The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) released a five-year report highlighting the progress it has made since its creation in 2007. In that time it has hosted 40 town hall meetings, won a Campaign Excellence Award, released a number of research reports and publications, and has worked with federal, state and local governments to advocate for American Manufacturing.
The Nevada Office of Economic Development, with guidance and funding from the U.S. Treasury Department’s State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), has launched the Battle Born Venture Program. “Battle Born” is a state venture capital program that makes equity and equity-like investments in early stage, high-growth Nevada businesses.
The agenda for the upcoming legislative session unveiled by Gov. Scott Walker promotes investment in technical schools to provide skill development and quickly fill critical needs of employers. The governor outlined a package of eight workforce development bills, which include funding for youth apprenticeships, tuition reimbursement for apprentices and employers, technical education incentive grants, and scholarships for students to attend technical schools. Much of the new investment would augment funding for existing programs.
Last week, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Production in an Innovation Economy (PIE) Commission released its findings from two years of research on how to remove the barriers that prevent the U.S. from turning its strengths in science and research into jobs, businesses and products. In order to ensure that American innovations reach the marketplace, the U.S. must rebuild its manufacturing sector, with particular focus on improving the support ecosystem for smaller advanced manufacturing firms, according to the commission.
Earlier this week, the Securities Exchange Commission’s (SEC) final rules allowing general solicitation went into effect. General solicitation broadly means the public advertisement that an entrepreneur or business is raising capital via the sale of securities (e.g., stock, loans, and bonds).
Many of Washington's programs aimed at enhancing the skills of educators in science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM) fields will continue to receive state support in the coming biennium under Gov. Christine Gregoire's budget proposal - while other TBED initiatives did not fare as well.
The U.S. Census Bureau has released a new data series tracking employment changes at the establishment level. This data allows users to track the expansion and contraction of employment within existing businesses and creation and destruction of jobs through the birth and death of firms. In addition, the Census Bureau has broken down the data by firm size, age, sector and state.
Facing a $2.3 billion deficit in FY 2010, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has proposed a new financing program to promote small business growth through the current financial crisis. Calling it an Economic Stimulus Plan, the governors.'s proposal will target small Florida-based companies with high-growth potential through direct loans and other support services.
SSTI has an effective new learning tool for TBED policymakers and practitioners seeking guidance in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies.
SSTI has an effective new learning tool for TBED policymakers and practitioners seeking guidance in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies.
The technologies developed at the nation's 700 federal laboratories and research centers impact the health, energy, security, and agricultural needs of the country. They have a substantial effect on the economic growth of the U.S., especially as these technologies are commercialized.
SSTI is hosting an informal phone call on Wednesday, May 13 at 2:00 PM EDT to answer your questions about the 2009 Excellence in TBED Awards.
Who should join the call?
Anyone considering submitting an application for the 2009 awards cycle or anyone who wants to learn more about the program will find the call useful.
To help the United Kingdom out of the recession, Alistair Darling, chancellor for the exchequer for the United Kingdom, outlined several significant TBED priorities in his budget address to the House of Commons last month.
Top among them is a £750 Million ($1 Billion USD) Strategic Investment Fund that "will provide financial support, focusing on emerging technologies and regionally important sectors in, for example, advanced manufacturing, digital and biotechnology," Darling said in his address.
The Montana Legislature adjourned last week after passing an $8 billion biennial budget for FY10 and FY11. The state Department of Commerce was allocated $74.9 million over the biennium, $1.7 million more than the governor's request. Newly funded initiatives within the department include $3.7 million over the biennium for workforce training grants through the New Worker Training program, $1.6 million for tribal economic development projects, $2 million for high-performance computing and $2.5 million in FY10 for biomedical research grants.
For nearly every budget issue SSTI has prepared during the first decade of the 21st century, our opening paragraphs read like obituaries. The previous administration was ideologically opposed to the government taking an active role to support economic development, even tech-based economic development, beyond increases for university and federally based research. Spending for federal programs that support regional community and economic growth were slashed repeatedly.