Indiana's General Assembly adjourned for the year last week, after passing a $29 billion budget that included more than $100 million for TBED-related programs.
The 2007 Iowa state legislative session has looked very favorably on TBED. One of the centerpieces of Iowa Gov. Chet Culver’s campaign last year was his pledge to "develop the next-generation energy ecomony in Iowa" through a $100 million state fund (see the Feb. 19, 2007 issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest). The Iowa Power Fund was approved by the state’s General Assembly late last month and closely resembles Gov. Culver’s original plan.
A number of crucial TBED initiatives introduced earlier this year by North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven were recently enacted by the state legislature, including a $42 million renewable energy plan, $20 million in new funding for university-based Centers of Excellence, a 25 percent R&D tax credit, and additional investments in research and workforce development.
University administrators most commonly measure success for their technology transfer efforts by revenue generation. Public institutions, however, increasingly have state legislators, governors and local civic leaders expecting those licenses and spinoffs to occur within their political borders. Tech transfer does not always equate to regional economic development to the degree desired by policymakers.
At the 2007 SSTI annual conference, the Trent Lott National Center of Excellence for Economic Development & Entrepreneurship <http://www.trentlottcenter.com/> intends to make an award to the researcher or research team that has made the most significant impact on the field of technology-based economic development in the last five years.
A big week for big cheeses:
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter selected James Ellick to head the Idaho Department of Commerce. Ellick brings a tech perspective to the department, having run four venture capital backed tech companies in Silicon Valley in his past.
Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher named John Hindman, retired former vice president of strategic communications and public affairs for UPS Airlines, to run the state's Economic Development Cabinet.
John Mengacci, CEO of Connecticut Innovations, announced his resignation.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson appointed Fred Mondragon as the director of the state's economic development department. Mondragon had been economic development director for the city of Albuquerque.
New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer nominated Edward Reinfurt to serve as executive director of the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation. Reinfurt has been vice president of the Business Council of New York State, a statewide 4,000-member chamber of commerce, since its founding in 1980.
The 2008 SSTI Annual Conference could come to your city!
Increase your national and international visibility by showcasing the success of your state and/or community’s tech-based economic development efforts to thousands of TBED professionals through SSTI's conference. This is your opportunity to shine in the spotlight.
Some of the host benefits include:
Thank you! Interest in SSTI's 11th annual conference has been extremely high since the agenda was released during the summer, and, as we expected and warned, SSTI will not be able to accommodate walk-in registrations on the day of the event. We apologize for the inconvenience and the missed opportunity this creates for a number of Digest readers.
Washington State is attempting to replicate the success of North Carolina’s Research Triangle in promoting regionalism and industry clusters through a new Innovation Partnership Zones initiative.
The angel market may be showing the first signs of leveling off following four years of moderate sustained growth. Angel investment in U.S. companies fell 6 percent in the first two quarters of 2007, according to the University of New Hampshire's Center for Venture Research (CVR).
The National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices has selected seven states to participate in a year-long policy academy named State Strategies for Promoting Innovative Clusters and Regional Economies. Teams from the seven states – Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oregon and West Virginia – will collaborate with staff from the NGA to create action plans for improving each state’s competitiveness and economy through cluster development.
Announced last week, Ivy Tech Community College will receive a $3.18 million grant for training individuals from a 14-county region in North Central Indiana in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. The grant, a component of the $15 million Indiana Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, will establish the New Pathways to STEM-based Careers program. The New Pathways program will be concentrated into three distinct areas:
Mark Allen was named the new senior vice provost for research and innovation at Georgia Tech. Allen replaces Charlie Liotta, who has returned to the school's faculty.
Mark Allen was named the new senior vice provost for research and innovation at Georgia Tech. Allen replaces Charlie Liotta, who has returned to the school's faculty.
Gov. Linda Lingle announced 18 appointments to the Hawaii Innovation Council, which will work with groups statewide to increase the economic impact of Hawaii's innovation resources. Co-chairmen include Mark Benioff, Ron Higgins and Jay Shidler.
George Burrell resigned as president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia. Kelly Lee, the organization's executive vice president, is running day-to-day operations until Burrell's successor is named.
Jim Cookinham, founder of the Northeast Ohio Software Association and vice president of networks and education for COSE (Council for Smaller Enterprises), said he will retire at the end of 2007.
Eric Cromwell is the new president of Tennessee Technology Development Corp., an organization designed to leverage state, federal and private sector investments in science and technology infrastructure for economic value.
Michael Dailey was elected president of the Maryland Business Incubation Association.
Martin Donnelly has been named the regional director of the South Central Indiana Small Business Development Corp. Former Region Director Brian Kleber resigned earlier this year to take a job in the private sector.