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Tom Ridge, the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a former governor of Pennsylvania, has been elected chairman of the State Science and Technology Institute's (SSTI) Board of Trustees. As chairman, Ridge will lead the board in providing strategic guidance and oversight of SSTI's operations as the group works to encourage economic growth through science, technology and innovation. "SSTI focuses on issues central to our nation's competitiveness," said Ridge.

The Obama administration today announced the 12 winners of the multi-agency Rural Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. Approximately $9 million in federal funding will help support rural public-private partnerships to promote job creation, accelerate innovation and provide assistance to entrepreneurs and businesses in a wide range of industrial sectors in rural regions across the country.

A bill introduced less than three months ago to spur economic activity through high-impact university-industry R&D projects and provide tools for tech-based startup companies was passed with overwhelming support in the legislature. In addition to the matching fund, the bill includes funding to provide paid internships to startup technology companies and establishes an entrepreneur and startup venture capital mentoring program. Measures to address the state's skills gap and promote manufacturing competitiveness also are included.

Funding is inlcuded for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's regional economic development initiatives under a FY13 budget agreement between the governor and legislative leaders announced earlier this week. This includes a new round of funding for the state's 10 regional councils and university challenge program initiated last year. The agreement also provides a down payment on the Buffalo Regional Innovation Cluster and funding to create a statewide energy initiative.

Six federal departments and agencies today announced a total of $200 million in commitments to support R&D related to the manipulation of large data sets. The Big Data Research and Development Initiative will invest in efforts to improve our ability to extract knowledge from large collections of digital data.

The SBA announced Supplier Connection, a private-public collaboration intended to help small businesses strengthen their revenue streams by gaining access to more than $300 billion in combined supply chain spending by a consortium of 15 of America's largest corporations. Supplier Connection, a free online portal created by the IBM Foundation, allows small businesses to send information about their products and services to 15 large private sector companies.

Last week the Obama administration launched a new Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative housed within the Department of Energy. The initiative will use public-private partnerships to drive an open-source, "smart" manufacturing network that will help U.S. clean energy manufacturing firms reduce costs, increase competitiveness, and boost productivity.

U.S. R&D spending began to rebound in 2011 and 2012 after several years of stagnation, according to new survey data released by the National Science Foundation. During the economic crisis of 2008-10, R&D expenditures froze at just over $400 billion. Newly revised data for 2011 and preliminary data for 2012 indicate that R&D spending began to recover in those years, outpacing U.S. GDP growth. This resurgence, however, has not materialized for all stages of research.

Now in its 14th year, SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2014 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Idaho, Kentucky, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Ted McAleer has resigned as executive director of USTAR. Also Gary Herbert has announced the appointment of former Lt. Gov. Greg Bell as chair of the USTAR Governing Authority. Bell, now president and CEO of the Utah Hospital Association, takes the place of outgoing chair Dinesh Patel.

Angel capital has long played a vital role in state and regional innovation economies, but recent trends in investment capital have pushed angel investment to the fore. As the supply of seed stage venture capital declines in many parts of the country, angels have stepped in to bridge early stage funding gaps for technology startups. Many states have stepped up their efforts to attract and incentivize angel investment. Recent initiatives in Minnesota, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia seek to book seed and early stage capital by working with angel investors.

Funding to universities to compete for endowed chairs and startup funds for a commercialization initiative are among New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez’s proposals for tech-based economic growth in the coming year. The governor also wants lawmakers to expand the state’s angel investment tax credit and reform the Technology Jobs Tax Credit and R&D Small Business Tax Credit to better support startup companies.

Crowdfunding was poised to make a major splash on startup financing in 2013, aided by the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act, a projected explosion in the number of crowdfunding portals and the adoption of state crowdfunding exemptions. However, the crowdfunding industry did not have the anticipated gamechanging impact on startup financing.

The National Research Council has released a report that establishes key indicators for measuring improvement to the U.S. K-12 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education system. The report lays out three key goals for national K-12 STEM education: expand the number of students who pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields, and broaden sector participation for women and minorities; expand the STEM workforce and broaden the participation of women and minorities; and, increase science literacy for all students in the U.S. education system.

In the face of the spiraling unemployment in Greece and Spain, the European Union (EU) received encouraging news regarding the economic recovery of firms across its 27-member states.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee has nominated Deputy Director William Parsons to lead the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation.

Gov. Rick Perry has appointed J. Bruce Bugg, Jr. as president and chairman of the Texas Economic Development Corp.

Gov.-elect Steve Bullock tapped Meg O'Leary to be the Montana Commerce Department director.

Innovation was a key term used in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State address and is referenced heavily throughout his economic development agenda for the upcoming year. The governor proposed creating innovation hot spots, an innovation network and innovation venture capital fund. Efforts would be focused on accelerating technology transfer and providing funds to attract startup companies. Cleantech investments and support for competitive university-based projects that emphasize economic impact also are a priority for the governor.

SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned for its 13th annual edition. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses across the nation. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, and Virginia.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced that it will commit a total of $15 million to Columbia University, the Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) and High Tech Rochester to create three proof-of-concept centers focused on turning university-developed, clean energy ideas into successful businesses. Each regional center will receive $5 million in seed money over the next five years, cost-sharing required, with the expectation of being self-sustaining once NYSERDA funding ends.

Early January 2nd, President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (AFTA) into law after it passed in the House by a 90-vote margin the previous evening. While the deal postponed difficult decisions concerning spending cuts and long-term debt reduction measures by delaying the FY13 sequester until March 1, 2013, AFTA averted steep, across-the-board spending cuts and tax hikes set to take place at the beginning of the year.

Babson University researchers report that nearly half of all the world's entrepreneurs are between the ages of 25-35 years, according to the 2012 edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Also, in all geographic regions, 25-34 year olds reported the highest rates of entrepreneurship. Babson researchers, however, emphasize that large numbers of entrepreneurs are found at all age ranges. Read more...

A new article from Governing magazine is promoting free digital access to public information, or “Open Data,” as a pathway for promoting entrepreneurship and government cost-savings. When governments release free digital public records entrepreneurs can use the information to create apps that provide valuable and profitable services to consumers.

The third installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana and Michigan. Our first two installments were in the Jan. 9 and Jan. 16 issues of the Digest.

Through a combination of new funding in the current budget and legislative measures aimed at coordinating state efforts and measuring progress, Gov. Bob McDonnell hopes to showcase Virginia as the premier destination for entrepreneurs to start or relocate a business. New funding, to the tune of nearly $10 million, would be used to establish a regional accelerator grant program, cybersecurity accelerator, and career pathways development program, among others.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation have announced a five-year $194 million program working with six universities across the country to support the growth of the semiconductor industry. These research centers are: