Measuring the strength of a state or region’s economy, particularly the elements related to tech-based economic development, is a tricky but vital tool for developing and updating TBED policies. Several challenges present themselves when deciding what information to present on the elements of the innovation system and assessing the region’s health and performance relative to appropriate surrogates.
This is your opportunity to shine in the spotlight! By hosting SSTI’s 14th Annual Conference in 2010, you can increase your national and international visibility by showcasing the success of your state and/or community’s tech-based economic development efforts to thousands of TBED professionals.
The second installment of the Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes highlights from state-of-the-state, budget and inaugural addresses from Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue this month proposed a new $40 million Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) Venture Capital Fund to be fueled by $10 million from the state legislature and subsequently matched with $30 million from the private sector. Of the entire suite of GRA initiatives, this will be the first program not funded entirely by the state of Georgia.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently unveiled four energy initiatives to promote clean energy R&D and the use of renewable energy technologies in the state. Through a combination of executive orders and legislative proposals, the programs are intended to push Minnesota towards its goals of having 25 percent of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by 2025 and reducing the state’s greenhouse emissions 80 percent by 2050. These new initiatives are:
Referring to his fiscal year 2008-09 budget recommendation as “back to basics,” Gov. Phil Bredesen proposed significant investments in research and workforce initiatives while vowing not to tap into reserves or raise taxes.
The fourth installment of the Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from governors’ speeches delivered in Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
Georgia – see article in this issue of the Digest.
Kentucky
Gov. Steve Beshear, State Budget Address, Jan. 29, 2008
Ten to forty percent of entrepreneurs launching businesses in high-income countries expect that more than a quarter of their customers will come from outside of their country, according to a new study of trends in global entrepreneurship.
Considerable changes are affecting the structure of traditional manufacturing supply chains, and firms that do not adapt to these shifts will suffer economically, according to a recent report from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
Using data from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, SSTI has prepared a table showing how each state (and the District of Columbia) has ranked in business churning over the past seven years. Business churning is a measure of the creation of new companies and the death of existing companies as a share of total firms (small businesses with employees). Churning increases as the number of new start-ups and existing business failures per year increase.
It is only through the involvement of the each and every one of our more than 185 members that SSTI is able to continue its mission -- to lead, support and strengthen efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation. Together, we’re growing a strong and vibrant tech-based economic development community. New members include:
State Sponsors
Kansas Bioscience Authority
The Department of Economic and Workforce Development at the University of Southern Mississippi is seeking someone to fill a tenure-track assistant professor position. Specialization in regional workforce development is preferred; however, other areas of specialization, such as disaster recovery, entrepreneurship, rural development, technology transfer, or low-income communities, will be strongly considered.
David Archer is the new managing director for Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.
Robert Chernow was appointed to the newly created position of vice provost for entrepreneurship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
David Archer is the new managing director for Nevada's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.
Robert Chernow was appointed to the newly created position of vice provost for entrepreneurship at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The Greensboro, N.C.-based Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship has a new president, Michael Hentschel.
Sandy Johnson was promoted to CEO of the Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center.
Donna Kent is the new president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council.
Dan Lynch was named president of the Greensboro Economic Development Partnership.
The Information Technology Association of Wisconsin, formed in June 2005, selected Jim Rice as its president and CEO.
The Southern Arizona Tech Council announced it will merge its programs into the recently created Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities Inc., an integration expected to be mostly completed by June 30, 2006.
A new AAAS analysis of the disappointing federal budget for 2008 reveals Congress’s obsession with earmarks is back with a vengeance, guaranteeing that competition for the remaining federal funds for R&D will be even more fierce.
While lower than 2006, earmarks consumed $4.5 billion of the federal R&D budget, scattered among 2,526 projects AAAS was able to identify.
Bill Mahoney is the new president of the South Carolina Research Authority.
Guin Robinson is the new director of the newly created Talladega office of the Alabama Technology Network.