SSTI Digest

Some characteristics that STTI has found to represent a good index would contain some, if not all, of the following: Public involvement and wide ownership of the selection of the measures included and the weighting, if any for the indicators; Clear explanation of how factors are measured or calculated and any weighting that may be used; Explanation of the goals of the index and why certain indicators are included (and possibly why others are not); Examination of trends in the measures over time instead of one-time snapshots; Public dissemination of results; Specific recommendations for action from the study, including identification of responsible parties when appropriate; Follow-up assessment of improvement (every 2-3 years); and, Proper citation of sources.

One of the more popular sections of the SSTI Weekly Digest — according to our annual surveys of readers — are the periodic useful stats, which point to or present comparative statistics across cities or states. Fortunately, because we try to standardize the information for more meaningful interpretation, several of these tables provide useful data for developing a local or state innovation index. The following webpage provides a list of all 56 useful stats articles and tables included in SSTI Weekly Digest since the series began in May 2000: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Indices/usefulstats.htm Additional links that can be helpful in compiling data for innovation indices and that are frequently used in the indices cited in this issue are:. EconData.Net - http://www.econdata.net SSTI Index Page - http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Indices/indices.htm EPSCoR Program State Data Pages - http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/epscor/statistics/start.cfm General Data Population Estimates - Census Bureau - http://eire.census.gov/popest/estimates.php High Technology Definition by Bureau of Labor…

More than $11 million in two New York State Assembly grants will support several new incubators for Brooklyn and Queens. The investments were recently announced by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assembly members representing the two boroughs. A $4 million investment for the creation of a SUNY Downstate Advanced Biotechnology Incubator project aims to spur the development of a new cluster of biotechnology and medical technology companies in Brooklyn. The project will provide affordable space, services and access to resources essential to start-up companies engaged in the commercialization of technologies developed at SUNY Downstate, as well as to other biotechnology and medical start-ups and early stage companies. Once completed, the Advanced Biotechnology Incubator will accommodate approximately 32 new start-up companies that are expected to create an initial 200 jobs, with an estimated 400 new jobs within five years. The second grant, at $7.5 million, will allow the City University of New York (CUNY) to establish the first in a network of high-tech incubator facilities throughout…

Michigan's NextEnergy Center, the central component of Gov. John Engler's $50 million fuel cell initiative, will be located within Wayne State University’s Research and Technology Park in Detroit, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) recently announced. Wayne State is situated in the Woodward Technology Corridor, one of 11 SmartZones located across Michigan. The NextEnergy Center will serve as the nucleus for the NextEnergy Initiative — the Governor's comprehensive economic development plan to make Michigan a leader in the research, development, commercialization and manufacture of alternative energy technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells. The center will help facilitate collaborative research, incubate alternative energy technology companies, and provide industry collaboration for this new technology. “By locating within Wayne State University’s Research and Technology Park, the NextEnergy Center will take advantage of a world-class university, be within the geographical center of the North American auto industry and leverage the substantial funding the MEDC…

Innovation Philadelphia, the public-private partnership dedicated to enhancing the global innovation economy of Philadelphia, has unveiled the first Innovation and Entrepreneurial Index, a comprehensive study examining where Philadelphia stands in relation to key competitors in the Innovation Economy. The Index was compiled by measuring the Philadelphia region against seven other competitor regions: Baltimore, Boston, New York City, Pittsburgh, Research Triangle (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill), San Diego, and Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia. The Philadelphia region scored in the second half of this group. Philadelphia is strongest in terms of a desirable location, due to its proximity to the Washington, D.C. — and its public investment dollars — and New York City, with its private investment capital, according to the Index. Philadelphia also scored well in patent productivity, ranking only behind Boston in number of patents produced between 1992 and 1996 and behind Boston and New York in patents between 1997 and 2001. Twenty-nine indicators were used to compare the regions in the…

With more than 700 facilities around the country, federal laboratories and research centers can provide many resources for communities to tap as they strive to develop tech-based economies: technologies available for transfer and commercialization; facilities and technical staff available to partner with companies and universities for research; and, connections to funding and procurement opportunities. Below are two recent announcements that demonstrate just a couple of the approaches that can be used to nurture a stronger partnership with nearby federal laboratories. Hampton Motorsports Technology Alliance The Hampton Motorsports Technology Alliance is a strategic partnership formed in August 2002 to promote Hampton, VA, and the region's expertise and technology resources to the automotive industry. The Hampton Department of Development, NASA Langley Research Center's Office of Technology Commercialization, Old Dominion University's (ODU) Langley Full Scale Tunnel (LFST) and the Peninsula Alliance for Economic Development comprise the alliance. The alliance saw…

