Conference Only seven days remain until the opening of SSTI's 9th Annual Conference in Atlanta. More than 330 of the nation's top thinkers and practitioners for the TBED community will convene at the InterContinental Hotel seeking guidance from their peers.
On Monday, Oct. 31, the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Technology Council, Georgia Institute of Technology, the Council on Competitiveness and the Georgia Research Alliance will host a one-day Southern Technology Innovation Summit at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center in Atlanta.
RTI International, an independent, nonprofit research organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., is seeking someone for the position of economic development analyst.
Due to SSTI's annual conference being held in Atlanta next week, the next issues of the Digest and Funding Supplement are slated for Nov. 7, 2005.
House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY) and Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) recently introduced legislation that would authorize a multi-agency national nanotechnology research initiative. Nanotechnology is one of the top interagency priorities in the Administration's fiscal 2004 proposed budget for non-medical, civilian scientific and technological research and development.
Policymakers must understand the ways in which the information technology (IT) revolution is transforming business operations across both new and traditional industries, according to Paul Sommers and Daniel Carlson, the authors of What the IT Revolution Means for Regional Economic Development, a discussion paper prepared for the Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy.
Several recent project announcements highlight communities using incubators and research parks, some of the tools for technology-based economic development, in specialized formats to capitalize on existing strengths and nurture additional growth of clusters of related tech firms. Such targeted approaches can help to focus other TBED activities for additional benefits.
The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) drafted and approved four reports in 2002. Three of those reports are now available online at http://www.ostp.gov/PCAST/pcast2002rpt.html. Each report was submitted to President Bush and is briefly synopsized below.
The federal role in early-stage technology development (ESTD) is much more important than may be suggested by collective R&D statistics, suggests Between Invention and Innovation: An Analysis of Funding for Early-Stage Technology Development, a report by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Jeff Bond, former long-time manager of the BMDO SBIR program, has been named Acting DoD SBIR/STTR Administrator, replacing the retiring Ivory Fisher.
The University of Nebraska Technology Park has named Steve Frayser as president.
Jeff Bond, former long-time manager of the BMDO SBIR program, has been named Acting DoD SBIR/STTR Administrator, replacing the retiring Ivory Fisher.
The University of Nebraska Technology Park has named Steve Frayser as president.
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has nominated Jack Lavin to run the newly named Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The agency was formerly called the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. Lavin was chief financial officer for Rezco Enterprises.
Greg Main, Oklahoma's former secretary of commerce, has been named president and CEO of the Oklahoma Technology Development Corp., which runs the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center.
Timothy Monger is the new executive director for the Indiana Department of Commerce, Monger replaces Thomas McKenna, who has taken the position as cheif of staff to the Lieutenant Governor.
Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry has named Tulsa businesswoman Kathryn Taylor to serve as Secretary of Commerce. The position oversees the state's economic development, commerce, and tourism activities. David Lopez, a retired officer of SBC Communications, will serve in the voluntary, unpaid position as the Governor's economic development advisor.
William "Sandy" White has been named president and CEO for the Columbus Technology Council.
During the past week, SSTI has made several additions to its website <http://www.ssti.org> that readers may want to note:
Keeping with most years in recent memory, the new federal fiscal year began Oct. 1 without Congress approving a budget for nearly all of the national government. With Hurricane Katrina relief and aftermath putting unprecedented demands on the Treasury and Congress, legislators quickly passed a Continuing Resolution last Thursday and Friday to keep the government open through Nov. 18.
To support innovation and technology with increased accessibility for small-and medium-sized firms, Canada's Minister of Industry, David Emerson, announced a new program that will replace Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC).
Designed to ease the transaction burden on university technology transfer offices and encourage more open and efficient access to research, the Kauffman Foundation recently unveiled iBridge, a web-based platform under the Kauffman Innovation Network.
Representing a substantial federal commitment, the number of tax credits, deductions and exemptions - collectively referred to as "tax expenditures" - has more than doubled since 1974 and needs to be re-examined to evaluate efficiency, effectiveness, and equitability, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Drawing expertise from 53 speakers and panelists from 19 states, SSTI's 9th annual conference - to be held Oct. 19-21 in Atlanta - promises to provide its attendees unparalleled opportunity to learn about the latest and best thinking to encourage state and regional growth through tech-based economic development. Want proof?
Editor's note: Few federal programs that fund research have undergone as much independent review and outside scrutiny as the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology and come out with high marks nearly every time. Yet two more independent papers described briefly below find that ATP funds make a positive difference for spurring innovation and commercializing technology.
The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) has provided the state an 8:1 return on its $78 million investment since 1993, according to From Concept to Commercialization, a new OCAST impact report, and accompanying press release. The state's leading organization for building a tech-based economy finds its client companies also have enjoyed a 90 percent survival rate.