Search

The United States’ global competitiveness rank, as calculated by the International Institute of for Management Development, fell three points from 9th in 2023 to 12th in 2024. The nation’s ranking for government efficiency had an even sharper drop of nine points, from 25th in 2023 to 34th in 2024. In timely response to these trends, two federal advisory committees recently submitted reports outlining ways for the U.S.

The most recent  Higher Education R&D (HERD) survey revealed the largest year-over-year percentage increase in higher education R&D since 2002 to 2003 and dollar increase across all fiscal years (FYs) captured by the survey. HERD expenditures breached the $100 billion mark in 2023, having grown 11% from $97.8 billion in 2022 to $108.8 billion in 2023 (7% in constant 2017 dollars, from $82.9 to $89 billion).

January 22, 2025, at 2:00 PM ET | Zoom

The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced the third major R&D facility as part of its CHIPS for America program. This new facility will be located at the Arizona State University (ASU) Research Park in Tempe, Arizona.

Enterprise Minnesota, the official Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Center for the state, recently released its annual State of Manufacturing survey.

The federal government spending on non-defense AI R&D has increased from $560 million in fiscal year 2018 to $2.1 billion in 2023, according to the bipartisan House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence report released in the closing month of the 118th session.

In last November’s general election, Massachusetts voters approved Question 3: the Unionization and Collective Bargaining for Transportation Network Drivers Initiative, allowing the state’s more than 80,000 Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize and collectively bargain for better wages and working conditions.

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) recently awarded  $14.5 million in Appalachian Regional Initiative for Stronger Economies (ARISE) grants for five projects.

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee and key architect of the CHIPS and Science Law, secured up to $500 million in federal investments to preserve and expand the Regional Tech Hubs (Tech Hubs) program. Sen. Cantwell secured the funding as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is set to pass before the end of the year. SSTI helped lead a coalition that advocated for the provision and additional funding for Tech Hubs.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) announced at the Native CDFI Network’s Annual Policy and Capacity Building Summit $8.6 million in additional support for tribal nations through the State Small Business and Credit Initiative (SSBCI) 2.0 program, published in a readout.

FYI This Week, a science policy newsletter from the American Institute of Physics, reported in their November 25 article Commerce aims to commit CHIPS money before Trump returns that “Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said … she is trying to allocate all the semiconductor manufacturing and research funds appropriated by the CHIPS and Science Act before President Joe Biden leaves office." Since Raimondo made that statement, the U.S.

Personal income[1] has increased from $1.25 trillion in 1974 to $23.38 trillion in 2023 nationwide, a nearly nineteen-fold increase over the past 50 years. Meanwhile, per capita personal income (PCPI), a metric of personal income standardized by population, has only seen a twelvefold increase from $5,836 to $69,810 over the same period. SSTI reveals these numbers from its analysis of new U.S.

If you haven’t already done so, now is the time to register for SSTI’s Annual Conference.

On Nov.

CHIPS for America recently announced $285 million to establish the Semiconductor Manufacturing and Advanced Research with Twins (SMART) USA Institute, which will focus on semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging.

SSTI extends a huge “thank you” to all of the organizations partnering with us to make SSTI’s 2024 Annual Conference a success! Please take a moment now to learn more about our partners here and then be sure to visit them in person this December.

The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) recognized Dan Berglund, SSTI president, with a Career Achievement Award at its International Conference earlier this month. In a press release, AURP said, "Through the course of his SSTI career, Dan’s leadership has made a significant contribution to the advancement and recognition of the innovation ecosystem, including the Innovation Advocacy Council.”

The United States Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) new 2022-2023 State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) 2.0 Annual Report highlights the nearly $10 billion program to enhance access to capital for small businesses, particularly those in underserved communities.

SSTI will continue the conversation about the SSBCI program at the Annual Conference. SSBCI director, Jeff Stout, will provide an update on the program in The latest on Treasury’s $10 billion investment in small businesses. The session will provide insights into Treasury's current thinking and to better understand how SSBCI might be better leveraged as a regional resource. SSBCI outreach team member Karl Fooks will moderate the session, How regions are adapting to trends in equity investment.

We’ve negotiated an extraordinary room rate for this year’s conference: $209 plus nominal taxes and fees at the conference venue, the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass in the Gila River Indian Community within the Phoenix, Arizona Metro Region. But our negotiated rate expires once the room block fills or after Monday, November 18.

Reserve Your Room

Additionally, our registration closes on December 3, so why not check both these items off your to do list and do them now?

Forty-one states and Puerto Rico voted on 151 statewide ballot measures this fall. Many measures focused on abortion, citizenship, or electoral system reforms. Three measures with direct connection to innovation all were approved by voters, augmenting the strong track record tech-based economic development initiatives have when they are placed directly before voters.

About three-quarters of Americans (76%) say they have either a great deal (26%) or a fair amount (51%) of confidence in scientists to act in the best interests of the public, according to a new Pew Research Center report.

The TBED community, similarly to research scientists, faces communication challenges with elected officials, regional stakeholders, and even their friends and family. SSTI has conducted three surveys over the last nine years to uncover problematic jargon, illuminate alternative approaches, and inform our members’ communication strategies. At the SSTI Annual Conference, we'll present the latest results from a focus group and survey that will help the community communicate better with non-TBED audiences.

The Wisconsin Center of Manufacturing & Productivity (WCMP) recently released its fourth annual Wisconsin Manufacturing Report, a comprehensive overview of the state's manufacturing sector.

The Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program is often compared to the U.S. Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program. And, like the SBIR program, ISC has faced criticism from skeptics despite metrics that show the program delivers high returns on investment. When Canada’s Budget 2023 Initiative recommended reallocating 14.1 billion Canadian dollars (CAD) in federal spending, each Ministry was tasked to identify programs that did not address the government’s top priorities.