SSTI Digest

Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Greg Steinhoff to head the Missouri State Department of Economic Development.

Mel Ustad, current interim vice president for research at the University of South Dakota, is the new director of the state's first Office of Commercialization.

The Kauffman Foundation named Patrick Von Bargen CEO of the Center for Venture Education. Von Bargen was the former managing executive for policy and staff at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.

Tom White, president of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, announced he will resign his position after 28 years with the organization.

Kim Zentz, CEO of the Spokane Transit Authority, announced she will take a one-year position as interim executive director of the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute.

The first three installments of SSTI's annual look at how TBED will play in the 2005 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives on our website: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 24, 2005 "My proposed biennium budget earmarks $20 million in new scholarship funds for the University to ensure that all who can meet the standards and want a higher education can get one. I have also budgeted an additional $25 million for ongoing operations in order to meet what the University believes are its highest priorities...Beyond this, I am proposing tax credits that promote partnerships between the University and business in order to foster world-class research that creates commercial spin-offs and the opportunity for higher paying jobs. "In the wake of 9/11, the state received millions of dollars in federal funds to support employment-related programs. I am requesting that the Legislature authorize us to spend $20 million of that money on The Workforce Development Act, which will improve…

If the success of its funded companies is revealing, the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) has done well to spur innovative activity in Maine, suggests an independent analysis recently released in the state. An evaluation of MTI, a state-supported nonprofit, shows the organization's clientele saw employment grow by 11 percent over the last two years. This rate of growth, which surpassed that of Maine's cumulative 3 percent, resulted in nearly 600 jobs added to the economy. The University of Southern Maine's Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) conducted the evaluation, examining MTI-funded companies that completed their projects prior to June 30, 2004. Employment in assisted companies increased by an average of 300 jobs in both 2003 and 2004, CBER data show. For every dollar of MTI assistance, more than $26 also is leveraged in external financing. The $8.1 million in MTI funds distributed over a three-year period, including 2002, were matched by $16 million in private funds. Recipients also attracted about $194 million from federal government agencies through grants, contracts…

Is Pennsylvania getting enough bang -- or the right bang -- from its investments in promoting a tech-based economy? The state has been one of the nation's leading public investors in technology-based economic development (TBED) for more than 20 years. Programs have evolved and been added over the years as factors affecting innovation and private sector growth changed. The result is now Pennsylvania's researchers and entrepreneurs have a complex portfolio of public-private resources available to them. Understanding the function served by the various TBED policies, programs and TBED initiatives toward transforming the state's economy is a goal of a new report from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Resulting from a collaboration among 35 of the state’s TBED organizations, the 2005 Pennsylvania TechFormation report gauges Pennsylvania’s entrepreneurial position and provides the basis for continued improvement strategies. According to DCED Secretary Dennis Yablonsky, the Commonwealth and its partners will use the report to pinpoint areas for improvement in TBED efforts. …

Goal is improved service delivery, advocacy for tech community To produce a more focused and effective effort in the areas of commercialization and advocacy, the Illinois Coalition has divided into two separate public-private organizations. The coalition’s historical goal of enhancing Illinois’ research structure by advocating for large-scale research and development (R&D) investment will remain the same, while the newly formed entity, the Illinois Technology Development Alliance (IDTA), will work with technology enterprises in accessing capital and establishing growth. The reorganized coalition hopes to improve the flow of federal research dollars by exclusively focusing its efforts on attracting large research grants for labs, universities, and large corporations, and conducting market development activities to pave the way for future contracts. In doing so, the coalition expects to bring more science and technology jobs to the state. According to the coalition, the U.S. Department of Energy has two major projects coming up for bid, the Rare Isotope Accelerator and…

The Kauffman Foundation recently launched "Giving Back to Entrepreneurship," a website dedicated to informing entrepreneurs how they can use their energy and creativity to support their communities and help jumpstart the next generation of entrepreneurs. Giving back can include both financial and service contributions. For example, dedicating one's time and expertise to activities such as mentoring, serving on boards, teaching or contributing to online or print publications for entrepreneurs provides valuable services without a financial commitment. Companies also can provide services such as in-kind donations, which can include products, consulting or office space, sponsoring internships and scholarships, offering employer-sponsored programs, or establishing a company foundation. In terms of a financial contribution, the Kauffman Foundation suggests joining an angel investing group, donating to entrepreneurship education through high school, college, or postgraduate levels, or starting a new foundation. The website provides many features, including a giving scale that displays how…

As a percentage, Silicon Valley has lost more jobs over the past four years than any U.S. metropolitan area since 1939, but evidence shows the region is stabilizing with a return to levels reminiscent of the late 1990s. Funding for venture capital is up, per capita income is increasing, and research and development funding has reached new highs. Yet, the region's most striking feature of late is, perhaps, the way it is growing, according to the 2005 Index of Silicon Valley. The index, recently released by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley, shows the state of the region's economy is a muddled picture depending on how far back one goes to measure it. Since 2004, the results are positive, but medium-term-and-beyond comparisons reveal sharp declines. If one benchmarks the region against pre-dot.com levels, then it would appear the Valley has "resumed an incremental pattern of growth," the authors say. Silicon Valley has experienced a change in how it grows, the index states. It has grown in terms of productivity, but not in terms of jobs, and evolving patterns of housing development attest to the…

Editor's Note: Last week's issue of the Digest included a Recent Research item, Are Leading Firms Team Players? that drew an animated reaction from a reader whose opinion SSTI holds in great respect because of his contributions to improving the understanding and delivery of technology-based economic development initiatives. As a result, Dr. Jerry Paytas, director of the Carnegie Mellon University Center for Economic Development, accepted our request to prepare an alternative review of Andrea Morrison's "Gatekeepers of Knowledge" within Industrial Districts: Who They Are, How They Interact. He is joined in this response by Dr. Donald F. Smith Jr., university director of economic development for Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. SSTI believes this guest article, while rare, is a welcome addition to the Digest. There needs to be greater discourse concerning the practical and policy implications of academic research in the field as well as the validity of conclusions drawn from or within that research -- including our own. The Digest may present the best medium for…