SSTI is pleased to give regular Digest readers the first peek at the four intensive pre-conference workshops, which will precede SSTI's 10th annual conference on Nov. 1-2. Registration may be completed online at: https://www.ssti.org/Conf06/registration.htm.
Turning Innovations into Enterprises: A Practitioner's Guide to Technology Commercialization
While money is often downplayed as a motivator for academic researchers, it turns out they are more like the rest of us than some thought, according to a new study from the London School of Economics and Political Science. The more a university shares its royalties with faculty researchers, the more overall licensing income that university earns, the study suggests.
A well rounded K-12 educational system has long been regarded as a prerequisite for robust regional growth. An accessible supply of early stage capital is another key ingredient for entrepreneurship. Can both be accomplished simultaneously?
The Census Bureau recently released a 2005 update for American Community Survey (ACS), the most detailed demographic information available for nearly 7,000 areas including congressional districts, counties, cities and American Indian/Alaska native areas with a population of 65,000 or more.
In 2004, U.S. industry-financed academic R&D totaled more than $2.1 billion -- a $54.9 million decrease from 2003, according to the National Science Foundations Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, Fiscal Year 2004.
Students who receive a bachelor's degree in science or engineering (S&E) frequently find themselves on non-technical career paths, but according to a recent study, most of these graduates later report that their S&E education plays an important role at work. Nearly 73 percent of people whose highest level of education is an S&E bachelor's degree do not work in traditional S&E occupations. However, almost two-thirds of that group report that their current job is related to their degree.
The potential opportunity for bio-based fuels to supplement or supplant some of the nations fossil fuel addiction has enticed two entities with deep pockets - one public, one private - to separately offer $750 million to support research in the growing field. Working independently, both entities are planning to concentrate their investments in only 1-2 research institutions, creating instant anchors for growing localized clusters for the new industry.
There are a number of reasons why developing a business incubation program may be appropriate for your organization or community. Whether it is creating new jobs or developing and commercializing new technologies, business incubators can provide a variety of resources to help ensure that companies succeed. Two new handbooks document some of the best practices and successful business incubation models across the country.
Developing a Business Incubation Program
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez recently announced the creation of a 15-member advisory committee to examine methods used around the country to measure innovation. The panel, dubbed the Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economic Advisory Committee, will be composed of academia and private industry representatives and will convene this fall to identify new ways to assess regional innovation activity and the impact of innovation policies.
In 2004, U.S. academic R&D expenditures totaled $42.9 billion up 7.21 percent from 2003, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, FY 2004. The NSF report details R&D expenditures at public colleges and universities by geographic location, institution, science and engineering fields, and source of funding.
One of the hottest political topics this year is the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to other countries. A Google search on "outsourcing" returns about 4.8 million pages. Reports from Gartner, Forrester Research, McKinsey & Company, AeA, and the Institute for International Economics, among others, have looked at the topic and fed the interest.
American K-12 students are becoming less and less interested in math, science and technology fields. Recent studies reveal that students are increasingly dropping science and math classes and pursuing careers in the arts and social services. Since national and regional competitiveness in high-tech fields depends on a skilled labor market, fueled by college graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, many areas are attempting to generate more interest in these subjects.
A new report released in conjunction with the Fourth International Competitive Brazil Congress gives a positive assessment of the country's potential as a leader in life sciences and provides useful model for competitiveness assessments in other regions. The report, Mechanisms of Innovation and Competitiveness, was prepared by the Center for the Support of Technology Development at the University of Brasilia and coordinated by the five-year-old Competitive Brazil Movement (Movimento Brasil Competitivo, MBC).
Recognizing an immediate need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the adverse consequences of climate change, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have announced their intention to become partners and act aggressively to address climate change and promote energy diversity.
For many areas of the country, the first five years of the 21st century may well be remembered as a period of dramatic economic transformation, or the beginning of one as the rate of change continues at a fast clip. Having statistics for the five-year period of 2000-2005, however, provides the first opportunity for policymakers and academic researchers to look for meaning in the trends.
Cynthia Helphingstine is the new vice president for business development for Inproteo (formerly the Indiana Proteomics Consortium).
Andrea Lohneiss, community development director for Riverhead, N.Y., is leaving to become Suffolk County's commissioner of economic development.
The Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism, in partnership with the University System of Georgia, has appointed Page Siplon and Michael Hale as directors of the Maritime Logistics Innovation Center and the Middle Georgia Innovation Center for Aircraft Lifecycle Support, respectively.
SSTI welcomes Rhiannon Mehring to its staff as a research associate.
Doros Platika is the new chief executive officer for the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.
Sherrie Priesche, the science and technology advisor to New Jersey Governor James McGreevey, has been appointed as the new executive director for the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology.
James Roberson, president of the Research Triangle Foundation for the past 16 years, is retiring at the end of May.
George Swift is the first executive director for the new Southwest Louisiana Partnership for Economic Development.
The University of Vermont announced that Janice St. Onge has joined the Vermont Business Center as the director of business education.
Kay Wade is the new president of the Oklahoma Professional Economic Development Council. Ms. Wade retains her position as director of the Center for Business Development at the Meridian Technology Center.