SSTI Digest

Cian Robinson, executive director of Infotech Niagara, has left the position to consult privately.

Carolyn Stark is the new director of the Austin Technology Council, filling the position vacated by Paul Toprac.

Lara L. Vande Walle is the new president of the Washington DC Technology Council (DC Tech).

While the 2002 election marked the return of Republican control of the U.S. Senate and the departure of a number of governors that had been strong supporters of investing in science and technology (e.g., John Engler of Michigan, Angus King of Maine, and Roy Barnes of Georgia), it may also mark the beginning point of a new group of governors that embrace technology-based economic development as a focal point of their administrations. Of the 24 new governors, 14 outlined specific initiatives designed to build tech-based economies. Holding with tradition, support for science and technology crossed party lines and geographic region. Developing more capital sources for companies was raised by seven during their campaigns. Bringing broadband to all sections of the state was also a common theme with six indicating this as a major goal for their administration. Other areas of emphasis included working to better commercialize university technology, encouraging entrepreneurship, and expanding R&D tax incentives. A sampling of some governors-elect positions on issues of interest to the tech-…

Some of the 200-plus ballot measures decided in the 2002 General Election held Tuesday were dedicated to promoting tech-based economic development (TBED). The results were generally mixed, however. Promoters of Michigan's Life Sciences Corridor were pleased with the failure of an initiative that would have dictated the allocation of the state's tobacco settlement funds, including a smaller amount than the state is currently spending on life sciences research. However, the stock  market's decline over the last two years may have played a role in voters' rejection of several investment-related measures. Below, SSTI highlights some of the TBED- and university-related measures and initiatives that were addressed by voters in a dozen states. Those that passed include the following: Arizona voters passed Proposition 104, which exempts from aggregate state spending limits the revenue derived from a sales tax rate increase for education approved by voters in 2000. Voters in California gave way to Proposition 47, a measure allowing the state to issue $13.05 billion of general…

Biotechnology has enormous potential for North Carolina's future, but the state's economic development strategy must be broader than any single industry and must include growth-from-within strategies, concludes a report published by the Institute for Emerging Issues at North Carolina State University. The institute, a public policy initiative of NC State, is an outgrowth of the college's annual Emerging Issues Forum. Biotechnology and Humanity at the Crossroads of a New Era stems from the 2002 Forum, a panel discussion that resulted in five policy recommendations for North Carolina: Review all science- and technology-driven efforts to spur economic development, strengthening growth-from-within strategies; Increase support for science classes in grades K-12, biomanufacturing at community colleges, and investment in research universities; Develop new ways to boost technology transfer and commercialization; Implement a statewide strategy for the state's colleges and universities to contribute to regional economic development; and, Encourage greater public debate…

An increase in a city's share of college educated workers results in an increase in manufacturing output in that city, according to a report released by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Human Capital Spillovers in Manufacturing: Evidence from Plant-Level Production Functions, authored by Enrico Moretti, bolsters the notion that spillover of knowledge through human capital is important to tech-based economic development (TBED) and that knowledge spillovers play a critical role in many theories of regional growth (i.e. endogenous growth theory, clusters). Moretti is interested in exploring the effect the education of a workforce has on human capital spillovers at the U.S. city level. The author compares the productivity of manufacturing plants to the city's share of college graduates as an indicator of human capital spillovers. Moretti finds that a 1 percent increase in a city’s share of college graduates is associated with a 0.5 percentage point increase in manufacturing output. Moretti's work is based on the notion that if spillovers exist, plants in cities with a higher level…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a statistical report on Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2001. The data show trends in science and engineering (S&E) doctorate awards by S&E field and recipient characteristics, institutions awarding doctorates, and postgraduation plans of recipients. The new NSF report includes an 18-page Table 6, which presents the distribution of doctorates awarded in 2001 by institution, by state and by major field. SSTI has prepared an abbreviated table providing a state-by-state ranking for doctorates awarded by major field. The SSTI table also includes the values and state rankings for the total S&E doctorates awarded per 100,000 residents within each state, using the 2001 population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. SSTI's table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/110802t.htm NSF's Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2001 is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/pubsys/ods/getpub.cfm?nsf03300

We appreciated hearing from so many of our readers that last week's special Digest issue on innovation indices was particularly timely or useful. As an additional resource on the topic, SSTI has prepared three matrices presenting the common indicators included in the national, state and local indicator reports referenced in the issue. These guides may help those working to develop their own S&T report cards or innovation studies to identify more easily how particular indicators are used in the reports. Each matrix is provided on its own webpage, links are provided below. They also will be incorporated in the archived edition of the November 1, 2002 special issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest, which is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2002/110102.htm SSTI's Matrix of Common Indicators for Local Indices: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/localmatrix.htm SSTI's Matrix of Common Indicators for State Indices: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/statematrix.htm SSTI's Matrix of Common Indicators for National Indices: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/nationalmatrix.htm

The Washington Technology Center (WTC), the state's science and technology organization that stimulates growth in the state, is seeking someone to become Federal Program Development Manager. WTC helps Washington companies develop commercially viable technology through statewide programs and services. The purpose of the position is to ensure that appropriate federal programs and funding opportunities are identified and funding secured for WTC programs. The position provides the necessary program development activity to ensure strong and sustainable support of WTC business areas. The person selected for this position must be willing to travel extensively, operating from either Seattle or Washington D.C. Salary and benefits are competitive. Salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. More information, including the full job description, is available at: http://www.watechcenter.org/wtc/employment.html

One of the more common topics in the information requests SSTI receives regards how to do or what are good examples of innovation indices or S&T report cards — compilations of statistics and data presenting a geographic area's standing against similar areas across several metrics thought to be useful guides in assessing economic health or potential for growth. Why is that? Can it simply be dismissed as another example of how America's fascination with superlatives and comparatives pervades nearly every aspect of society? Claims for the biggest, the fastest, the richest, the first, the strongest, the top 100, etc., and the counter arguments against the claims can be found throughout our culture. Are indices the muscle-flexing machismo element of tech-based economic development? Probably not. When done well and often, innovation indices and science and tech report cards actually can serve several beneficial ends for the tech-based economic development community. They can: be useful tools for developing awareness of the condition of a state or regional economy and the…

An important aspect of all indices, regardless of their geographic orientation, is that each is created with a different purpose or goal in mind. As a result, each index has an inherent or implicit bias toward the data collected, the manner in which the data is manipulated and presented, and the conclusions drawn or policy recommendations made. When considering the various indices that have been prepared, it is important to be aware that differences do exist and not to think all the indices are interchangeable. Indices will have some common elements and measurements to them; however, subtle and substantial differences may also exist. For instance, since California holds one-quarter of the nation's population, it can be expected to be number one among the states in most categories that use raw values such as population, gross state product, number of business starts, number of college graduates, etc. If the goal is to present California in such light or to highlight the difference between California and another state with less population, then use of raw numbers can be very powerful. Only…