SSTI Digest

Two recent reports reveal U.S. standing in different global innovation spheres. The U.S. performance in advanced industries has been weak over the last two decades compared to other nations, finds a new Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) report that calls for an economic “moon shot” initiative to help boost U.S. performance. Meanwhile, new regions are entering the top 10 global startup ecosystems but Silicon Valley remains at the top, according to a recent report from Startup Genome. While ITIF found that U.S. output in key advanced industries is low and continuing to decline, it still holds significant market share in industries such as pharmaceuticals, other transportation equipment (aerospace), and IT and other information services (software and Internet companies). In its report, the Hamilton Center on Industrial Strategy at ITIF found that U.S. market share is declining in the sectors of electrical equipment, machinery and equipment, and motor vehicles industries. The decline in U.S. advanced industries has contributed to the overall decline of the U.S. in the global market. This decline has continued so much so that U.S. output would have to…

The venture development organizations BioCrossroads, BioSTL, JumpStart, and LaunchNY recently published their economic impact reports for 2021. These organizations primarily assist businesses from Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, and New York respectively.

Three states — Indiana, California and Arkansas — have recently participated in international diplomacy, creating strategic connections and developing agreements to address climate change and trade barriers with the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada. These recent agreements may suggest a shift toward innovation-focused diplomacy at the state level with nations across the globe. An Indiana and the United Kingdom agreement is marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), which developed a framework to remove barriers to trade and investment. The MOU aims to allow businesses in the U.K. and Indiana to create jobs, export, invest, and expand. Both entities are specifically interested in promoting green trade and accelerating the development of clean technologies in their regions. The U.K. says it hopes to sign more MOUs this year, and Indiana serves as a strategic first choice with its strengths in advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy. The U.K. is not the only nation interested in signing MOUs with U.S. states. An MOU between Arkansas and Israel formed an agreement to encourage cooperation between …

Between 2017 and 2021, 23 percent of proposals submitted to NASA for Phase I SBIR/STTR funding were approved (1,887 awards from 8,360 proposals). The acceptance rate for Phase II proposals, which are generally encouraged or discouraged based on Phase I outcomes, was 58 percent (791 of 1,359 approved). The number of Phase I proposals varies greatly by state. At the upper end of the range, California-based companies submitted approximately 22 percent (1,847) of all Phase I applications to NASA, and Colorado-based companies submitted 8.6 percent (719). At the other end of the range, South Dakota and Puerto Rico both saw only 1 proposal each, while no company in Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska, or North Dakota submitted a proposal to NASA during this five-year period. Phase I acceptance rates by state also have a large variation, ranging from 14 percent (Tennessee) to 100 percent (South Dakota, Puerto Rico). Of states that had two or more proposals, Maine (50 percent), Rhode Island (50 percent), and West Virginia (56 percent) had at least half of the proposals approved. However, of those with 10 or more proposals, Arkansas (39 percent) and New Hampshire (42 percent) stand out…

A recent study found that the use of industrial robots (UIR) can reduce a country’s overall ecological footprint while simultaneously promoting economic growth. This is through timesaving, green employment, and energy upgrading effects that increase as the level of economic development and human capital within the country increases. The researchers also observed that the effect of UIR in reducing the ecological footprint is more evident in countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) – which includes some of the world’s most carbon-intensive nations. Therefore, UIR can simultaneously be used to further economic growth while increasing environmental protection and reducing contributions that accelerate climate change. For this study, a team of researchers from Qingdao University of Science and Technology and Nanchang University assessed industrial robot data for 72 countries between 1993 and 2019. The researchers developed a regression model that uses per capita ecological footprint to measure the ecological environment. The installation density of industrial robots and the operating density of industrial robots are used…

Venture development organizations in Pennsylvania and Columbus recently released their economic impact reports for 2021. The reports from Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP) and Rev1 Ventures show creation and retention of more than 16,000 jobs, $2.1 billion in client revenue, and almost $1.2 billion in capital raised. The Ben Franklin Technology Partners (BFTP), with four organizations located around the state, work with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to support innovative ideas that impact Pennsylvania’s economy. The 2021 Impact Report features data gathered from the four-center Ben Franklin network.   In the report, BFTP stated that their efforts helped create 2,438 jobs and retain 12,923 jobs by client companies. Additionally, BFTP helped launch 380 new products and processes and form 87 new companies. BFTP also helped client companies get 158 patents and software copyrights. Overall, BFTP assisted 1,647 companies, helped generate over $2 billion in sales revenue from client companies and helped secure $917,145,605 in financing for client companies post-BFTP. The report also highlights success stories…

