2026 state legislature races
The 2026 election will be remembered as one that significantly changed the national political landscape. Democrats not only won majorities in the U.S. House and Senate but also had significant wins at the state level. The following is a summary of states that gained trifectas or control of state legislative chambers or upset existing supermajorities, as of the Digest’s publication time.
Mixed results for state taxes, revenues and TBED-related ballot initiatives
SSTI provided an overview of selected ballot initiatives in an Oct. 7 article. With the election behind us, we revisit the topic to see what voters decided.
Keeping a lid on most state revenue options
2026 governors races
NSF invests over $20M in Translation to Practice projects
AgTEC program creates an educational model for workers to adjust to an increasingly automated environment
Useful Stats: A long-term look at research doctorates
In this edition of Useful Stats, SSTI examines Survey of Earned Doctorates data to explore the most common research doctorate fields, the time it takes to earn a doctorate, and the percentage of employment postgraduation.
Does national VC data still matter for regional innovation efforts?
The quick answer is "not really."
Demo day offers a peek at tools of potential value for lab-to-market-ers
With the rapidly changing landscape of AI-assisted technologies and related software designed to improve productivity and efficiency, SSTI is calling attention to an upcoming free, virtual demo day organized by one of our sister innovation organizations that might be useful for technology-based economic development organizations.
NSF wants broad authority to assess if the TIP Directorate is worth public investment
New Skilled Trades Dashboard highlights mismatches across states
Innovation and skilled trades haven’t always been linked in TBED policy discussions, but AI and other technological advances have united the two in many areas. The Alliance for America's Skilled Trades, comprised of many large U.S. corporations, has developed a new dashboard to help policymakers understand where the demand and supply of workers and training do not match. Most importantly, the dashboard also scores which specific trades are seeing the most or least pressure. The dashboard illuminates that the mismatch isn’t limited to the fastest growing states.
Member news for October 22, 2026
State News for October 22, 2026
SBA awards $7 million across nine Regional Innovation Clusters
The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Regional Innovation Cluster (RIC) program is designed to strengthen industry through regional collaboration, shortening the distance between a small business with a product and the prime contractor, manufacturer, or buyer in need. Each RIC is organized around a single industry in a single geographic area. On October 6, 2026, SBA announced over $7 million to create nine new RICs.
Regional Innovation in Action: Federal support is helping to accelerate an emerging industry
Voters in several states to consider big tax issues in November
New report details state efforts related to energy affordability
State News for October 7, 2026
During a fireside chat at the North America Climate Summit on Sept. 22, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that their states have reached an agreement with Quebec to link their carbon markets, eventually allowing the participating signatories to buy, sell, and trade carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions.
USDA shifts REAP to reimbursements for past work
Data Centers: Bipartisan concern & gubernatorial positions
Job Corner
What do innovation indices tell us now that they did not in 2000?
Election 2026: Selecting new governors and redefining the federal-state relationship
This year's gubernatorial elections will do more than determine who occupies governors' offices across the country. They will help shape how states, administrations, and voters navigate a shifting federal landscape and pursue policies designed to advance state priorities, address emerging challenges, and redefine state-federal relationships.
NSF letter answers and generates questions on research funding
To build a new industry from scratch, a company first must prove it has a marketable product
What do turfgrass and grapes have in common? Both are high-volume, high-value crops. And, as field trials by the Pacific Kelp Company are proving, both could also benefit from the nutrients in liquefied kelp extract, a biostimulant product that also could help boost the sales of Alaska kelp with adoption of broader applications.