SSTI's annual conference is already considered by many to be the nation's premier educational and networking experience for the tech-based economic development community. However, the ninth annual conference to be held October 20-21, 2005 - keeping with years past - gives certified economic development professionals even more reason to attend.
Following President Bush's call for the nation to "be aggressive about the deployment of broadband," the Technology Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce recently issued Understanding Broadband Demand — a 25-page paper examining the state of broadband demand and usage in the U.S. and identifying successes, challenges and actions to promote more aggressive uptake.
Joined by actor Christopher Reeve and several of California's leading biotech researchers, Governor Gray Davis Sunday signed legislation designed to promote stem cell research in California.
On Thursday, Illinois Governor George Ryan announced nearly $3 million in state grants for eight Illinois Technology Enterprise Corporation (ITEC) centers, quadrupling the number of ITECs. Funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs (DCCA), the centers assist technology-based start-up businesses and serve as incubators for the new ventures.
A $500,000 state grant approved Thursday by South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow will help create a center in Sioux Falls for fledgling technology businesses.
Cluster-based economic development policy has gained wide acclaim in recent years as interest has grown in utilizing “cluster theory” in economic development. Some have found this idea to be appealing while others have been a bit less receptive of its ideas. Three recently released papers address cluster-based economic development from different angles. The first article explores options for utilizing cluster-based economic development in less advantaged regions.
A regional partnership of economic development organizations, led by the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), announced the launch of the Northwest Technology Investor Network last week. The network is an online forum that links investors and entrepreneurs in the high-tech sector.
True technology growth for Orange County hinges on a broader, more supportive infrastructure, argues the latest research report by the Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance (Larta).
From angel capital to university technology commercialization, there are myriad facets to technology-based economic development (TBED). The key to success lies in a solid understanding of your respective element of the field — from grasping the policy issues to developing effective programs and practices to implementing sound evaluation techniques.
The SSTI Weekly Digest and Funding Supplement will not be published next week as the office will be closed during SSTI's 6th Annual Conference, Building Tech-based Economies: From Policies to Practice on October 1-3.
The next issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest will be released on October 11.
The Association of American Universities has posted the text of a September 17 letter written by Rita Colwell, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), that outlines the Bush Administration's opposition to S. 2817, a bill to double the size of the NSF budget over a five-year period.
The future of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) became clearer on Wednesday with Governor Mark Warner's release of Commonwealth of Virginia Strategic Plan for Technology for 2002-2006. CIT has a lead position for half of the eight initiatives outlined in the 129-page document.
Highlights of "One Virginia," CIT's portion of the plan, call for:
California leads the world in biotech research today and likely will continue to dominate in the years to come according to The Dynamics of California's Biotechnology Industry, a new report from the Public Policy Institute of California. The report concludes that California retains a sharp biotech edge, despite reports of firms leaving the state or establishing plants elsewhere.
A study suggests policies enacted in 1999 to encourage cooperative research, establish tech transfer structures and provide venture capital contributed to a dramatic shift in the biotech topography in France.
As rural America undergoes economic restructuring and communities strive to make the transition from traditional to knowledge-based economies, nurturing innovation is an important strategy that is helping rural areas create an environment for business growth and job creation.
Last week, Kevin Carr, the director of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, announced that he would be leaving his position and NIST effective June 30. Kevin has led the program since 1994, and under his leadership, MEP became the exemplary federal program for working in partnership with the states.
The Illinois Technology Development Alliance (ITDA) is looking for a Venture Development Director for its Chicago office. Duties include management/operations consulting; client’s screening/selection; coordination entrepreneurship mentoring; consulting/technical assistance; technical review of commercial potential of technologies. Qualified applicants must posses an MBA/B.S. in Engineering with at least five years of experience in the fields of business development/consulting.
After being struck down by the Iowa Supreme Court in 2004, the state legislature recently passed legislation re-creating a $500 million version of its Grow Iowa Values Fund. The bills commit $500 million over 10 years to support tech-based economic development and other economic development initiatives. Gov. Tom Vilsack signed the measures on June 10.
The Texas Legislature recently approved $100 million of the original $300 million requested by Gov. Rick Perry for the Emerging Technologies Fund (ETF). Another $100 million is expected to be available from the state's rainy day fund if revenues exceed forecasts.
Catering to high-tech companies built on innovation, the nonprofit regional collaboration dubbed SPARK, hopes to transform Ann Arbor, Mich., into more of an entrepreneurial hub and triple the number of technology jobs within five years.
While the U.S. wrests its way to remain the global leader in nanotechnology (see the May 30 issue of the Digest), some states and regions are wasting no time to secure their own world-class cluster in the field.
"California must continue to increase funding for science and technology in its university systems or risk losing one of its most important comparative advantages," warns the Milken Institute in the State Technology & Science Index: Comparing and Contrasting California.
The relaxation of international trade barriers and increased emphasis on globalization have had significant effects on the world's high-tech manufacturing industry. Two recent papers look at the phenomenon. An Infobrief from the National Science Foundation focuses on the growth of high-tech manufacturing in Latin America and a working paper released by the National Bureau of Economic Research considers the changes in the composition and character of the U.S.
Many states and communities are working to be leading participants in the rapidly growing biotech industries. Investments in academic research facilities and college scholarships to encourage more students to pursue biology and science degrees are among the strategies states are pursuing.
The National Science Foundation recently released the latest edition of Characteristics of Doctoral Scientists and Engineers in the United States, which reports characteristics for 1999. Valuable data is presented in the report on the demographic and employment characteristics of doctoral scientists and engineers in the US.