Search

Michigan lawmakers last week passed a measure aimed at increasing access to capital for small businesses by allowing taxpayers to collect an income tax credit worth 25 percent of a qualified investment in emerging industries such as advanced manufacturing and life sciences. Under HB 5921, the investment must be at least $20,000 and certified by the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF). MSF can certify up to $9 million in credits in a single year with up to $250,000 for each business. Gov.

In Growing the ICT Industry in Canada, David Wolfe and Allison Bramwell present an overview of the current state of the global Information and communications technology (ICT) industry with a predominate focus on Canada's ICT industry. A detailed discussion of the current state of the ICT industry and the impact of the recession on the sector is covered in the first section of the report.

Two economic development reports, one outlining strategic initiatives to transform the state's economy and the other making recommendations for reforming the state's tax programs, were delivered last week to Gov. Jay Nixon. The governor's Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth, launched in May, submitted initial job-creation proposals focused in the areas of advanced manufacturing, energy solutions, bioscience, health science and service, information technology, financial and professional services and transportation and logistics.

Sacramento's Green Capital Alliance reports that the six-county region is now home to 13,000 clean technology jobs and 98 clean energy companies. In a five-year progress report on Sacramento's clean energy cluster roadmap, the group document's Sacramento's rise as one of the country's key hubs for clean energy technology development. The report provides a detailed look at the alliance's efforts to leverage regional partners over the past few years and its immediate plans to expand the region's data gathering and smart grid infrastructure.

The Kauffman Labs for Enterprise Creation announced its first Women in Science and Engineering Business Idea Competition to encourage female scientists and engineers to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. The competition's goal is totap into the "growing pool of highly educated women who have the potential to start scalable science and engineering-related ventures".

The District of Columbia leads the country in science and engineering (S&E) doctorates awarded per capita, according to the latest data from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Though California awards more S&E doctorates overall, Washington, D.C., has consistently outpaced all states in per capita awards. While 11.47 S&E doctorates were awarded per 100,000 people in the U.S. last year, D.C. institutions awarded 62.54. Other top states include Massachusetts, Delaware, Rhode Island and Maryland.

Gov. Jim Doyle unveiled last week several proposals to boost university-based research and commercialization efforts in emerging fields and encourage private industry R&D and job growth through the creation of several new tax credits.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm's FY10 budget includes increased funding to support programs aimed at job creation in emerging fields and maintains level funding for year three of an initiative to train displaced workers for in-demand careers.

It is imperative that the Obama administration create a more coordinated and robust federal energy policy focused on advancing energy innovation, according to a new report by the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). They argue the U.S. must be at the forefront of energy technology to increase economic competiveness, protect the environment and improve national security. In Accelerating the Pace of Change in Energy Technologies Though an Integrated Federal Energy Policy, PCAST outlines several recommendations that could position the U.S.

In Growing New Mexico's Clean Tech Economy, the Clean Technology Commercialization Working Group examines steps that must be taken for New Mexico to capitalize on the state's clean technology opportunity by bridging the funding "valley of death." In a report commissioned by the New Mexico Economic Development Department, the advisory group asserts four high-priority recommendations will accelerate New Mexico's clean technology commercialization.

A survey of medical technology companies and venture capital firms with a presence in the life sciences field revealed that the U.S. is at risk of losing its global leadership position in medtech innovation because of unpredictable, inefficient, and expensive regulatory processes within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Further, survey data indicate that innovators and medical device companies are relocating to other countries in greater numbers to take advantage of more streamlined regulatory processes and lower costs.

Nationwide downturns in durable-goods manufacturing and construction led to declining real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 39 states last year, according to a recent release by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The largest declines were seen in the Great Lakes region, where Michigan, Ohio and Indiana suffered considerable losses in manufacturing. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, Wyoming and North Dakota posted the highest percentage GDP gains. Read the BEA release .

Encouraging university researchers to bring their discoveries to market is a key component of many regional innovation strategies, but entrepreneurial activity by faculty may come at a cost, according to several recent scholarly articles by Andrew A. Toole and Dirk Czarnitzki. Toole and Czarnitzki examined the publication and commercialization histories of U.S. university-based life scientists and found that engaging in entrepreneurial activities tends to lower their publication rate, even after returning to the university full-time.

Department of Labor

Department of Labor

As the U.S. Congress is ironing out the details of the stimulus package, the final share of science and technology investments within the bill is not known at this time. However outside of the U.S., other countries have recently announced their own proposals to improve the research and innovation infrastructure of their countries.

Mobile app development is emerging as a bright spot in the U.S. innovation economy, according to a report commissioned by CTIA-The Wireless Association and the Application Developers Alliance. The groups estimate that more than 500,000 jobs have been created in the U.S. based on app development since the launch of the original iPhone in 2007. This count includes IT-related jobs in service of app development, non-IT jobs at app companies and jobs in the local economy supported by app developers.

As the private company SpaceX sends its first cargo delivery to the International Space Station, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced close to $500,000 in matching grants in three areas to assist with space transportation infrastructure.

Not all of the news coming out of governors' offices is bad for TBED strategies. For example, just in the past week, governors in Missouri, Ohio and Texas proposed increases in state investments for job creation in emerging fields, higher education scholarships, and technology commercialization and research programs. The following overview provides highlights of their recommendations for TBED proposals in the upcoming fiscal year or biennium.

Geographic Concentration Continues as California Share Grows, SSTI's VC Dashboard Shows

The fifth installment of the Tech Talkin' Govs series includes highlights from state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses from governors in Alabama, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Utah.

After months of closed-door negotiations, the chairs of National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform has released a draft list of proposals to reduce the growing federal deficit. The proposals include drastic cuts to the federal government's economic development agencies, including the elimination of the Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP), as well as the merging of the Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Massachusetts remains the state best prepared to navigate the changing economy, according to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation's (ITIF) 2010 State New Economy Index. ITIF uses 26 indicators in five categories to evaluate the economic structure of states and assess their capacity to drive innovation-based growth. Massachusetts ranked number one in economic preparedness by a wide margin, as it has since the first index was released in 1999.

Facing the largest budget deficit in the European Union, British Prime Minister David Cameron will not to cut spending on S&T. The European Commission predicts the UK will face a 12 percent budget deficit in 2011. To combat this deficit, the Cameron led Tory-Liberal Democrat coalition took drastic measures to reduce the deficit by 2014.