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Iowa legislators adjourned the 2009 session last week after voting in favor of Gov. Chet Culver's multi-million dollar I-JOBS initiative, providing $35 million for broadband access and alternative energy projects. The compromise plan approved by lawmakers allocates $715 million for investments in infrastructure, jobs, the environment, and flood relief through the issuance of bonds paid for with gaming revenue and existing tax revenues, according to the governor's office.

The first report from Canada's new Science Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) concludes in the State of the Nation 2008 that the status quo is not good enough and more has to be done to sustain the country's innovation system.

On a per capita basis, R&D obligations from the federal government to U.S. universities and colleges increased by 16 percent from FY 2002 to 2006, rising to $85.30 per person in FY06. Total U.S.

W. Steven Burke is the new president of Biofuels Center of North Carolina.

President Obama announced earlier this week that the U.S. would increase its investment in basic and applied research and science and mathematics education to match the historic levels reached during the height of the space race. The president pledged to raise total government and industry spending on R&D to 3 percent of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), equal to the record set in 1964.

Recent Obama Appointments Related to TBED and Research
Not all of the new appointments to the Obama Administration make headlines, but many are as important for influencing the direction and administration of federal TBED policies and programs as well as the focus of federal science and technology investments. Since March 13, President Obama has announced the following nominations for positions that might influence state and regional TBED practice during the Administration:

The budget agreement passed by Maryland lawmakers earlier this month includes funding for several initiatives in support of Gov. Martin O'Malley's plan to invest more than $1 billion over ten years in Maryland's biotechnology industry. Declining state revenues as a result of the recession were not without their impact, however.

The most recent annual report of Ohio's Third Frontier initiative announced $3.52 billion in non-state resources has been provided for affiliated projects and companies - a nine to one ratio of state dollars leveraged. Since the Third Frontier's creation in 2002, $893 million in state funds have been awarded, with $403 million of that amount expended to date.

As credit and early-stage investment capital become increasingly scarce, more state, regional and local governments and organizations are stepping in to help local entrepreneurs get their companies off the ground. In many cases, offering equity investments is not always an attractive option to the public organization.

The role of a technology incubator or accelerator for supporting nascent firms generally is regarded with the utmost importance by the tech-based economic development community. Tech incubators provide essential resources for startup companies to develop and commercialize new technologies, leading to the creation of high-quality jobs.