TBED Community of Practice explores the importance of early customer discovery
This week's joint meeting of the Lab-to-Market and Entrepreneurship Development subcommunities of SSTI's TBED Community of Practice focused on how the NSF I-Corps and DOE Energy I-Corps programs help researchers move discoveries beyond the lab and toward real-world use. A central theme was the importance of engaging potential customers early, testing market assumptions, and confirming the existence of a real need before investing significant resources in technology development.
State News for June 25, 2026
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Webinars
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Events hosted by SSTI's Tech-based Economic Development Community of Practice are available to the general public at no cost. Most SSTI webinars are available for free to members and for purchase by others.
What TBED investors need to know about exits
New dashboard may help us understand regional clusters
OMB proposes significant rule changes for grantees and contractors
Recent Research: Are new ideas really getting harder to find?
NSF seeks feedback on the new Tech Accelerators initiative
The U.S. National Science Foundation announced the launch of the NSF Tech Accelerators initiative. As proposed, the accelerators will align to four topics—agricultural technology (AgTech), materials technology (MaterialsTech), ocean technology (OceanTech), and scientific instrumentation (SciTech).
Recent research: Measuring the outcomes of free community college
Tuition-free community college programs have expanded steadily across the country over the past decade. A recent NBER working paper examines one of the earliest examples of a statewide program, asking not just whether free tuition increases enrollment, but also whether it helps more students complete their degrees.
Member News for June 4
The CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) is leading IN AI, an effort to help employers find practical ways to incorporate artificial intelligence to boost productivity and job growth. In cooperation with Gov.
State News for June 4, 2026
Reauthorization of EDA’s popular Build to Scale program introduced
The bipartisan Build to Scale Reauthorization Act of 2026 was introduced on May 15 by Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), along with several co-sponsors. Additionally, more than sixty organizations and associations in 25 states endorsed the bill, which is designed to help Americans move new products, technologies, and medical inventions to market faster.
Nonprofit Venture Development Organizations: what they are and why the approach matters
Over the past 25 years, SSTI has seen a successful model emerge for supporting regional innovation-driven economies that deserves more attention from the TBED community. Successful Venture Development Organizations (VDOs) bring the entrepreneurial mindset of an innovation startup to regional economic growth strategies. VDOs simultaneously deliver multiple value propositions to their target service areas:
Connecting companies to research assets faster: the Tennessee Innovation Exchange model
The Tennessee Innovation Exchange (TNIX) is a statewide initiative designed to make it easier for companies, entrepreneurs, and investors to connect with university research expertise across Tennessee. In this recent TBED Community of Practice webinar, speakers Chuck Layne of LaunchTN and Tom Kissane of Halo Sciences explained how they partnered with six research universities to build a shared digital platform that supports university-industry collaboration and commercialization.
Useful Stats: Fed R&D obligations falter in FY 2025
AI Upskill Accelerator Pilot Program accepting applications
Recent Research: What two new studies tell us about innovation networks
Two recent research papers approach entrepreneurship and innovation from very different perspectives but arrive at a similar conclusion about how regional economies grow and change over time. Keeping technology-based economic development (TBED) initiatives proactively thinking about and addressing that evolution is a central aspect of all SSTI TBED-focused programming. Empirical research, like is discussed below, provides external evidence of how needs are changing and programs may want to adapt.
State News for May 21, 2026
Rep. Haley Stevens leads bipartisan Build to Scale Reauthorization Act to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship in regional economies nationwide
Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11), along with Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), introduced the bipartisan Build to Scale Reauthorization Act of 2026, legislation to extend and strengthen the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) successful Build to Scale program through fiscal year 2030. The bill helps startups grow, strengthens regional innovation hubs, and creates good-paying jobs across Michigan and the country.