to grow companies in Northeast Ohio.

People

Janice Whitehouse was named president of CyberMichigan, an institute within the nonprofit Altarum.

People

The University of Texas at El Paso hired Tony Woo as the assistant vice provost for research and technology transfer.

Tech Talkin' Govs 2006, Part Five

The first four installments of SSTI's look at how tech-based economic development (TBED) will play in the 2006 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, State-of-the-State Address, Mar. 27, 2006 "I also propose a $31 million investment to retain higher education faculty. ... We can plug the brain drain of displaced professors taking higher-paying jobs elsewhere.  Any loss of educators will be followed by a brain drain of students. ...

U.S. Graduate Schools See Large Increase in Applications from Foreigners

Numbers Remain Below 2003 Levels Graduate applications from international students increased 11 percent from 2005 to 2006, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) recently reported. This growth follows a two-year cumulative decline of 32 percent.

South Dakota Sees Progress as Clock Ticks on 2010 Initiative

While many states will lay out strategic plans with quantifiable goals to measure success, South Dakota in 2003 was one of the first SSTI noticed to use a specific target for its gross state product (GSP) as one of the measures. According to the latest annual review, South Dakota officials feel they are making significant strides in its goal of adding $10 billion to its GSP by 2010.

Two Looks at Improving Cross-Border Collaboration

Regardless of their potentially arbitrary nature, the political lines separating jurisdictions can wreak havoc on a region's ability to support innovation. Whether it's a boundary between two communities, two states or two countries, these imaginary lines define real rules of commerce (e.g. by the taxes levied, property values, etc.) as well as intangible concerns and perceptions. In many places, intercommunity rivalries seem to almost spill over from the high school football fields and incapacitate the ability to achieve real change throughout a region. The spillovers of significant economic development investments often pay little attention to political boundaries.