SSTI Digest

Tucson gains Community Investment Business Center, New Tech Park building The Tucson Citizen reports the second incarnation of the Tucson Technology Incubator, which closed in January, has opened as the Community Investment Business Center. The new center, under the auspices of the Community Investment Corp. and funded partially by the Pima County Industrial Development  Authority, offers business assistance with the aid of five University of Arizona interns and limited office space for client companies, according to the article.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology of the U.S. Department of Commerce has announced it is accepting proposals from organizations in Florida, Hawaii and South Dakota to establish Manufacturing Technology Centers under the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. Approximately $4 million will be available to support these centers.

Currently, the MEP national system consists of over 400 centers and field offices located throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The objective of these centers is to enhance productivity, technological performance, and strengthen the global competitiveness of small- and medium-sized U.S.-based manufacturing firms. Services are provided through the coordinated efforts of a regionally-based manufacturing extension center and local technology resources.

Lloyd Chestnut, vice president of research at the University of Montana is leaving to take the position as vice president for research and technology transfer at the University of North Texas.

Christopher C. Foster is the new state technology coordinator at the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

Chris Matthews is the president of the new Chattanooga Technology Council, which held its official kickoff event earlier this month.

Katherine O'Dea has been named executive director of the Rhode Island Technology Council.

Lloyd Chestnut, vice president of research at the University of Montana is leaving to take the position as vice president for research and technology transfer at the University of North Texas.

Christopher C. Foster is the new state technology coordinator at the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

Chris Matthews is the president of the new Chattanooga Technology Council, which held its official kickoff event earlier this month.

Katherine O'Dea has been named executive director of the Rhode Island Technology Council.

Dr. Leonard Peters is the new director of the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Tom Walker has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center.

Congratulations to Steve Zylstra, his staff and the 1,500-plus members of the Pittsburgh Technology Council as they celebrate the organization's 20th anniversary.

Rhode Island, like nearly every state in the country, is facing a projected budget deficit in FY 2004. To deal with a $175 million or 6.6 percent shortfall, 21 agencies are facing budget reductions in Governor Don Carcieri's first budget request to the Rhode Island General Assembly. However, demonstrating his commitment to "make strategic investments to promote job growth," Gov. Carcieri calls for increased support for several tech-based economic development initiatives. Topping the agenda is doubling funding for the Slater Centers of Excellence program to $5 million in FY 2004. Gov. Carcieri also proposed eliminating the state's graduated licensing fees to help Rhode Island start-up tech firms and spending $800,000 to jump-start two biotech initiatives.

Three-quarters of the nation's cities surveyed by the National League of Cities (NLC) report they are less able to meet their financial needs this year than they were a year ago. This is a sharp increase over the 55 percent of cities that said they were less able to meet financial needs in last year's survey by NLC, the oldest and largest national organization for American cities. The preliminary survey results are based on initial responses from officials in 145 cities to NLC's State of America's Cities Survey on Fiscal Conditions, conducted in February 2003.

Factors contributing to the worsening financial picture in cities include a decrease in aid from state governments. More than one-third of the surveyed cities (36 percent) said the decrease in state funds is the largest source of revenue decline in their cities. At the same time, most cities (81 percent) report they increased spending on public safety in 2003.