The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program is now accepting applications for the FY 2022 competition. The FAST program provides matching funds to organizations to execute state/regional programs that increase the number of SBIR/STTR proposals leading to an increase in the number of SBIR/STTR awards from women, socially/economically disadvantaged individuals, and small businesses in underrepresented areas - typically rural states. Eligible applicants must be a public entity, organization or individual that intends to use this funding to provide outreach, financial support, and/or technical and business assistance to next generation R&D-focused small businesses in order to increase SBIR/STTR proposals and awards; and, must be endorsed by the appropriate state governor or their authorized designee as the only approved applicant from that state. The notice of funding opportunity is available through grants.gov and more information is available here. The closing date for applications is June 27 with a maximum award of $125,000. Slides and Q&A from a pre-application webinar that was held on June 1…

Spring college enrollment figures released last week by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (Clearinghouse) showed a continued decline with postsecondary enrollment falling to 16.2 million, a 4.1 percent decline from the previous spring. Combined with the 3.5 percent drop in enrollment last spring, the Clearinghouse reported that the undergraduate student body is now 9.4 percent, or nearly 1.4 million students, smaller than before the pandemic. Public sector two- and four-year colleges combined enrolled 71 percent of all students this spring, and experienced the steepest drop (5 percent), with community colleges falling 7.8 percent. Community colleges also suffered the greatest loss in full-time students, losing 168,000 students over the past year, amounting to a 20.9 percent loss (372,000 students) since spring 2020. A few majors saw the number of students increase, namely computer sciences (up 7.8 percent or 37,600 students) and psychology (4.7 percent increase, or 22,600 students). Skilled trades program enrollment also increased at two-year colleges, including construction (+19.3 percent, 11,140 students), mechanic and repair (+11.5 percent, 9…

Even employing a “conservative estimate of spillover jobs”, the Progressive Policy Institute’s updated report on employment related to the App Economy works out to just over one job per published application. Total January 2022 employment reported in PPI’s U.S. App Economy Update, 2022, was estimated at 2.564 million jobs. While up 1.7 percent from the August 2020 update, the figure is only nominally higher than the cited 2.1 million apps launched in 2021 alone. PPI used three job groupings in making their estimate. “Core” app economy jobs include those direct IT-jobs that use skills to “develop, maintain and support mobile applications.” This first group, estimated from related job postings on Indeed, can range from app developers, software engineers, security engineers, and any domestically based help desk support. Indirect app economy jobs comprise the second group and include those non-IT jobs that support core app positions in the same company. The third group, “spillover jobs” is an estimate of any “job in the local economy that is supported either by the goods or services purchased by the enterprise or the income flowing” to workers in the first two groups.…

Moving away from four-year degree programs and toward apprenticeships is one of the recommendations to help ease the workforce shortage experience in the life sciences industry. This and other recommendations are part of a recently released report from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, also known as MassBio, on workforce trends in the life sciences industry in Massachusetts. The report also offers recommendations for short- and long-term solutions and strategies for building the workforce in the life sciences industry in Massachusetts that might have applicability in other regions. The labor market for the life sciences industry in Massachusetts grew by 131 percent between 2006 and 2021, while the overall statewide labor market only increased by about 6.9 percent, according to the report. The report identified a gap between the skills and experience expected and available to firms. While talent competition continues to be high, firms use methods like higher wages, improved benefits, and hybrid work to attract and retain talent. About seven in 10 surveyed firms said they prefer entry-level applicants with bachelor's degrees; however, only 58.8 percent require a…

Between March and April of 2020, the United States saw a massive drop in employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic: from approximately 151 million employees to fewer than 131 million. More than two years since the beginning of the pandemic, surveys suggest a near-complete recovery to pre-pandemic employment levels. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) through March 2022 (the most recent final data published by BLS) reveal an average decrease of just 1 percent in employment across the country as whole since February 2020. While the U.S. is approaching full employment recovery at the national level, 36 states and D.C. continue to lag while 14 and Puerto Rico have surpassed their pre-pandemic employment. As of March 2022, 21 states and territories are within 1 percent of their pre-pandemic employment. Puerto Rico and 14 states have greater employment than in February 2020. On a percentage basis, the regions with the greatest increase are led by Idaho (+5 percent) and Utah (+5 percent), while Texas (+263,000), Florida (+172,000) and North Carolina (+111,000) have seen the greatest absolute increases in employment.   Of the 37 regions that…

New modeling techniques and detailed data helped identify locations across the country with the highest potential for distributed wind energy of all forms. The study, which also modeled opportunities for distributed wind in disadvantaged communities and was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, could help communities transition to a clean energy future. Distributed wind energy refers to wind technologies deployed as distributed energy resources. These technologies are place-based solutions that support individuals, communities, and businesses transitioning to carbon-free electricity. Building on an earlier 2016 study, the 2022 study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) added real-world dimensions for 150 million parcels of property in the United States to size turbines for those locations and improved the model to consider front-of-the-meter wind systems. In front-of-the-meter applications the system is interconnected to the distribution network and provides community-scale energy supply while bolstering the local distribution network. In behind-the-meter applications, the wind system provides on-site generation and…