SSTI Digest

Arkansas Biotech Research Threatened With 20% Cut In order to meet the higher priority needs of the state, the Arkansas Tobacco Settlement Commission should reduce its medical research funding by 20 percent, according to an independent report from the RAND Corp. Although the report praised the Arkansas Biosciences Institute for its success in attracting nearly $3 for every dollar of tobacco settlement money spent, it recommends that the commission reallocate 20 percent of its funding to programs aimed at reducing obesity, physical inactivity and cancer.

Peter Abramo has been named executive director of Cameron University’s Center of Emerging Technologies and Entrepreneurial Studies, effective Aug. 30.

Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich has appointed Robert Brennan to succeed Hans Mayer as executive director of the Maryland Economic Development Corporation. Mayer retired after holding the position for 17 years.

James Greenwood will take over as president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization from outgoing president, Carl Feldbaum. Congressman Greenwood has represented the Eighth Congressional District since 1993.

Peter Abramo has been named executive director of Cameron University’s Center of Emerging Technologies and Entrepreneurial Studies, effective Aug. 30.

Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich has appointed Robert Brennan to succeed Hans Mayer as executive director of the Maryland Economic Development Corporation. Mayer retired after holding the position for 17 years.

James Greenwood will take over as president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization from outgoing president, Carl Feldbaum. Congressman Greenwood has represented the Eighth Congressional District since 1993.

Florence Mendelson has resigned as president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based Innovation Works. She will remain in her position through the end of the year, helping to identify her successor and implement plans for fiscal year 2005.

The Purdue Research Foundation has appointed Robert J. Wichlinski as executive director of the new Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana and Kathy DeGuilio-Fox as the center’s business development manager.

One word sums up today's efforts to build tech-based economies: challenging. A restructuring manufacturing base, revolutionary scientific breakthroughs, China and Inda heralding a truly global economy, and tight budgets have left many states and communities simply reacting to change or waiting for better times.

Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow's Challenges, SSTI's 8th Annual Conference, is designed to help policymakers and practitioners meet these challenges head on. On October 14-15 and with pre-conference workshops on October 13, the nation's most widely respected forum for policymakers and practitioners to work and learn together will convene in Philadelphia. This year's conference promises to be even better than ever for the tech-based economic development (TBED) community. Here are a few examples of why:

In the coming weeks, many Digest readers will receive the 24-page full color brochure in the mail. If you can't wait until then or want to make sure you get a copy, a PDF version is available for download on our conference website: http://www.ssti.org/conference04.htm [expired]

Feel free to pass the link, PDF or brochure along to all in your state, region or university, that you think may be interested in attending.

Slate of 30 breakout sessions SSTI's largest offering yet The agenda is packed. Packed with great breakout session topics and engaging presenters. With as many as 30 breakout sessions, this year's conference offers something for everyone. The session titles are provided below. Brief descriptions of each topic are presented in the brochure and will be available our conference website:

The larger conference structure allows us to experiment with some of the sessions, adding elements to improve the event's value for most participants.

Ready to move up to the next skill level? Try our series of Advanced Sessions If you've been in the field a while and have attended SSTI's annual conferences in the past, you may be excited to see we've designed eight breakout sessions to address advanced subject matter within the given topics. The presentations and discussions of those topics identified as Advanced in the descriptions will be tailored specifically to participants already comfortable with the terms and issues that tend to arise.

Please note all conference registrants are welcome to attend any of the 30 breakout sessions offered on Thursday and Friday.

To get your experience at SSTI's annual conference off on the right foot, the City of Philadelphia proudly invites you to enjoy a private evening at its most beautiful and interesting new cultural center — the National Constitution Center. The evocative museum is the first devoted to one of the most important and innovative documents in world history — the U.S. Constitution.

Whether you're unwinding after one of the four pre-conference options or just arriving in the City of Brotherly Love, the Opening Reception affords a wonderful, relaxed environment to reconnect with colleagues and network with other conference attendees, speakers, as well as Philadelphia's government, academic, and corporate leaders.