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Inconceivable? Unconscionable? Inexcusable? Which word best conveys what is happening to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program? Perhaps all of them. The SBIR program will expire March 20 unless Congress acts before that date.

Several of Gov. Tim Kaine's energy and job creation proposals were included in the approved revisions to Virginia's current two-year budget passed by the General Assembly last month. Lawmakers, faced with a projected $ 3.7 billion deficit, made revisions and incorporated federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to amend the budget.

On Monday, President Obama signed an executive order concerning embryonic stem cell research in addition to signing a presidential memorandum that strengthens the influence of science-based decision making in the executive branch of the federal government.

Savannah's Creative Coast Alliance (TCCa) and the Savannah Economic Development Authority recently announced that they would provide up to one year of free rent for game designers to take up residence at the region's new Game Development and Digital Media Center.

The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation. 

The SBA's Office of Advocacy has produced its 2008 Small Business Profiles for every U.S. state, which assembles from a variety of sources the most recently available data across a number of topics.

Lonnie Emard has been named interim director of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management, a recently formed collaboration of business, academic and economic development organizations intended to build information technology (IT) opportunities in South Carolina.

In a period of tightening budgets, it is important for stakeholders to know that the investments they are making in tech-based economic development are yielding positive economic results - and returning revenue to the state. Recent impact assessments to examine comprehensive TBED programs in three states show how smart these investments have been. More telling, different evaluation models were used in all three states and they each reached similar conclusions: strategic TBED investments can stimulate economic growth.

Today's Digest marks SSTI's 600th issue. The Digest's growth in circulation and coverage over the past 13 years parallels the explosive expansion of activities to strengthen regional economies through technology-based economic development. From its humble beginnings as a two-page fax sent out to 50 people on Friday March 1, 1996, to its current world-crossing circulation now in the thousands, the Digest remains committed to delivering timely information that will help state, local and university TBED practitioners succeed.

As companies across the nation continue to announce massive layoffs during the economic recession, states, localities and private foundations are encouraging entrepreneurial training and providing support services to help create new jobs and assist struggling businesses.

On March 12 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. in San Francisco, SSTI is co-hosting a meeting with officials from the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) that we would encourage you or one of your colleagues to attend. TIP and MEP are two of the most market-driven programs operated by the federal government. Both programs have launched new investments and innovative services in the last year.

As instructed by the White House Office of Management and Budget on Feb. 17, at least 25 of the federal agencies that received funding through the Recovery Act have created recovery webpages to allow easier access for potential grantees to the funding opportunities available through the act. In addition, OMB believes the sites will help keep the distribution process as transparent and trackable as possible.

Through exclusive interviews with Excellence in TBED Award recipients, find out first-hand how these award winning initiatives successfully responded to a critical need by applying innovative approaches to generate substantial economic gains for their region. Recently released podcasts include:

State governments are poised to play a vital role in the economic recovery through their use of federally-appropriated funds and through their internal policy responses to the global crisis. Several states are focusing on innovation as a means of recovery. Massachusetts and Maine both recently released the latest editions of their annual innovation indices. These annual publications have long helped to clarify trends in the innovation economy and provided assessment of their performance relative to other states.

More than 50 research funding opportunities totaling more than $100 million were sent to SSTI Members this week in SSTI's Funding Supplement. This members-only electronic publication provides readers with application information, eligibility criteria and submission deadlines for hundreds of research and economic development funding opportunities offered by the federal government and others.