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Tom Wallace has stepped down as president of the Tampa Bay Technology Forum.

Building on the his first economic plan, Vermont Governor James Douglas has announced a second set of proposals to retain and create jobs in the state. The governor's eight-page Creating Jobs for the 21st Century embodies several tech-based economic development elements within the four primary goals outlined below. Some of the highlights include:

The high tech economy of Massachusetts is emerging from the recent recession with its fundamental strengths in science, technology and entrepreneurship in good shape, according to the Executive Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. Significant innovation in the state’s industries, however, is necessary to make up for the jobs lost since 2000, the index states.

The promise of high-wage jobs, increased business competitiveness and wealth creation makes the commercialization of university research a central element in the technology-based economic development strategies of many states, provinces and regions of North America.

A recent survey of 343,336 of the nation's fourth and eighth graders indicates more students are performing better in mathematics, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). In the math portion of NCES' National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), large gains were shown among the lowest 10 percent of fourth grade students and most of the lower-scoring eighth grade students since the study was last conducted in 2000.

The Idaho Economic Development Association has named Jan Rogers as new president.

The Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. has named Klaus Thiessen as its new president.

The Association of American Universities has selected Patrick White as the new director of federal relations.

Two months into the fiscal year and several federal offices of importance to the state and local tech-based economic development community are finally learning how much money they will have available in fiscal year 2004 — once the consolidated appropriations bill is signed by the President in January.

Economic Development Administration (down $2 million from 2003)

Legislation that would authorize $3.7 billion over the next four years for the National Nanotechnology Initiative awaits the President's signature, having cleared Congress before the Thanksgiving Holiday recess. The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (S. 189) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 20, following passage in the Senate two days earlier.

The University of Southern California (USC) will serve as the first Homeland Security Center of Excellence, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week. DHS anticipates providing USC with $12 million over the course of the next three years for studying risk analysis related to the economic consequences of terrorist threats and events.

The risks of identity theft, e-mail viruses, denial-of-service attacks, system glitches and other online hazards can make the average person's reliance on computer systems more of a leap of faith than a bond of trust. To promote research into more dependable, accountable and secure computer and network systems, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a solicitation for the Cyber Trust program, which expects to fund up to $30 million in awards.

Pennsylvania's Tobacco Settlement Investment Board (TSIB) recently approved a commitment of up to $20 million to Birchmere Ventures III LP to invest in life sciences companies based in Pennsylvania. Birchmere Ventures III, a new fund jointly formed by Pittsburgh-based Birchmere Ventures and San Francisco-based Bay City Capital, will raise up to $150 million.

Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced on Monday a new investment initiative to help close the capital gap for the state's early-stage technology businesses. CIT, a state-chartered nonprofit corporation, will launch the Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) on Dec. 15, 2003, to address the funding void created by a recent shortfall of angel capital.

To expand on the state's Centers of Innovation strategy, Gov. Sonny Perdue announced in November the creation of the Middle Georgia Aerospace Innovation Center (MAIC). The center is comprised of numerous partners, including the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism's Office of Science and Technology, the University System of Georgia, private institutions and companies, and the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (ALC).

With $90 million already secured in state and private support, a 400-acre automotive research campus to be developed by Clemson University promises to make South Carolina a hub of the nation's automotive and motorsports industry.

Federal laboratories' ability to contribute to local economic development efforts may depend most on the quality of technical and business assistance they can offer, suggests a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy (OTP). The report, Partners on a Mission: Federal Laboratory Practices Contributing to Economic Development, documents nine programs that go beyond immediate laboratory missions to provide communities with greater access to lab technologies and facilities.

Steve Bryant has been named the project director for the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership in Indiana.

Patrick Rea recently was selected as administrator for the Small Business Administration's six-state region involving Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Steve Bryant has been named the project director for the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership in Indiana.

Patrick Rea recently was selected as administrator for the Small Business Administration's six-state region involving Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Just over a year since its creation, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) has released a strategic plan calling for the state to potentially increase its support for several new tech-based economic development initiatives. IEDC's Accelerating Growth: Indiana's Strategic Development Plan outlines nearly two dozen action items along three themes: innovation, talent and investment.

The metaphor of a pipeline is often used for describing the innovation process and, specifically, the health of a regional innovation system. Sustaining knowledge-based growth requires a steady flow of ideas, people and capital. Often, the flow can be weak in one of these areas -- or clogged by other factors such as lack of key resources or programs.

For the third consecutive year, industrial support of U.S. academic research dropped, according to an April 2006 InfoBrief by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The 2.6 percent decrease in fiscal year 2004 from the previous year is the sharpest yet in the three-year trend, following a 1.1 percent reduction in FY 2003 and 1.6 percent in FY 2002.

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[Editor’s Note: The following discussion regarding the research’s relevance to state and regional TBED policy is SSTI’s. It will not be found in the working paper, nor do we mean to suggest these conclusions were drawn by professors Zucker and Darby.]