If the most important jobs of the future will be connected to science and engineering disciplines, then, the current thinking goes, the U.S. needs to have more scientists and engineers in its future workforce. To achieve this, more emphasis needs to be placed on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curricula, beginning with math and science education in the K-12 experience.
According to a recently released report by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), investment in research and development accounted for 4.5 percent of the growth of inflation-adjusted U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) between 1959 and 2002. This value has increased in recent years, with R&D contributing to 6.5 percent of GDP growth from 1995 to 2002.
Joe James, director of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, has resigned his position with the S.C. Department of Commerce.
Joe James, director of the South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, has resigned his position with the S.C. Department of Commerce.
The new deputy undersecretary for the Technology Administration in the U.S. Department of Commerce is Michelle O'Neill. O'Neill formerly served as deputy assistant secretary for the International Trade Agency.
SSTI congratulates Tom Persons, president and CEO of the South Carolina Technology Alliance, for receiving the Individual Achievement Award from the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
Former NASA Administrator Richard Truly, now head of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, announced his plans to retire in November.
Janet Yancey-Wrona, director of the Maine Technology Institute (MTI), has been named the Governor's Science and Technology Advisor and the first Director of Innovation for the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. In her new position, Dr. Yancey-Wrona will oversee the state's research and TBED activities, including MTI, the business incubator program and Maine EPSCoR initiative.
Last week, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced his administration and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) had reached an agreement that would allow companies sponsoring stem cell research in Wisconsin to obtain a free, non-exclusive research license under the stem cell patents held by WARF. WARF, which manages more than 720 pending and 880 issued U.S. patents on University of Wisconsin at Madison technologies, will not charge Wisconsin research centers for licenses on its stem cell patents. The agreement is part of Gov.
TBED agencies in two northwest states have released proactive wish lists for state TBED investment in their respective 2007 legislative sessions.
Idaho
In a Sept. 12 teleconference, Idaho Gov. Jim Risch's Science and Technology Advisory Council agreed upon a $38.8 million package to attract and grow new technology businesses, as well as a tax credit program to encourage private investment in high-tech companies.
With an eye toward easing traffic congestion, air pollution, and distributing employment opportunities more widely around Virginia, Gov. Timothy Kaine has created an Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance. The Office will encourage and promote telework activities for public and private employers, and work to advance innovative models that expedite the deployment of "last-mile" broadband technologies throughout the Commonwealth.
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently released revised estimates of state personal income from 2003-2005. According to BEA's data, the U.S. as a whole showed an increase of 9.64 percent in per capita personal income over the three years. Twenty-seven states experienced per capita personal income growth greater than the national average.
Falls from First to Sixth in Updated Index from World Economic Forum
Switzerland, Finland and Sweden are the world's most competitive economies, according to The Global Competitiveness Report 2006-2007 released Tuesday by the World Economic Forum. Denmark, Singapore, the U.S., Japan, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom complete the top 10 list, but the U.S. shows the most pronounced drop, falling from first to sixth.
Gov. Phil Bredesen has released a comprehensive job creation strategy with a particular focus on producing high-quality research jobs by supporting statewide innovation. Announced earlier this month, "Next Steps: Job Creation" is a four-point plan intended to attract and foster new businesses.
Separate MERIT Study of European Tech Transfer Contradicts Some Conclusions
The stock market is flirting with record highs. Venture capital coffers are overflowing. Most states and national tax revenues are greater than projected. The bad boys of Enron and Worldcom are in jail. Everythings right in the corporate world, right?
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has awarded its second Kauffman Prize Medal for Distinguished Research in Entrepreneurship to Professor Toby Stuart of the Harvard Business School. The medal is given every two years to a scholar under the age of 40 whose research has made a significant contribution to the study of entrepreneurship and innovation. Stuart accepted the medal last month, along with a cash award of $50,000, at the Academy of Management's annual meeting in Atlanta.
SSTI is pleased to announce four new appointments to our board of trustees:
SSTI is pleased to give regular Digest readers the first peek at a PDF version http://www.ssti.org/Conf06/brochure.pdf of the brochure for SSTI's 10th Annual Conference, Transforming Regional Economies, to be held in Oklahoma City on October 31- November 2, 2006.
For the third year, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO) has been named the nations most active source of early-stage or angel capital. TEDCO leads the list of the 100 top venture capital firms, based on the quarterly MoneyTree survey published by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Venture Economics and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The 2005 list appears in the July issue of Entrepreneur magazine.
The rate of R&D investment by U.S. majority-owned affiliates performed outside of the U.S. increased twice as much as R&D performed within the U.S. from 1998 to 2003, as more countries around the world increased their R&D tax credits relative to those offered by the U.S. In a recent paper by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), The Research and Experimentation Tax Credit: A Critical Policy Tool for Boosting Research and Enhancing U.S. Economic Competitiveness, Dr.
The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology yesterday announced 18 awards for new or expanded manufacturing extension programs. The addition of these programs expands MEP services to all 50 states and Puerto Rico, with MEP services available at 300 sites nationwide. A total of $19.6 million will be provided by the federal government to support the first year funding for these centers, with an additional $21 million being provided by states and other organizations.
New Mexico Firms Would Receive $30M in Venture Funding
Debra Elston has been named the Federal Highway Administration's director for research, technology, and innovation deployment within the Office of Research, Development, and Technology.
Debra Elston has been named the Federal Highway Administration's director for research, technology, and innovation deployment within the Office of Research, Development, and Technology.