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With economic development at a crossroads, SSTI's Annual Conference will re-examine every facet of the field. This year's conference will offer breakout sessions in four thematic tracks: strategic direction, universities in economic development, investment & capital and from theory to practice. Participate in the track that most suits your interest, or mix-and-match to create a unique conference experience.

Conference tracks include:

Following the highly anticipated unveiling of 2012 award recipients during a special ceremony on October 29, the winners will meet with attendees for one-on-one interaction to share stories and offer advice. True to roundtable format, this session moves you around the room to promote dialogue and exposure to different viewpoints in the tech-based economic development field.

Beautifully adorned to capture the spirit of the ocean, the Arctic Room at the Georgia Aquarium is your starting point to re- connect with colleagues, experience close encounters with majestic beluga whales, and simply enjoy an evening among friends. This lively event provides a wonderful pre-conference opportunity to network with conference attendees and our local hosts, Invest Atlanta and Clark Atlanta University, over drinks and light hors d'oeuvres by Wolfgang Puck Catering. The event begins at 6:00 PM on Sunday, October 29.

SSTI's conference is packed with timely and thought-provoking workshops, discussion groups and networking opportunities certain to keep you busy during your Atlanta stay. But to fill the gaps in between and maximize your experience, we've arranged some exciting activities geared toward improving your overall wellness and better connecting you to the people you most want to meet and share ideas.

Filling the pipeline with skilled workers able to perform the high-tech jobs employers say are sitting vacant has long been advocated by state leaders and policymakers as essential to competing in the global economy. Governors in Florida and Louisiana are stepping up efforts this legislative session with proposed multi-million dollar investments through training and scholarship programs to change the landscape of their states’ workforce.

The fourth installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Illinois, Massachusetts and Utah.

In his fifth State of the Union address, President Barack Obama touted the administration’s Institutes of Manufacturing Innovation program as central to its plan to reinvigorate the American economy. The president called on Congress to expand the manufacturing network beyond the two existing institutes in Ohio and North Carolina and the six additional institutes to be rolled out in 2014. He also requested legislative action to undo last year’s sequester-related cuts to basic research, to pass patent reform and to improve U.S. STEM education.

Following a national economic development trend toward regionalism, governors in Iowa and Nebraska announced a partnership to provide more investment and talent opportunities for area businesses, and increased exposure for the region. Under the multi-county collaboration, Advance Southwest Iowa will join the Greater Omaha Economic Development Partnership. The group plans to implement a five-year regional economic development program focused on establishing a recognized brand and image for the region, growing and recruiting businesses, and retaining a trained workforce.

JPMorgan Chase & Co recently announced details of a new five-year, $250 million global initiative to address the global skills gap in high-tech industries. The New Skills at Work initiative will help generate accurate data on employer demand at the regional level, and assist workforce training groups in developing effective programs to meet those demands. Operations will focus on major U.S. and European cities, staring with Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, the San Francisco Bay area and London.

Despite a small decline in research investment in 2011, New Mexico continues to have the country’s most research-focused economy, according to the National Science Foundation National Patterns of R&D Resources survey. Maryland, Massachusetts, Washington and California also ranked among the top most R&D intensive economies in 2011. SSTI has prepared tables, based on the NSF data, showing total R&D spending and R&D intensity at the national and state level from 2006-11.

The first of three new manufacturing innovation institutes will be headquartered in Raleigh, NC, and led by a consortium of 18 companies, seven universities and labs, and the state of North Carolina. The announcement was made today by President Obama. Developing wide-bandgap semiconductor devices and industry-relevant processes is the goal of the Next Generation Power Electronics Institute. Such technologies are used to develop smaller, faster, cheaper and more efficient electronics for personal devices, electric vehicles and renewable power interconnection, according to a press release. The selection process is still underway for two other institutes, with awards expected in the coming weeks.

The second installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Virginia.

The FY14 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which the U.S. House of Representatives passed yesterday and the U.S. Senate is expected to pass on Friday, contains $10 million for the Regional Innovation program in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s budget. This is the first time the grant portion of the program was directly funded.  The program was authorized in the America COMPETES Act of 2010 and establishes the program “to encourage and support the development of regional innovation strategies, including regional innovation clusters and science and research parks.”

Of the 118 university-based startups launched in Illinois between 2006-13, about 73 percent remain in the state, according to the latest issue of the Illinois Innovation Index. The 2013 fourth quarter report of the Index focuses on the recent strides made by the state in building a stronger technology transfer pipeline. During the five-year period of 2008-12, Illinois universities received 47 percent more patents than they did during the 2003-07 period, almost triple the national growth rate.

This week, Congress approved a $10 million appropriation for the Department of Commerce’s Regional Innovation program in the FY14 Omnibus Appropriations bill and the SSTI Digest continued its Tech Talkin’ Govs series, as governors in nine states outlined their innovation plans and achievements.

Gov. Martin O’Malley’s FY15 budget includes increased funding for the state’s biotech tax credit, cyber tax credit and R&D tax credit, and provides level funds to continue longstanding tech-based and workforce initiatives.

Powered by strong growth in the Internet and Software sectors, U.S. venture capital activity grew by about 7.5 percent in 2013, according to new data from the NVCA/PWC Moneytree survey. Both venture dollars and deals ticked up last year, bouncing back to 2011 levels after a slow 2012. SSTI has prepared tables of U.S. venture capital investment levels by state in terms of deals and dollars for the 2008-13 period.

Several common themes surrounding higher education have emerged as governors across the country unveil investment priorities for the upcoming fiscal year or biennium. In many states, governors have proposed more funding to increase affordability by freezing tuition or creating new scholarship funds. Support for expanding research capacity, technology-related infrastructure and job training in high-demand industries are some of the proposed measures aimed at competitiveness.

Michigan’s University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance between the state’s three largest higher education institutions, leads its peer clusters in generating high-tech talent and ranks second overall in innovation activity, according to a report commissioned by URC.

North Dakota has announced it will relaunch its Innovate ND business venture competition as a more expansive suite of services for innovative startups and entrepreneurs. Participants will receive vouchers for up to $2,500 to help pay for coaching and consulting services at an entrepreneurial center, development of a business plan or building a prototype. Education services also will be available, including biannual Entrepreneur Boot Camps.  Read the announcement…

Ontario officials launched a new fund-of-funds this week intended to boost capital resources for high-tech companies. The Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund is a privately led initiative, supported by federal and provincial funds. The governments of Canada and Ontario have agreed to make a combined capital commitment of $1 for every $2 secured from the private sector. Current commitments total $217.5 million CAD ($195.4 million USD), but leaders hope to match the government’s maximum match level of $300 million CAD ($269.6 million USD) in a second closing later this year.

The third installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Delaware, Michigan, Missouri and New Mexico.

The FY15 budget proposal outlined last week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo would provide funding to continue many of New York’s innovation-focused efforts while investing in new initiatives, including a genomic medicine network and STEM scholarship program.

After hitting an all-time high in 2012, California’s dominance of the nation’s venture capital activity receded a bit last year. California continues to receive about half of the country’s venture investment dollars and about 40 percent of its dealflow, but in 2013, the state’s share of dollars fell from 53 to 50 percent, according to data from the PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital Association (PwC/NVCA) Moneytree survey. Massachusetts, which has been host to about 10 percent of national venture activity in past years, also saw its share of total U.S.