SSTI Digest

The Southern Innovation Index, a strategic plan created with the governments of 13 Southern states and Puerto Rico to promote innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth in the South, has been released by the Southern Growth Policies Board, a bipartisan public policy group based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. The index identifies 56 benchmarks and 10-year targets for each of the Southern Growth member states — Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico — to track the progress of technology and innovation initiatives in the region. It includes state-by-state data and summaries relative to the publication's primary goals: Creating a culture of learning throughout the South, in which the acquisition, creation and application of knowledge is viewed as central to health, happiness and prosperity; and, Encouraging and supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. Several benchmarks and targets included in The Southern…

The amount of time a technology-based economic development (TBED) professional can spend out of the office for professional development is limited. So are travel funds. That's why SSTI packs so much into its annual conference — already the largest event in the country dedicated to improving state, local and regional TBED efforts. And the premier conference for the field keeps growing. Since the agenda was printed, one session and additional speakers have been added to the October 2-3 event in Dearborn, Michigan (see below). Building Tech-based Economies: From Policy to Practice is two full days with more than 30 breakout and plenary sessions specifically tailored to meet the professional development needs of those interested in TBED. The updated conference agenda and speaker bios are available on SSTI's website: http://www.ssti.org/conference02.htm [expired] How Did They Do It? Few new TBED initiatives have generated as much discussion and surprise across the country as New York's July announcement regarding the $400-million Sematech North (see the July 19 issue of the SSTI…

Enrollment in graduate-level computer science and computer engineering (CS&CE) programs continued to grow in 2000-01 as the number of new undergraduates majoring in CS&CE declined, according to a survey released earlier this year by the Computing Research Association (CRA). The annual CRA Taulbee Survey of Ph.D.-granting CS&CE departments in the U.S. and Canada discusses trends in enrollment, production, and employment of Ph.D. degrees in CS&CE and provides salary and demographic data for faculty in CS&CE. Except for faculty salary information, which is presented for the current year, data are given for the preceding academic year. The 31st Taulbee Survey reveals the number who entered Ph.D. programs in Fall 2001 increased from 2,062 to 2,702 (31 percent). Meanwhile, those who passed qualifiers increased from 1,119 to 1,244 (11 percent), and those who passed their thesis proposal exams increased from 788 to 917 (16 percent). Total Ph.D. enrollments increased from 7,857 to 8,810 (12 percent) in 2001. Newly declared CS&CE undergraduate majors experienced a…

The Chronicle of Higher Education has released online the 2002-3 Almanac of Higher Education, an annual collection of facts and figures about U.S. colleges and universities. Published annually at the end of August, the Almanac includes data on students, professors, administrators, institutions, and their resources, as well as state-by-state profiles of higher education in the U.S. Included in the Almanac's overview is a look at college enrollment trends, demographics, faculty pay, tuition and fees. The Almanac uses several tables to illustrate such statistical indicators as average tuition and fees, expenditures, state appropriations, state spending on student aid, research spending by universities, and federal funds for research at colleges and universities. The Almanac's faculty and staff section provides a search engine for researching average faculty salaries arranged by academic rank at more than 1,400 colleges, universities, and multicampus systems in 2001-2. Users may narrow their search by choosing a state and selecting the type of institution — doctoral, comprehensive,…

Jerald Coughter, industry director for biotechnology and medical applications for Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), has been named executive director of Governor Mark R. Warner’s Advisory Board for the Virginia Biotechnology Initiative. Ray Gilley, president of Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, has been appointed chairman of Workforce Florida. Caroline Young has been named executive director of the Tennessee Biotechnology Association and director of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation's life science initiative.

Jerald Coughter, industry director for biotechnology and medical applications for Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), has been named executive director of Governor Mark R. Warner’s Advisory Board for the Virginia Biotechnology Initiative.

Ray Gilley, president of Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, has been appointed chairman of Workforce Florida.

Caroline Young has been named executive director of the Tennessee Biotechnology Association and director of the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation's life science initiative.

Golden LEAF, the statewide foundation established in 1999 to use one-half of the state's tobacco settlement for the long-term economic advancement of North Carolina, has announced an $85.4 million economic stimulus package it believes will significantly improve North Carolina's economy and make the state a leader in the biosciences industry. Foundation officials anticipate the public investment stimulating at least $350 million in new private and federal funding biotech activity in the state. The centerpiece of the package is a commitment to invest $42 million in bioscience/biotechnology companies developing or manufacturing their products in North Carolina. If those investments are successful, the Golden LEAF Board anticipates making additional investments of $108 million over the next six years, bringing its total investments in the bioscience sector to $150 million. Other elements of the package include: a $10 million investment in a proposed biodiesel plant in Eastern North Carolina, which Golden LEAF officials say will be a boon to soybean farmers and put the state on the cutting…

Cities predict a stressful future for their budgets, which have been hurt by the economic downturn and the surge in local homeland security spending, according to the annual survey of city finance officers conducted by the National League of Cities (NLC). For the first time since 1993, a majority (55 percent) of the surveyed finance officers said that their cities are less able to meet their city’s financial needs compared to the previous year (2001). The increased pessimism is based on slower-than-expected growth in revenue from sales, income, and tourist-related taxes combined with new responsibilities on homeland security, rising healthcare costs, and increased spending on infrastructure. Also, state budget woes — the National Conference of State Legislatures projects a $57.8 billion gap in revenues for the states — have exacerbated cities’ fiscal plight as states reduce funding to municipalities. Finance officers reported that sales, tourist, and income tax collections fell below budgeted levels in the two quarters following September 11, 2001 (October-December 2001 and January-…

Washington Governor Gary Locke announced the formation of the Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative (NWETC) at a signing ceremony on Wednesday attended by the founding members. The Collaborative is a joint, voluntary effort of business, government, nonprofit, industry and educational institutions in the Pacific Northwest — Avista Corporation, Bonneville Power Administration, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, and Washington Technology Center — who share the common goal to position the region as a recognized leader for innovative research, education and product development for energy technology markets around the world. The NWETC believes that during the coming decades, the U.S. energy infrastructure must make a transition to incorporate innovations in operating strategies, technologies and business models to remain economically viable in today’s global economy. The Collaborative sees three primary national issues driving the need for this change: the 21st century global economy requires an energy infrastructure that is…

Greater Philadelphia First (GPF) and the Science Center, a consortium of 34 regional academic and scientific institutions, have established a major new joint initiative designed to make it easier for science and technology entrepreneurs to start, grow and expand their businesses. Modeled on UCSD CONNECT in San Diego, CONNECT Greater Philadelphia will assist entrepreneurs by linking them with needed business, academic and other resources. GPF, the region's business and civic leadership organization, is an association of chief executives of Philadelphia-area companies and nonprofit organizations. The new initiative will be housed within the Science Center. "We see this as key to growing the Greater Philadelphia region's knowledge-based economy," Sam Katz, CEO of GPF, said in a press statement. "Finding ways to leverage science and technology discoveries as engines of regional economic growth is one of GPF's highest priorities." Science Center President Jill Felix said CONNECT was a natural extension of the Science Center's mission and will serve as an invaluable one-stop shop…