SSTI Digest

Effective Jan. 1, Donald Kuratko will be executive director for Indiana University's Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Kuratko is currently runs Ball State University's entrepreneurship program.

Reports suggest New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey, resigning his office in mid-November, will be named the first director of the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. Securing funding for the center has been a legislative priority for the Governor this year.

David Winwood is the new director of North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus.

With most of the 2005 budget a likely victim of Congressional inertia as the Oct. 1 fiscal year start date approaches, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the Office of Management and Budget have set the 2006 process in motion by issuing a joint memorandum outlining the Administration's research priorities, should it be re-elected in November. Homeland Security R&D remains the Administration's top research focus with space provided in the memo to single out several priorities areas: Enhancing prevention, detection, treatment, and remediation of nuclear, chemical and biological (particularly genetically modified) threats; Planning for and initiating recapitalization efforts to ensure continuing state-of-the-art capability to test and evaluate next-generation medical countermeasures; Enabling the development of a biosurveillance network integrating human, animal, plant and environmental surveillance and laboratory networks Addressing shortfalls in the development of new drugs and vaccines against foreign animal disease threats; and, Pursuing social and…

For many states, increasing industrial research and development (R&D) within the state's academic research institutions is a priority. Some state tech-based economic development agencies offer financial assistance, such as matching grants to foster greater university-industry research collaboration. Some offer tax credits to companies for research expenditures within the state higher education community. In most cases, industrially supported R&D will be for advanced research that most likely is closer to commercialization or supports technologies already in production. In 2002, the top states for total industrial R&D expenditures at public and private institutions of higher education were California, Texas, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New York, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio, and Florida. Nearly all of these schools also are in the top 10 or so rankings for total academic R&D expenditures. The states with the greatest share of their total 2002 academic R&D portfolio funded by industrial sources reveals a somewhat different list: Alaska ranks first…

New York City Launches Second Biotech Incubator Companies wanting to commercialize new technologies can now bring their companies to Brooklyn, with the June opening of a new technology incubator located near Downstate University's biochemistry department. The Advanced Biotechnology Incubator will eventually house up to 30 companies, according to Eva Brown Cramer, vice president for biotechnology and scientific affairs at Downstate. The $12 million incubator, funded by both government and private sources, is a first for Brooklyn and second to be opened in New York City. The first was opened in 1995 at Columbia University, according to the Daily News. Colorado Incubator Merges With Venture Company, Becomes CTEK In a continuing effort to expand its services throughout the state, the Colorado Technology Incubator, a community-based business catalyst, has merged with Colorado Venture Centers, changing its name to CTEK, the Daily Camera reports. According to Vice President of CTEK, Mike Murphy, part of tacking on ventures to its name means several venture centers and plans for a new corporate office to launch such new community centers are…

Travel and training dollars are limited for most tech-based economic development programs. For many states, these are the first budget items frozen in a cutback. As a result, you need to get the most bang for each dollar spent on professional development for each staff member. Fortunately, SSTI thinks this way too when planning its annual conference, Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow's Challenges. In addition to 30 top-of-the-line breakout sessions during the main conference -- a full slate for your full staff -- we are offering three intensive pre-conference workshops and a behind-the-scenes tour to use your limited training dollars to their fullest potential. Each pre-conference offering could stand on its own as a great learning opportunity on issues critical to successful technology-based economic development. Couple any one of them with SSTI's 8th annual conference and you have the nation's most complete one-stop professional development experience! This year's pre-conference offerings are: Marketing Success: Telling the TBED Story…

ASME is seeking a Project Manager responsible for the research, planning, launch and growth of strategic initiatives in the areas of industry relations/corporate services and young engineers. The individual will play a key role in the project management of strategic initiatives to help meet the priority objectives of the ASME Board of Governors. Responsibilities will include business development and business planning; project management, including developing systems and processes necessary for the tracking and execution of strategic initiatives; management of project teams; and initiating, managing and maintaining relevant customer and outsourcing relationships. Qualifications include a Master's degree or equivalent (MBA preferred), and a minimum of five years relevant experience, association experience preferred. Please email, or fax resume which must include salary requirements to: email: meolal@asme.org Fax: 973.575.5484. A more complete position description can be found at the SSTI website at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm

Former New Mexico Gov. Garrey Carruthers (1987-1990) has been named vice provost for economic development at New Mexico State University. The Louisiana Emerging Technologies Center announced Arthur Cooper will serve as its first executive director. South Carolina Research Authority president Larry Druffel has announced he will retire next year. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius named Howard Fricke to serve as secretary of the state's Commerce Department. Don Hutchinson is the new director of the Mayor's Office of Economic Development for the city of New Orleans. Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell named Marie O'Brien to oversee the Connecticut Development Authority. DC Tech, the Washington DC Technology Council, announced Penny Pickett will be the new president. IEDC's legislative director, Toby Rittner, has been named executive director of the Council of Development Finance Agencies. Jay Tieber is the new president of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds

Former New Mexico Gov. Garrey Carruthers (1987-1990) has been named vice provost for economic development at New Mexico State University.

The Louisiana Emerging Technologies Center announced Arthur Cooper will serve as its first executive director.

South Carolina Research Authority president Larry Druffel has announced he will retire next year.