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Two economic development reports, one outlining strategic initiatives to transform the state's economy and the other making recommendations for reforming the state's tax programs, were delivered last week to Gov. Jay Nixon. The governor's Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth, launched in May, submitted initial job-creation proposals focused in the areas of advanced manufacturing, energy solutions, bioscience, health science and service, information technology, financial and professional services and transportation and logistics.

Sacramento's Green Capital Alliance reports that the six-county region is now home to 13,000 clean technology jobs and 98 clean energy companies. In a five-year progress report on Sacramento's clean energy cluster roadmap, the group document's Sacramento's rise as one of the country's key hubs for clean energy technology development. The report provides a detailed look at the alliance's efforts to leverage regional partners over the past few years and its immediate plans to expand the region's data gathering and smart grid infrastructure.

The Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation announced its first Women in Science and Engineering Business Idea Competition to encourage female scientists and engineers to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. The competition's goal is totap into the "growing pool of highly educated women who have the potential to start scalable science and engineering-related ventures".

The District of Columbia leads the country in science and engineering (S&E) doctorates awarded per capita, according to the latest data from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Though California awards more S&E doctorates overall, Washington, D.C., has consistently outpaced all states in per capita awards. While 11.47 S&E doctorates were awarded per 100,000 people in the U.S. last year, D.C. institutions awarded 62.54. Other top states include Massachusetts, Delaware, Rhode Island and Maryland.

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Walter Bumphus has been named the next president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges. Bumphus currently serves as a professor in the Community College Leadership Program and chair of the Educational Administration Department at the University of Texas at Austin. Bumphus will begin his tenure with AACC in January.

Governors in Arkansas, Mississippi and Wyoming recently unveiled spending plans for the upcoming year or biennium. Funding for many tech-based investments would be maintained or increased under the governors' proposals. New proposals range from additional funds for energy research at the University of Wyoming to new funding mechanisms for colleges and universities in Mississippi. Funding for S&T efforts in Arkansas would remain level.

Arkansas

It is imperative that the Obama administration create a more coordinated and robust federal energy policy focused on advancing energy innovation, according to a new report by the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). They argue the U.S. must be at the forefront of energy technology to increase economic competiveness, protect the environment and improve national security. In Accelerating the Pace of Change in Energy Technologies Though an Integrated Federal Energy Policy, PCAST outlines several recommendations that could position the U.S.

In Growing New Mexico's Clean Tech Economy, the Clean Technology Commercialization Working Group examines steps that must be taken for New Mexico to capitalize on the state's clean technology opportunity by bridging the funding "valley of death." In a report commissioned by the New Mexico Economic Development Department, the advisory group asserts four high-priority recommendations will accelerate New Mexico's clean technology commercialization.

A survey of medical technology companies and venture capital firms with a presence in the life sciences field revealed that the U.S. is at risk of losing its global leadership position in medtech innovation because of unpredictable, inefficient, and expensive regulatory processes within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Further, survey data indicate that innovators and medical device companies are relocating to other countries in greater numbers to take advantage of more streamlined regulatory processes and lower costs.

Nationwide downturns in durable-goods manufacturing and construction led to declining real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 39 states last year, according to a recent release by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The largest declines were seen in the Great Lakes region, where Michigan, Ohio and Indiana suffered considerable losses in manufacturing. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, Wyoming and North Dakota posted the highest percentage GDP gains. Read the BEA release .

Encouraging university researchers to bring their discoveries to market is a key component of many regional innovation strategies, but entrepreneurial activity by faculty may come at a cost, according to several recent scholarly articles by Andrew A. Toole and Dirk Czarnitzki. Toole and Czarnitzki examined the publication and commercialization histories of U.S. university-based life scientists and found that engaging in entrepreneurial activities tends to lower their publication rate, even after returning to the university full-time.

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Anne Barth has been named the executive director of TechConnect West Virginia.

Joann Rockwell MacMaster has been appointed site director for the Arizona Center for Innovation at the UA Tech Park.

Catherine Renault resigned from her position as director of the Maine Office of Innovation effective December 3.