The National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (NCEC) presented on Tuesday the 2002 NASDAQ Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards to entrepreneurship centers at Babson College, Indiana University-Bloomington, and Saint Louis University. The award recognizes achievements and efforts of entrepreneurship centers in the following areas: entrepreneurship research, outreach to emerging ventures, entrepreneurship curriculum, community collaborations, special projects, and overall prestige and recognition in the entrepreneurship field. The award honors centers that have made and will continue to make enormous contributions in advancing entrepreneurship as the force in economic growth throughout the world. Selections are made by a panel of NASDAQ representatives, previous honorees, and distinguished professors of entrepreneurship at some of the leading programs in the country. This year's honorees include the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College, Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Indiana University-Bloomington, and the Jefferson Smurfit…

The use of Congressional earmarks on federal agency budgets to support projects and programs in academic institutions has exploded since 1996, according to statistics compiled by and reported in the September 27, 2002 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. Whether measured by the number of institutions involved (up 27 percent over 2001), the number of individual earmarks (up 35 percent), or the total dollar value involved (up 10 percent), the 2002 federal budget saw a record use or abuse of the technique to circumvent competitive review of proposals. The Chronicle reports there were 1,645 individual earmarks garnering 668 institutions a total of $1.84 billion in 2002. For comparison, 128 schools received a total of $300 million through 215 separate earmarks in fiscal year 1996. Arguably bad public policy smacking of backroom cronyism, earmarks nevertheless have become an integral component of many state and local efforts to develop technology-based economies over the past six years. For states with members of Congress in senior leadership positions, earmarks can…

With more than 1,000 links to socio-economic data sources, EconData.Net provides a convenient and valuable starting point for gathering information to understand regional economies. Funded by the Economic Development Administration, EconData.Net is a 100 percent free website offering easy access to state and sub-state socio-economic data for practitioners, researchers, students and data users in general. EconData.Net provides eight sections on its website to help locate data: Links By Subject - Over 750 links to data are grouped into 10 subject categories. Links By Provider - All links are grouped by the organization that provides the data. What’s New - This page provides details on changes to the website, changes in data series and new listings. For example, this month's issue highlights several sources for gauging the level of R&D activity in a state or region. Ten Best Sites - Lists the 10 best sites in regards to the amount of data and user-friendliness. Data Collections - Provides 150 websites that include multiple data series. Quick Links - A condensed page for…

Minnesota Technology, Inc. (MTI), the state's leading tech-based economic development corporation, currently is searching for a dynamic individual with top-notch skills to help bring federal technology transfer activities to Minnesota companies. The successful candidate will develop partnerships with federal labs, identify opportunities for tech transfer activities, and assist companies with the development of proposals, agreements and licenses, and implement solutions to enhance their ability to compete and grow. Successful applicants will hold a Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Manufacturing/Engineering, Science or related field (advanced degree is preferred). Experience in new technology development and commercialization, and product development; experience with DOD, DOE, NASA, NIST or other federal labs is required. Additional information regarding the position is available on SSTI's job corner: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm

Anthony Armstrong returns to the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund as its new director. Bay Area Regional Technology Alliance (BARTA) has been renamed the TechVentures Network as the Bay Area's leading source of access to financing, business data and services for emerging technology. John Bradley is the Tennessee Valley Authority's as its first chief of economic development. Bradley had been senior vice president of economic development at the Memphis Regional Chamber of Commerce. Randy Goldsmith resigned as President & CEO of the Oklahoma Technology Development Corp to assume the role of President and CEO of the San Antonio Technology Accelerator Initiative. J.A. Hans Roeterink, chief technical officer and vice president of network operations for T-Systems in New York, is the new executive director of the Alaska Science & Technology Foundation. Roeterink begins Nov. 1, succeeding Jamie Kenworthy. Dennis Yablonsky, who has been serving as CEO for both the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse and the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse for most…

Anthony Armstrong returns to the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund as its new director.