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A competition aimed at helping move innovative ideas from the lab into the marketplace was announced this week by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Economic Development Administration (EDA). In partnership with the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, EDA will award $1 million each to six teams across the nation with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. NSF will award $6 million to SBIR grantees associated with the winning teams.

CEOs and directors of some of the nation's most successful TBED organizations agree... SSTI's Excellence in TBED Award is great way to distinguish your initiative as a best practice and inform key stakeholders of your success. In today's economic climate, we know the importance of effectively communicating the value of your program, and having national recognition to back it up can give you a competitive edge. SSTI now is accepting applications for the 2010 Excellence in TBED Awards, and we want to hear your story. Deadline to apply is June 1.

At the close of the 2010 legislative session in Minnesota this week, several initiatives supporting the state's tech-based economic development agenda were enacted into law. To help make the state more competitive, the Minnesota Science and Technology Authority was established to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for growing the state's economy through investments in science, technology and innovation.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle recently signed several economic development bills intended to spur job creation and high-tech development. The new legislation authorizes additional job creation tax credits, expands the state's enterprise zones program and establishes new incentives for angel investors. Key among the bills is Wisconsin's CORE Jobs Act, which creates and expands a number of tax credits, loan and grant programs for manufacturing, R&D and venture capital investment.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle recently signed several economic development bills intended to spur job creation and high-tech development. The new legislation authorizes additional job creation tax credits, expands the state's enterprise zones program and establishes new incentives for angel investors. Key among the bills is Wisconsin's CORE Jobs Act, which creates and expands a number of tax credits, loan and grant programs for manufacturing, R&D and venture capital investment.

Lawmakers in Georgia and Kansas recently approved scaled-back funding for their states' respective tech-based economic development (TBED) programs in the coming fiscal year. Although many states are struggling to fill large deficits in the aftermath of a national economic downturn, funding for TBED initiatives, even at reduced levels, continues to be a priority for most states as a means to grow and diversify the economy.

Georgia

After at least 40 states made mid-year budget cuts in FY 2010 totaling $22 billion, the prospect for rosier times is after 2012, according to the latest biannual Fiscal Survey of the States conducted jointly by the National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers. The midterm cuts meant states' spending was reduced from $687.3 billion in FY 2008 to $612.9 billion in FY 2010 — at the same time mandatory spending continued to increase. The report indicates FY2011 will be challenging for many states, in spite of modest revenue growth.

The Oklahoma Center for Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) will remain a stand-alone entity after a proposal by Gov. Brad Henry to consolidate the agency within the Department of Commerce failed to win legislative approval. OCAST provides funding and resources to help businesses develop and commercialize technologies. The agency is slated to receive $19.15 million in FY11, a 6 percent reduction from the previous year.

Investments in innovation, research, education and other technology-based economic development priorities have been receiving considerable amplification since President Obama took office last year. For the past 18 months, the key agencies that support R&D and TBED initiatives have been promoting the need to move federal investments in economic development and research more toward innovation. The question is: will the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) let that happen?

Sponsorship opportunities are designed to help your organization build awareness and develop beneficial relationships with the nation's top state and regional tech-based economic development decisionmakers.

Several states recently enacted spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year, which started July 1 for most states. In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law the LA GRAD Act, granting universities more flexibility to raise tuition in return for meeting certain performance goals. Lawmakers in Massachusetts allocated $10 million to continue the state's investment in life sciences, Pennsylvania Gov.

Via Executive Order, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer established the Arizona Commerce Authority, a quasi-public authority, that eventually will replace the Arizona Department of Commerce. A 34-member board comprised mostly of C-level executives, chaired by the governor, will lead the transition from the old department to the new authority. Gov. Brewer earmarked $10 million in federal stimulus dollars to establish the authority.

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin became chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) this week and announced a year-long NGA initiative to increase the number of U.S. students who receive college degrees. The initiative was launched with a report on college completion metrics.

The $68.2 million FY 11 budget approved last week for the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), allows the foundation to continue to provide 10 percent matching funds for research institutions and businesses in order to attract federal, private and industry funds. The budget allocates $29.5 million in FY11 for a matching grants program started with ARRA stimulus funding and $5.2 million for the state's six Centers of Excellence.

What TBED Approaches are Successful in the Current Economy?

The current fiscal pressures on regional technology-based economic development initiatives have been never greater than they are now. And, as the article above points out, things are going to get worse over 2010 and 2011 before they get better.

Additionally, since local communities became proactive partners with their universities, businesses, tech councils, civic organizations, and states to support economic growth through innovation, the need for local TBED never has been greater. Economists and policy wonks agree: the next economy is being built on innovation and technology.

This year as states were wrestling with significant deficits, several proposals to consolidate TBED initiatives with other units of government emerged. The most recently decided was in Connecticut, where the General Assembly did not move forward with a plan to merge the state's two primary financing agencies, Connecticut Innovations and the Connecticut Development Authority to form a new Connecticut Economic Innovations Authority. Gov. Jodi Rell had proposed the consolidation.

Earlier this month, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved $750 million in financing over the next five years to Argentina's federal government for the country's Technology Innovation Program.

Argentina's R&D intensity as gauged by the ratio of R&D expenditures to GDP has increased in recent years, from 0.4 in 2003 to 0.51 in 2007. However, compared to a R&D intensity of 2.3 percent of GDP for OCED countries, Argentina lags considerably behind.

Complete descriptions of these opportunities are available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Congressional conferees on the FY10 Consolidated Appropriations Act picked the higher funding level between the House and Senate versions of the FY10 budget on many line items of interest to the TBED community. Despite its high-wage job potential, direct support for innovation-based regional growth strategies is not as easy to come by in the federal budget as is money for conventional economic development/infrastructure projects.

The FY10 Consolidated Appropriations Act that passed Congress during the past week includes $124.7 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and $69.9 million for the Technology Innovation Partnership (TIP). Both initiatives are within the National Institute of Standards & Technology. MEP is a nationwide network of centers that strives to make U.S. manufacturers leaner, more competitive and more innovative.

To help train future scientists and support cutting-edge research in health and environmental issues, Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is recommending $109.5 million in the FY11 capital budget for the University of Alaska Life Sciences Facility in Fairbanks. The multi-purpose teaching and research facility would house the Department of Biology and Wildlife and accommodate a wide-range of research programs, reports Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

To keep alive the underground deep science laboratory, a National Science Foundation (NSF) research priority for scientific discovery in geophysics, Gov. Mike Rounds is asking lawmakers to approve $5.4 million in special appropriations for bridge funding through May 2011. During his budget presentation to the legislature last week, Gov. Rounds told lawmakers the $35 million allocated toward the effort in 2004 and 2005 would run out this month and $250 million in anticipated NSF funding would not be available until 2011.