With an overall projected reserve of about $1.2 billion at the end of the 2011-13 biennium, North Dakota is well positioned to invest in growing economic sectors during a time when most states across the country are cutting programs to fill massive budget deficits. Gov. Jack Dalrymple outlined a budget for the next two years that would capitalize on the state's institutions of higher education and energy industry.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is seeking input from the public and NIH staff on the proposed creation of a new center that would support translational science and consolidate several existing translational research programs. The National Center for Advancing Translations Sciences (NCATS) would support the development of therapeutics and clinical care from basic research discoveries.

U.S. students perform just slightly above or below average in the three categories (reading, math and science) of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) according to a new Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report. The report, Highlights From PISA 2009: Performance of U. S. 15-Year-Old Students in Reading, Mathematics, and Science Literacy in an International Context, provides an assessment of students' educational achievement and their ability to apply that knowledge in real world contexts.

An interagency government initiative was launched last week to promote the nation's renewable energy sector, helping to meet the goals of the National Export Initiative and President Obama's challenge to become the leading exporter of clean energy technologies. Seven government agencies, including the Department of Energy, will lead market research and discovery efforts such as identifying U.S. manufactured energy efficiency products likely to be competitive in global markets and exploring the creation of guides for foreign buyers listing technologies and services available from U.S.

The Philadelphia region increased retention of non-native students (students who are not originally from Philadelphia but attended undergraduate or graduate school in region) by 165% from 2004 to 2010 due to an increase in regional involvement opportunities for students (e.g., volunteer opportunities, internships, off-campus work opportunities and local cultural/entertainment activities), according to a new survey by Campus Philly.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is asking for support in its effort to amend the current federal tax bill to extend the bond finance provisions of the Recovery Act. These provisions include the Build America Bonds, the Recovery Zone Bonds, the elimination of the alternative minimum tax on tax-exempt bonds, extending the Federal Home Loan Bank authority to issue letters of credit on tax-exempt non-housing bonds and continuing the relief offered to bank-qualification 501(c)3 bonds. The Senate version of the bill, which did not extend the provisions, passed on Wednesday.

The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), Community Innovation Services, is seeking a group manager for research. The EI2 Community Innovation Services team supports communities with economic and community development research, analysis and planning. Projects range from strategic planning to workforce analysis, from fiscal impact analysis of new or expanding firms to sustainable development strategies for communities of all sizes.

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama signed the reauthorization of the COMPETES Act, extending the federal competitiveness initiative that provides funding for numerous science, STEM education and commercialization programs. Though the final bill represents a significantly scaled-back version of the legislation passed in May by the House, the final version will allow the programs introduced in the COMPETES Act to continue for another three years.

A $25 million fund providing grants for tech commercialization, matching funds for research, and funding to attract "star" researchers to Virginia's universities is a key component of Gov. Bob McDonnell's $54 million Opportunity at Work agenda presented to lawmakers as part of his amendments to the 2010-12 budget. The governor's budget also includes $5 million for a refundable R&D tax credit and an extra $50 million for higher education directed toward increasing college access and economic development opportunities.

The 11th Annual Tech Talkin' Govs 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 the following states:

Building on the state's seven economic clusters identified to grow the economy through targeted investments in emerging industries, Gov. Gary Herbert is asking lawmakers to provide $500,000 in FY12 to plan and identify for additional projects. The Utah Cluster Acceleration Partnership (UCAP) is a collaboration of leaders from industry, state government, higher education, and workforce charged with developing strategies to develop industry-driven education and training services, leverage resources from higher education to accelerate industry clusters, and identify best practices.

After two years of stagnancy, venture-backed company exits improved dramatically in 2010, according to the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The increase was driven by a record-breaking market for acquisitions and the best quarter for initial public offerings (IPOs) in ten years. NVCA attributes the uptick in IPOs to a surge in Chinese venture-backed companies going public on U.S. exchanges.

Connecticut has certified its first fund manager under the state's revised Insurance Reinvestment Tax Credit program, which has now expanded beyond its focus on insurance-related companies to support early stage and high-tech firms. Advantage Capital Partners has raised $72 million to invest under the revamped program. Fund managers may invest in any Connecticut-based business. One quarter of the investments must support green technology firms, and three percent must go toward pre-seed stage projects.