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The TBED community owes a huge debt of gratitude to Thomas Friedman for his 2005 book, The World is Flat. Friedman has helped elevate the issue of innovation, competitiveness, and the U.S. standing therein to the New York Times bestseller list, the Sunday talk shows, and scads of press coverage. Friedman has helped convince pundits and policymakers that the world is flat and the challenges to the U.S. are more serious than ever and are only increasing.

The early bird registration and hotel room block for Investing in a Brighter Future: Building Tech-based Economies, SSTI's Ninth Annual Conference, ends on Tuesday, September 20.  To register for the conference, which is October 20 and 21, you can visit the conference website at http://www.ssti.org/conference05.htm and select the registration form.

Two years ago, Kannapolis, N.C., was reeling from the announcement that Pillowtex Corp, a major textile manufacturer, was filing for bankruptcy. Pillowtex's failure resulted in more than 4,500 jobs lost in just two North Carolina counties and thousands more in the Southeast U.S.

Maryland has a new program to provide loans to early stage technology-oriented companies that are affiliated with the incubation network, Governor Robert Ehrlich announced earlier this month. The $500,000 Working Capital Loan Fund, administered by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), will offer low-interest, flexible term loans of between $15,000 and $50,000 to companies in underserved parts of Maryland.

The growth rates of female sole proprietors in the numbers of businesses, gross receipts, and net income were more than double that of their male counterparts between 1985-2000. However, sole proprietorships were still male-dominated, with male sole proprietors having a larger share of the total number, receipts, and net income, according to a working paper from the Small Business Administration.

Nominations for the 2006 National Medal of Technology can be made up until September 30.  The President of the U.S. presents the prestigious National Medal of Technology to individuals, teams of individuals, or companies who have improved the American economy and quality of life by their outstanding contributions through technology.

House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) recently introduced legislation that would authorize a multi-agency national nanotechnology research initiative. Nanotechnology is one of the top interagency priorities in the Administration's fiscal 2004 proposed budget for non-medical, civilian scientific and technological research and development.

Policymakers must understand the ways in which the information technology (IT) revolution is transforming business operations across both new and traditional industries, according to Paul Sommers and Daniel Carlson, the authors of What the IT Revolution Means for Regional Economic Development, a discussion paper prepared for the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy.

Several recent project announcements highlight communities using incubators and research parks, some of the tools for technology-based economic development, in specialized formats to capitalize on existing strengths and nurture additional growth of clusters of related tech firms. Such targeted approaches can help to focus other TBED activities for additional benefits.

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) drafted and approved four reports in 2002. Three of those reports are now available online at http://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/pcast2002rpt.html. Each report was submitted to President Bush and is briefly synopsized below.

The federal role in early-stage technology development (ESTD) is much more important than may be suggested by collective R&D statistics, suggests Between Invention and Innovation: An Analysis of Funding for Early-Stage Technology Development, a report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

During the past week, SSTI has made several additions to its website <http://www.ssti.org> that readers may want to note:

Jeff Bond, former long-time manager of the BMDO SBIR program, has been named Acting DoD SBIR/STTR Administrator, replacing the retiring Ivory Fisher.

The University of Nebraska Technology Park has named Steve Frayser as president.

Jeff Bond, former long-time manager of the BMDO SBIR program, has been named Acting DoD SBIR/STTR Administrator, replacing the retiring Ivory Fisher.

The University of Nebraska Technology Park has named Steve Frayser as president.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has nominated Jack Lavin to run the newly named Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The agency was formerly called the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. Lavin was chief financial officer for Rezco Enterprises.

Greg Main, Oklahoma's former secretary of commerce, has been named president and CEO of the Oklahoma Technology Development Corp., which runs the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center.

Timothy Monger is the new executive director for the Indiana Department of Commerce, Monger replaces Thomas McKenna, who has taken the position as cheif of staff to the Lieutenant Governor.

Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has named Tulsa businesswoman Kathryn Taylor to serve as Secretary of Commerce. The position oversees the state's economic development, commerce, and  tourism activities. David Lopez, a retired officer of SBC Communications, will serve in the voluntary, unpaid position as the Governor's economic development advisor.

William "Sandy" White has been named president and CEO for the Columbus Technology Council.

Whether you use Outlook, Palm, Day-Timer, Filofax, or Post-Its to keep track of the items on your "To Do" list, make sure these two items on your lists to be wrapped up by next Tuesday, Sept. 20:

While biotechnology focused on medical applications garners most of the attention, agricultural biotechnology is a high priority for a number of states. But ag biotech has generated significant concerns in some regions because of its emphasis on genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Over the past few years, annual surveys from the National League of Cities (NLC) have reported grim findings on the fiscal status of cities across the nation with little hope for turnaround in the near future.

The average budgets for local and regional economic development organizations fell nearly 3 percent between 2004 and 2005, according to the second annual survey by ACCRA.

University R&D is considered a fundamental element of innovation and technological competitiveness. If R&D spending equates to more R&D, then the 10 percent increase between 2002 and 2003 as reported by the nation's academic community to the National Science Foundation (NSF) would be a rosy sign for America's future.