While Congress remains in deadlock over another looming budget crisis, there is bipartisan movement on national immigration reform. Last week, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Immigration Innovation Act of 2013 that focuses on reforming immigration law for high-skilled workers and promoting U.S. global leadership in innovation.
Tom McDonnell, President and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation, on Tuesday presented the organization's outlook on the current level of entrepreneurial activity in the U.S.. He began with news that there was growing national consensus that entrepreneurs can help promote growth in the sluggish economy, but cited challenges in capital financing and regulations.
The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) will invest $500M in launching four new technology and innovation facilities this year. Two facilities will be based in Saudi Arabia, and the other two will be built in India and China. SABIC's expansion will bring the organization's number of research facilities around the world to 18.
After dipping just under 50 percent in 2011, California reclaimed its spot as the site of a majority of U.S. venture capital investment last year, according to the National Venture Capital Association/PricewaterhouseCoopers Moneytree Survey. About 53 percent of all U.S. venture capital dollars were invested in California companies in 2012, the largest share captured by the state since the annual survey began in 1995.
In his fifth State of the Union address, President Obama announced education and immigration reform as core issues for his second term and laid out a plan for innovation and job creation policies that would be fundamental drivers for broad-based, long-term economic growth. While acknowledging the need for entitlement reform and deficit reduction, President Obama held firm in his conviction that public investment is necessary to ensure that the United States remains an economic superpower in the 21st century.
Revolutionizing STEM facilities, hiring new faculty, increasing undergraduate enrollment and even planning new dorms to house the anticipated influx of new students are part of Gov. Dan Malloy's proposed $1.5 billion expansion and investment in the University of Connecticut (UConn).
In partnership with local manufacturing firms, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced that it is accepting applications for the Michigan Advanced Technician Training (MAT2) program — a pilot program for high school seniors that will combine paid work experience with an associate's degree in the field of mechatronics.
A new ITIF report authored by Richard Bennett, Robert Atkinson, and Luke Stewart argues that the current negative perception of America's broadband network is inaccurate and that our national position is strong relative to other developed countries. In, “The Whole Picture: Where America's Broadband Networks Really Stand,” the authors argue that negative critics of U.S.
Following up on an announcement made in September, the Citizen and Immigration Ministry of Canada will launch a new visa program on April 1 to recruit innovators and entrepreneurs to the country. The Start-Up Visa Program will connect immigrant entrepreneurs with organizations who will be able to provide services and expertise to these entrepreneurs to help create startup businesses.
Capture national attention. Tell us your story, win an award, attend SSTI's Annual Conference for free, and share on a national platform all of your enviable accomplishments. Those are the simple steps that make up SSTI's 2013 Excellence in TBED awards program. Now in its seventh year, the awards are dedicated to recognizing and showcasing innovative approaches and impressive outcomes from tech-based groups working to improve their state or region's competitiveness. We'll begin accepting applications on April 16 with applications due June 11.
The Office of Budget and Management published a set of proposed reforms to streamline the federal grant process by consolidating the multiple federal regulations with duplicative requirements into a single, comprehensive uniform policy guide. The office hopes to augment efficiency and effectiveness, strengthen oversight and reduce fraud and waste, which is a growing concern.
Several federal agencies have joined forces to launch a new beta website that allows individuals to look at U.S. federal investments in science and engineering from two agencies — the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The R&D dashboard gives users the ability to search and download data on grants issued by the federal government to research institutions (investments) and on output activities (e.g., patents and publications) from federally funded research by state, congressional district and research institution.
Manufacturers across the nation celebrated National Manufacturing Day on Friday and the topic on many people's minds was reshoring.
Mobile app development is emerging as a bright spot in the U.S. innovation economy, according to a report commissioned by CTIA-The Wireless Association and the Application Developers Alliance. The groups estimate that more than 500,000 jobs have been created in the U.S. based on app development since the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. This count includes IT-related jobs in service of app development, non-IT jobs at app companies and jobs in the local economy supported by app developers.
As the private company SpaceX sends its first cargo delivery to the International Space Station, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced close to $500,000 in matching grants in three areas to assist with space transportation infrastructure.
The Air Force Research Laboratory announced that it will commit up to $2.2 million, plus up to an additional $2.2 million in matching funds collected by the recipient organization, to establish a National Nano-Bio Manufacturing Institute for Defense Aerospace, a virtual public-private partnership to spur collaborate research in industrially-relevant nano-bio manufacturing technologies and establish developmental roadmaps for the aerospace manufacturing community. Existing or near-established nonprofit organizations, including institutions of higher education, are eligible to apply.
Angel investment activity continues to recover from the crash that hit startup capital markets in late 2008, according to the latest report from the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research (UNH CVR). During the first half of 2012, the number of ventures receiving angel funding grew by a modest 3.7 percent over the same period in 2011. Healthcare remains the dominant target of angel investments, comprising about a quarter of angel dollars into the first half of the year.
At the upcoming SSTI Annual Conference in Atlanta, SSTI staff will present on the role foundations have played in support of Venture Development Organizations (VDOs), accelerators, and other regional economic development organizations. Through research and interviews with various foundations, SSTI staff have identified nearly 200 examples of foundation grants to organizations that support a regional innovation system.
In 2012, Big Data has become one of the hottest topics in the news and the minds of both government and business leaders. Big Data is the collection and analysis of data that is too big, growing too fast or is too complex for existing information technology systems to handle.
As a part of its Compendium of Evidence on the Effectiveness of Innovation Policy intervention, the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research released a report entitled Fiscal Incentives for Business R&D. The authors advocate how a fiscal incentive for R&D, particularly a tax credit, can be a "flexible instrument that can foster the connectivity within a national innovation system."
At SSTI's 16th Annual Conference, you will have the opportunity to explore comprehensive, flexible programs and innovative, "lean" models to support and cultivate faculty entrepreneurs. Join National Science Foundation's Rathindra "Babu" DasGupta, the University of North Carolina's Judith Cone and Marnie LaVigne from the University at Buffalo as they discuss what universities need to do to create a class of Faculty CEOs. Learn more about this session...
In an effort to develop domestic renewable energy production, the Department of the Interior released details on the Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). PEIS provides an outline for utility-scale solar energy development in six states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah.
Maryland's Innovation Initiative (MII), launched earlier this year, unveiled two inaugural programs on Monday aimed at commercializing technologies at the state's universities. The new Innovation Discovery Program will help universities identify promising technologies and potential collaborations by reimbursing them for the costs of employing on-site, part-time "site miners." The Innovation Commercialization Program will provide cash awards to support research, commercialization planning and product development.
As evidenced in the recent presidential debates and on the campaign trails, STEM teaching and learning is a national priority for maintaining global competiveness. Several universities and foundations have taken the lead, working with partners to design innovative learning tools and create research-based, professional development support for new math and science teachers.
In an era of tightening fiscal constraints, states have to make tough decisions, establish clear economic development funding priorities and transform their economic development models to take advantage of immediate opportunities and position their state for long-term economic growth. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Washington have released state-specific strategic plans that make those tough decisions by focusing their resources on key science & technology (S&T) areas to address the economic impacts of the Great Recession and position the state for future prosperity.