SSTI Digest

David Iannucci is the new head of the Baltimore County Department of Economic Development.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano named Gilbert Jimenez to lead the Department of Commerce and has asked Gail Howard to serve as her policy advisor on economic development. Jimenez was Bank One International's Senior Vice President and Regional Manager for Mexico/Latin America. Howard comes to the administration from Arizona State University, where she has served since 1990 as the University's Director of Economic Development and Constituent Outreach.

Charles W. Steger, President of Virginia Tech. has been elected chairman of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology. Paula S. Gulak, Founding Partner of SyCom Technologies, is the new Vice Chairman.

Dennis Yablonsky, chief executive officer for the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, is Governor Ed Rendell's pick to serve as Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

Central California's Regional Technology Alliance has changed its name to the Inland Empire techSOURCE.

Despite, or because of, the continuing fiscal crises facing nearly every state, technology-based economic development remains high on the agendas of most governors, as demonstrated in their recent speeches. Those excerpts pertaining to state efforts to build tech-based economies are provided below. States with Inaugural Addresses during the past 10 days included Kansas, Maryland, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, and Vermont. Governors in Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming gave State of the State Addresses. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, State of the State Address, Jan. 13, 2003 "It is time to stop viewing our universities and community colleges as easy marks to balance the budget. Instead, we must recognize them as epicenters of economic development. They educate the workforces of tomorrow, and their research expands our horizons. "It is time to coordinate our efforts to develop Arizona’s promising tech sector...To achieve the economic…

A new strategic plan focusing on the North Carolina Department of Commerce's four cornerstones of economic development success – a globally competitive workforce, investment in science and technology, a competitive business climate, and attractive communities prepared for economic development – has been released by the state's Economic Development Board. We Are Changing the Way We Do Business seeks to flesh out Governor Mike Easley's vision "One North Carolina," which supports creating high quality jobs. The plan is the result of the 37-member board's effort to examine over a period of 10 months key policy areas affecting the state. Public comment was invited, and each board member served on one of seven committees that addressed such areas as recruitment and retention. In the end, the board stressed improving the state's competitiveness; promoting regionalism with clear, central leadership; cultivating collaborative relationships; and responding to the urgency of North Carolina's unemployment rate, which is fourth highest in the U.S. Seven long-term goals also were named, including:…

With the passage of HB 675, the FY 03-04 Capitol Budget Bill, the Ohio Legislature approved funding for a $100 million Innovation Ohio Revolving Loan Fund and a second $50 million installment for the Wright Brothers Capital Fund. Both measures are key components of Ohio's $1.6 billion 10-year Third Frontier Project — the state's largest-ever commitment to expanding high tech research capabilities and promoting start-up companies to build high wage jobs. The revolving loan program is intended to benefit Ohio companies in such sectors as advanced materials, biosciences and information technology, financing up to 75 percent of a total project. Ranging from $250,000 to $5 million, the loans will fund fixed assets including machinery and equipment, building or leasehold improvements, computers and software. Companies doing business outside of Ohio that agree to locate within the state also will be eligible to receive assistance. The Wright Brothers Capital Fund received its first $50 million allocation from the Ohio Legislature in July 2002. Under the program, competitive grants will be awarded…

Nearly $1.5 million in grants from the OneGeorgia Authority will go toward specific initiatives promoting technology-based economic development in Georgia. The awards are part of almost $7.5 million in grants and loans being awarded to 16 of the state's most economically distressed communities. Among the $1.5 million awarded was a $499,910 grant to the Georgia Medical Center Authority for the development of a 14,820-square-foot Life Sciences Incubator. Located in one of Georgia's premier medical research zones and partnering with the Medical College of Georgia, the incubator is expected to create up to 75 jobs within five years by spinning off entrepreneurial start-up medical companies to Tier 1 and 2 counties located in this economically depressed region. Additional grants of $500,000 and $499,243 were made to other regions for the construction of two technology centers. The centers will nurture start-up technology companies with high growth potential. All of the awards were made possible through Georgia's Equity Program, which helps communities and regions build the necessary…

Since reaching a high point of almost 27,300 in 1998, the number of science and engineering (S&E) doctorates has dropped by 7 percent to just over 25,500 in 2001, reports a 2001 nationwide survey conducted for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The decline since 1998 has led to a rollback of total Ph.D.s to pre-1994 levels, the report states. The data from NSF's Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2001 are a compilation of detailed statistical tables derived from the nationwide Survey of Earned Doctorates, a report of data collected on doctorates conferred in all academic fields at 416 universities. NSF, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Education are the primary funding agencies for the survey, with support from NASA, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Department of Agriculture. The 2001 survey of doctorates reveals the number of total Ph.D.s awarded by U.S. universities dropped to below 41,000 for the first time in nine years. Since 1995, the numbers of non-S&E Ph.D.s awarded have remained nearly constant, staying at just over 15,…

Cluster-based economic development has grown in popularity, but this has not always translated well for rural regions. Many rural areas do not possess the infrastructure necessary for many high-technology industries, and most areas face two major disadvantages — an inability to achieve economies of scale and possess or create a specialized division of labor; and the relocation of the labor force away from rural areas. Emphasizing local knowledge is a key in developing rural clusters, posits Rural Knowledge Clusters: The Challenge of Rural Economic Prosperity, a report released by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. The report explores rural knowledge clusters as a model for rural economies, and while the idea of rural clusters may seem a bit inconsistent, there is evidence that these clusters do exist. Rural clusters differ from industry clusters in that they focus on knowledge, according to the report. The metropolitan industry cluster concept includes knowledge but also focuses on agglomeration, scale economies and interindustry…

Many organizations are wondering if, when and how severe their budgets could be impacted by the economy and the continuing fiscal crises in the states. While foundation endowments also have taken a hit by the stock market slump, several are increasing their contributions in building local or statewide technology-based economies. Two recent examples highlight the trend and point toward a funding path few TBED efforts have fully tapped. Danforth Foundation Commits $117 Million in St. Louis The St. Louis Post Dispatch reported in a Jan. 9 article that the Danforth Foundation, based in St. Louis, has set aside $117 million over the next two years to support regional economic growth in the plant and biomedical sciences. The story states the foundation's board is "soley dedicated to identifying opportunities and making grants that will further research, spin off commercial opportunities and create jobs." "If our region and state seize the opportunities, plant and life sciences can be the economic engine for St. Louis for decades to come," the foundation's chairman John Danforth…