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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.

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.

The Modernization Forum reported on Thursday that Congressional appropriators have agreed to gut the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), the main federal program serving America’s small manufacturers. The move came Wednesday night, despite the pleas of more than 300 members of Congress who supported $110 million in letters to the CJS Subcommittee. The U.S. has lost 2.5 million manufacturing jobs since the beginning of 2001.

Despite more than a year of economic recovery, the economies of well-performing states are still stressed by higher unemployment, lower wage jobs, slower pay growth and declining employer-provided health coverage, reports the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED). In its seventeenth annual Development Report Card for the States, the nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank observes many American families also are still struggling financially.

The University of Arizona Office of Economic Development (UA OED) has released its annual report card on economic growth and development in the Arizona-Sonora region. Funded by the Arizona-Mexico Commission and the Arizona Department of Commerce, Regional Economic Indicators: Arizona-Sonora 2003 monitors economic changes in the Arizona-Sonora region via 33 indicators across four broad areas:

New figures on the proportion of foreign-born workers in science and technology occupations suggest the federal government must "act now" to meet future needs in science, engineering and technology fields, a new National Science Board (NSB) report argues. A sampling from 2000 census figures indicates a larger than previously known percentage of degree-holding, foreign-born professionals working in the U.S.

Unless federal agencies do more to safeguard against financial conflicts of interest in universities, the government may not be able to properly regulate the flow of federally funded research, suggests a new report published by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO). Conflicts of interest, as an issue, is of growing significance for the academic community.

DOE Releases 20-Year Strategic Plan

Last week, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Spencer Abraham outlined the Office of Science's 20-year science facility plan, a roadmap or "wish list" for future scientific facilities to support the department’s basic science and research missions. The plan prioritizes new, major scientific facilities and upgrades to current facilities.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released a table presenting the top 100 cities for NIH awards in FY 2002. Boston and New York City are the only two cities to receive more than $1 billion in NIH funding. Boston’s lead shrank from $140 million in FY 2001 to $14 million in 2002.

The American Association of University Professors has appointed Roger Bowen to succeed Mary Burgan as the association's next general secretary.

Virginia's Institute for Defense and Homeland Security recently named Henry Connors Jr. as its business development director.

The American Association of University Professors has appointed Roger Bowen to succeed Mary Burgan as the association's next general secretary.

Virginia's Institute for Defense and Homeland Security recently named Henry Connors Jr. as its business development director.

Recognizing the economic benefits of engaging young people in science and technology, Ontario's McGuinty government recently launched the Youth Science and Technology Outreach Program. The new program links high school students with researchers to support in-depth mentorship experience and postsecondary career advice.

The Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently released Research Activities of the Department of Transportation: A Report to Congress, identifying DOT’s current and projected research, development and technology priorities.

Glenwood Springs, Colo., is the nation’s most entrepreneurial region, according to a study recently released by the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy and the Edward Lowe Foundation. The region's ranking is based on the Regional Entrepreneurship Index, a measure intended to standardize assessment of entrepreneurship within and across regions.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) is anticipated to release its latest summary statistics for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards soon. Unfortunately, the data typically do not include proposal figures, a useful measure of the general effectiveness or need for SBIR technical assistance and outreach in any given state. For several years, the Useful Stats column of the SSTI Weekly Digest has attempted to rectify this omission and FY 2004 is no exception.

Venture capital investments in Montana may have become a little more attractive last Friday as the Montana House of Representatives passed the Montana Equity Capital Investment Act, moving the legislation to Gov. Brian Schweitzer for his consideration and expected signature.

Tech firms in New Mexico received happy tax news on April 4 as Gov. BIll Richardson signed several bills to encourage economic growth across New Mexico.

New York's Empire Zones Program dodged a veto from Gov. George Pataki as an agreement was met with the legislature to restructure the program. The state budget, signed into law last week, extends the program and allows for an additional 12 zones to be created throughout the state.

Legislation that would extend and expand the federal research tax credit was introduced in the U.S. Senate last month. Senate Bill 627 seeks to make permanent the research credit that was first enacted in 1981 and is set to expire Dec. 31, 2005. The bill, sponsored by Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), also would provide an alternative simplified credit for qualified research expenses and increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit.