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Donald Siegel has accepted a position as professor of entrepreneurship and associate dean with the University of California at Riverside's A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management.

While the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has the recipe for a creative economy - people in creative occupations, industries with a creative workforce, and an environment that supports creativity - it falls short of the national average in more than 75 percent of all creative occupational categories, a new study by the Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture (MPAC) finds.



Creative Connections: Arts, Ideas, and Economic Progress in Greater Phoenix provides an in-depth examination of the region's strengths and weaknesses in building a creative economy and offers recommendations to attract and retain talent to the area. According to the report, Phoenix boasts a workforce of more than 100,000 people in creative occupations, including arts, design, culture and those rooted in new ideas and methods -- science, engineering and advanced technology, for example. These occupations represent 10 percent of the total wages in the region, with average wages of $56,729, compared to $33,705 for the region overall.



The report stresses the importance of building and sustaining creative economies in a global economy. Without a strong flow of innovation, which thrives in creative economies, the regional economy will inevitably falter as other U.S. regions with greater commitment surge ahead, the report states. Also, nations such as China and India are becoming more formidable competitors.



Comparatively, the Phoenix MSA ranks behind Seattle, Austin, San Diego, Dallas, Denver and Portland, respectively, in the percentage of its workforce in creative occupations, according to the report. The region's strengths lie within design, computer science and engineering, and business strategy fields, outpacing the national average for creative employment. However, the region falls short of the national average in more than 75 percent of all categories.



Although the report does not provide a specific action plan, it does outline recommendations for improvement. For example, government at all levels is a necessary and important partner in fostering vibrant communities and environments that nurture creativity, the report states. Both private and public sectors have roles to play to encourage and support innovative and bold entrepreneurial initiatives.



Additionally, the region needs to attract more creative outlets during non-work hours in order to attract and retain talent. Infrastructure and support for creative districts and vibrant "hot spots" is critical to the development and appeal of the region, according to the report.



MPAC evolved from a 2004 study that examined the state of arts and culture in the Phoenix region and its impact on the economy. The goal of the new Creative Connections: Arts, Ideas, and Economic Progress in Greater Phoenix is to demonstrate the relationship of creative industries and the innovation economy. It is available at: http://www.mpacarts.org/publications.php



Links to this report and 4,000 additional TBED-related research reports, strategic plans and other papers can be found at the Tech-based Economic Development (TBED) Resource Center, jointly developed by the Technology Administration and SSTI, at: http://www.tbedresourcecenter.org/.

Lenzie Harcum, former program director at the University of North Carolina SBTDC, is now assistant vice president of biosciences at the NYC Economic Development Corporation.

For the 12th consecutive year, the University of California tops all universities for the most patents for inventions, according to a list recently released by the U.S Patent and Trademark Office. The preliminary list reveals the top 13 U.S. universities receiving the most utility patents during calendar year 2005. All campuses are included in each school's total.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute named Nag Patibandla as director of the Center for Future Energy Systems, a New York State Center for Advanced Technology.

Anne Conroy was named president of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit agency in New York.

Temi Bova is the new director of Union College's U-start technology business incubator in Schenectady, N.Y.

To survive economically in an innovation-based economy, Fresno needs to foster the creativity of its people and attract others into the population, says a recent report from the Fresno Creative Economy Council. While encouraging creativity to spur innovation and economic growth has captured the attention of cities and regions across the continent, how to accomplish that goal is less clear for many. Civic leaders for the central California community of 460,000 believe they have charted an achievable course.

One of the biggest obstacles for products drawing on alternative energy is finding a market big enough to bring the cost down of their new technologies to attract the larger more risk-adverse population of consumers. Californians are stepping up to the challenge after committing to invest nearly $3 billion over the next 10 years to aid in the shift to cleaner power.

Publisher's Note Since 1999, SSTI has reviewed each of the governor's State of the States and inaugural and budget addresses for references involving tech-based economic development. Since 2001, we've provided relevant excerpts as part of the SSTI Weekly Digest. This year's coverage begins with this issue, and as you'll see, it's clear that innovation and workforce are playing a major role in this year's speeches. Our coverage will continue over the next several weeks.

The Southern Arizona Tech Council announced it will merge its programs into the recently created Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc., an integration expected to be mostly completed by June 30, 2006.

In the Dec. 19, 2005 issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest, an editor's note highlighted the mega-investments several states are making to establish themselves as significant players in key research areas. New York's commitment to nanotechnology research in the Albany region, already in the hundreds of millions of dollars with the 2002 recruitment of Sematech North, was one of the examples mentioned.