SSTI Digest

The Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) has issued a new study showing Maryland continues to underperform in some key areas of innovation while leading competitor states in other areas.

The Maryland Innovation and Technology Index 2003 is a detailed assessment of the state's technology assets and the degree to which they are reflected in economic performance. Building on its earlier editions in 1999 and 2001, the Index considers Maryland's competitiveness in three broad categories of innovation:

The St. Louis BioBelt announced this week it is well along in launching four new initiatives designed to position the region as a "location of choice" for start-up and evolving plant and life science companies.

Two research and commercialization projects are in the planning and development stages, one located in a 1,000-acre area of midtown-St. Louis called Technopolis and the other located in the City of Creve Coeur in St. Louis County. When finished, these two areas will provide multi-tenant wet lab and related life sciences infrastructure.

A new 225-page report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce examines employer demand for information technology (IT) workers, the IT education and training landscape, and the role of employers and workers in IT education and training. Education and Training for the Information Technology Workforce, mandated by the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act of 2000, highlights five broad findings:

Rosellen Kraus has announced she will be leaving the Central Florida Technology Partnership at the end of the summer.

The Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security has named Hugh Montgomery, Jr. as the consortium's first director, effective July 1.

Neil Shpritz, executive director of the BWI Business Partnership in Maryland, is retiring in October.

Fred Tompkins, professor and interim dean of the University of Tennessee (UT) College of Engineering, has been named interim executive director of the UT Research Foundation.

Rosellen Kraus has announced she will be leaving the Central Florida Technology Partnership at the end of the summer.

The Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security has named Hugh Montgomery, Jr. as the consortium's first director, effective July 1.

Neil Shpritz, executive director of the BWI Business Partnership in Maryland, is retiring in October.

Fred Tompkins, professor and interim dean of the University of Tennessee (UT) College of Engineering, has been named interim executive director of the UT Research Foundation.

With preparations for SSTI's 7th Annual Conference on October 20-22 well underway, we have received many questions from local, regional and state organizations wanting to host the premier event for the tech-based economic development profession in 2004. Because of the increased interest, SSTI has bumped up its schedule for selecting the 2004 site. We are accepting nominations of host organizations and locations for SSTI's 8th Annual Conference until July 11, 2003.

Held in late September or October each year, SSTI’s annual two-and-a-half day event attracts approximately 300 participants from more than 40 states and several countries. The conference is especially designed for those engaged in tech-based economic development on the local, regional, state or national level.

SSTI is declaring its independence from publishing an issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest on July 4. The Digest will resume on July 11.

With the state's current fiscal year winding down and a $1 billion deficit looming for the next one, Ohio has re-emphasized its commitment to building a stronger economic future through research and technology with a series of multi-million grant announcement over the past three weeks.

Part of Governor Bob Taft's Third Frontier Project, the state has competitively awarded nearly $20 million to each of the first three Wright Centers of Innovation. The centers program represents a $500 million, 10-year capital fund to support the construction and furbishing of an unspecified number of research and commercialization facilities associated with the state's academic research community.

The Washington Technology Center (WTC) has created a new program that will make obtaining access to early-stage seed capital easier for companies outside the Puget Sound. WTC is Washington's statewide science and technology organization.

Under a $250,000 award from the federal Economic Development Administration that was matched by WTC, investors and companies in communities such as Yakima, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Bellingham, Port Angeles, Wenatchee and Vancouver will benefit from the two-year program.