SSTI Digest

Meriby Sweet has been appointed technology business counselor by the Maine Technology Institute and the Maine Small Business Development Centers.

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) has hired Lara Vande Walle to serve as director of membership and business development.

SSTI Affiliate, the Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC) seeks candidates to become the organization's Vice President for Workforce Education and Development. The senior-level position is responsible for the management of all Catalyst Connection and Pittsburgh Technology Council education programs and services and IT workforce development and recruitment strategies. PTC is looking for a senior professional with 10-15 years experience in workforce development, education, the development of business-education partnerships, federal and state-related workforce initiatives, and in working in or with industry, particularly at the smaller company level. The deadline for submission of resumes is August 31. A more detailed description of the position, including contact information is available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm

With more than 30 sessions and keynote addresses by Michigan Governor John Engler and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development David Sampson, SSTI's Sixth Annual Conference promises to be the year's best and most comprehensive conference on tech-based economic development. Building Tech-Based Economies: From Policy to Practice will be held October 2-3, 2002 in Dearborn, Michigan, with pre-conference activities on October 1. Sessions focus on a variety of topics, including: universities roles' in building tech-based economies, including the spin-off of companies and commercialization of technology, strategies to involve all areas in a tech-based economy, including rural areas, changing approaches to making capital available for tech companies, evaluating the success of tech-based economic development programs, and building support for investing in science and technology. The conference will have a unique blend of three types of sessions: best practices, policy, and roundtable discussion. For the first time, four roundtable discussions will permit a free…

Earlier this week, New York Governor George E. Pataki and NY Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno unveiled a new funding program designed to recognize and support outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show potential for leadership and scientific discovery in the field of biotechnology. The James D. Watson Investigator initiative is part of the $225 million Gen*NY*sis program (Generating Employment through New York State Science), which was created to maximize the R&D potential of the life sciences research being conducted at New York State's public, not-for-profit and private academic research institutions. Russell W. Bessette, M.D., Executive Director of the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR), said, "By creating this unique program, we're encouraging early career biotechnology scientists to stay and conduct their research here in New York State. In doing so, these scientists will be positioned to make the important advancements in biotechnology that will lead to our future economic growth." NYSTAR was…

Two Department of Energy national laboratories and two land-grant universities announced on July 17 that they will work together to form a new research institute for the production of energy and industrial products from biomass resources. The new Northwest Bioproducts Research Institute will combine the talents of DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Washington State University, and the University of Idaho. Under terms of the agreement — signed last month — the participating universities and federal research laboratories will collaborate to form a nationally renowned, multi-disciplinary research and development program. They will examine and develop methods for converting agricultural and food processing residue and wastes into bio-based fuels, power and industrial products, such as chemicals for plastics, solvents and fibers. Industry, processors and growers will be able to use and profit from the institute's products and technologies and, in some cases, will profit from the discoveries through licenses. Using their…

On July 2, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and the Emerging Venture Network (EVN) launched the MBDA Equity Capital Access (MECA) Program to increase minority entrepreneurs access to capital. MBDA hopes the initiative will help address the fact that minority firms receive only two percent of all private equity. The MECA program is one of the first to offer minority entrepreneurs equity capital training of this kind at a national level. The program’s first major project will be a business plan competition organized through the five MBDA regional offices. MBDA and EVN will identify up to 200 entrepreneurs to assess and give a scored evaluation with written comments on strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. Of those 200 entrepreneurs, 25 will be selected to participate in an intensive training session, or "boot camp," where selected applicants will be drilled in the fundamentals of obtaining venture capital. The boot camp will take place during the National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) week-long conference in…

“Failure to improve broadband performance could reduce U.S. productivity by 1 percent per year or more,” concludes Charles H. Ferguson in a recent Brookings Institution policy brief. The July brief addresses the pace of broadband deployment and development in the U.S. and makes several recommendations to further progress. While Ferguson's focus is on national broadband policy, the objective is to increase access to the "last mile" services that enable, for example, videoconferencing, telecommuting, and wireless data services. Addressing last mile service capability is an area of concern for many state and local technology-based economic development initiatives, which hold future competitiveness for many regions will depend on accessibility to the nation's broadband infrastructure. In The U.S. Broadband Problem Ferguson suggests that the broadband industry, unlike other high technology industries, has not shown sufficient technological progress. This lack of advancement is a result of the monopolistic structure of the industry and major deficiencies in policy and regulatory systems among…

The National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) has two new free or low-cost resources for small town leaders and rural development practitioners. Based in Washington, D.C., NCSC conducts research, training and technical assistance to benefit the leaders of U.S. small communities. Technology and Grit at the Grassroots A 68-page guidebook, Technology and Grit at the Grassroots identifies and explores effective technology-based economic development strategies for distressed, rural communities. Concrete guidance on how to put computers, the Internet and advanced telecommunications to good use is distilled from practical research of 14 distressed rural communities and supplemented by recent articles and reports. NCSC is distributing 1,000 guidebooks to interested regional and statewide economic organizations and agencies at a fulfillment price of 93 cents per book. These organizations are asked to give their guidebooks to small town leaders. More information is available at: http://www.smallcommunities.org/ncsc/TechandGrit.htm Thriving Hometowns Network …

Columbus Tech Councils Merge To establish more clout, eliminate confusion and duplication, and cut costs, the Columbus Technology Leadership Council and the Industry & Technology Council of Central Ohio are merging into a new entity, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The details for the new organization, including its new name, will be announced later this year. First Incubator in Memphis Gets New Digs The grand opening of the new location of EmergeMemphis was celebrated last month as the city's only incubator and current 16 tenants moved into a renovated warehouse in the historic district of downtown. The incubator, operated by Memphis Incubator Systems, Inc., was launched in 2000, having received $4 million in initial funding from the Economic Development Administration, City of Memphis, Tennessee Valley Authority, Housing and Urban Development, Tennessee Technology Infrastructure Program, Memphis 2005, and private sector investors. New Grafton, MA Receives Grant for Science Park A $1.895 million grant to the town of New Grafton from…

Several recent reports and testimonies by the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) address issues of importance to many state and local technology-based economic development initiatives. Highlights of six are provided below. The full reports and testimonies can be found at http://www.gao.gov/. Technology Transfer: Several Factors Have Led to a Decline in Partnerships at DOE’s Laboratories (GAO-02-465) April 2002 This report outlines factors that have contributed to a recent decline in the number of cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs), that Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories have entered into with businesses, universities and other partners. Surveying 12 DOE labs, the GAO looked at laboratories’ participation in and funding for technology transfer activities with non-federal entities during the past ten years. The GAO also sought lab managers’ views on barriers that limit technology transfer between DOE labs and potential nonfederal partners. The results validated the decline in CRADA partnerships and also cited managers’ opinions…

You know that feeling you get when you've done something nice for no apparent reason? Or at least the grounds for being good are hidden so deeply within you that you aren't aware of the potential payoff? Well, the annual readers' survey for the SSTI Weekly Digest presents another one of those opportunities to ignite or rekindle that warm inner glow that made the Grinch's heart grow three sizes that day. Think we're overselling the potential positive impact of completing the survey? Only one way to tell: http://www.ssti.org/digestsurvey02.htm [expired] For the record number of you who have completed the survey already, we don't want to interrupt the feelings of bliss, nirvana or absolute oneness with everything right in the universe we know you're experiencing — other than to say soft and humble thank yous. And for those of you tired of these little pleas for help the survey form will be removed from the website on Tuesday, August 6, 2002. One final time, the 11-question, mostly multiple-choice survey is available at: http://www.ssti.org/digestsurvey02.htm […