While there is no question that the economic recession has taken a toll on states' fiscal conditions, the degree by which states are affected can vary widely from one state to another, as evidenced most recently in Arkansas and Georgia. In Arkansas, legislators wrapped up their 2009 session with a plan to distribute a $300 million surplus, while the budget agreement made in Georgia would cut spending by $1.6 billion in the coming year.
South Dakota shows a $3 million TBED investment in strategic research areas can yield impressive results for a state strengthening its position in an innovation-based economy.
The expansion of undergraduate science programs within foreign countries positively affects the number of students from these same countries seeking advanced degrees at U.S. academic institutions. However, as foreign countries experience the maturation and growth of their doctoral-level programs, combined with growing employment opportunities in their economies, the flow of students to the U.S. changes.
Useful stats columns in recent issues of the Digest have characterized academic R&D expenditures from two different angles: those expenditures made from industrial sources of funding (April 1) and total academic R&D expenditures (Mar 25). The primary source for the data was the National Science Foundation's Academic R&D Expenditures series, the compilation of an annual survey NSF conducts of the 680 largest academic institutions in the country.
The complete description of this opportunity and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
With a $25 million funding opportunity currently on the streets for manufacturing and infrastructure research projects, the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) has added three more locations and dates for proposers' conferences next week. The free public meetings will provide general information regarding TIP, guidance on preparing proposals, and the opportunity for questions and answers.
In 2006, three Arizona CEO groups joined forces to create Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz), a nonprofit public-private partnership charged with making strategic investments to support university research, new high-tech businesses, K-12 STEM education and to leverage outside investment. The state provided public support for these efforts through the 21st Century Fund, which in its first year included $35 million for SFAz's grant programs.
Last week the South Carolina Higher Education Study Committee, formed by the General Assembly in 2007, released its action plan to improve postsecondary education and economic opportunity within the state.
Karl Fooks, a past managing director for J.P. Morgan & Co. in Asia, is the new president of the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation. Fooks replaces John Chock who retired last year.
The following were named recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Technology:
The following were named recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Technology:
Gary Carter is stepping down as the executive director of the Tax Increment Financing Commission in Kansas City to become a senior vice president of Davenport One, a regional economic development agency in Davenport, Iowa.
Augustine Cheng was appointed managing director of Arizona Technology Enterprises.
Steve Gage announced he will retire as president of MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, effective July 13. Fatima Weathers will serve as acting president for the manufacturing advocate in Northeast Ohio, beginning July 16.
Craig Heim was named licensing manager for start-up companies at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Victor Hwang, the immediate past president of Larta Institute, has co-founded T2 Venture Capital.
Nick Sacia is the new executive director of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce in St. Augustine, Fla.
Paul Tonko was elected as president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Tonko replaces Peter Smith, whose resignation is effective at the end of June.
Randy Weiss will serve as an entrepreneur-in-residence within the University of Iowa Research Foundation.
The field of nanotechnology is progressing in terms of size and maturity. The federal investment, alone, as proposed by the Administration in the 2008 Budget under the National Nanotechnology Initiative, was $1.45 billion. As public and private sector investments are pumped into this field, distinct concentrations of nanotech activity are being created in regions across the country.
Vermont Governor James Douglas has released a plan to spend some of the state's share of funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on building a stronger base for technology-based growth. The $17.1 million SmartVermont suite of proposals includes funding for technology company loans, lending to small businesses, seed capital for entrepreneurs and support for regional economic development projects.
The Technology Innovation Program (TIP) in the National Institute of Standards and Technology is using its FY09 award competition to support high-risk, high-reward research in civil infrastructure and manufacturing. The program has $25 million available to support as many as 25 new awards. TIP is open to individual small-sized or medium-sized businesses or to joint ventures that also may include institutions of higher education, nonprofit research organizations and national laboratories.
On March 30, the National Institutes of Health announced a new funding opportunity to use up to $100 million of Recovery Act funds to enable academic institutions "to hire, provide appropriate start-up packages, and develop pilot research projects for newly independent investigators, with the goal of augmenting and expanding the institution's community of multidisciplinary researchers focusing on areas of biomedical research relevant to NIH."
Make 2009 your organization's year to be recognized as a national leader in the TBED community!
Though angel investments dropped considerably in 2008, the total number of deals held steady, according to a year-end analysis released by the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research (CVR). Total investments fell 26.2 percent from 2007 to $19.2 billion, while deals fell only 2.9 percent. Deal size, however, declined by 24 percent. CVR concludes that although the current economic climate has not reduced angel activity significantly, it has caused investors to scale back the size of their investments.