SC Launch Inc., the investment affiliate of the South Carolina Research Authority, was named in PitchBook’s 2025 Global League Table for the Southeast region. The ranking award is attributed to SC Launch Inc.’s acceleration in investment activity during recent months. Since J
When the Opportunity Zone program was authorized by Congress in 2017, there was high hope that it would give a significant boost to the employment rates of those living in the poorest areas of our cities. Unfortunately, a new research paper adds to the growing findings of the program’s shortcomings and disappointing outcomes, just as the next race to establish new OZ designations is set to begin.
ARPA-H cancels relationships with ARPANet-H partners
The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) is now doing business as the CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership. The CICP brand will soon feature the new identity, including marketing materials and a redesigned logo. The legal name, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, will remain unchanged.
Regional innovation systems across the country can learn from the journeys of the EDA's designated Tech Hubs, regardless of your region’s competitive advantage. The twelve hubs continue to make progress, with consortia launching new programs and advancing key initiatives. The following highlights recent news from a selection of hubs. SSTI supports the Tech Hub community through its Technology-Based Economic Development Community of Practice.
Mar 26, 2026
Total research and experimental development (R&D) performed in the U.S. reached nearly $1 trillion of expenditures in 2024, reveals new data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). This represents a 6% increase over the prior year, a 101% increase in the past 10 years, and a nearly 16,000% increase in the past 70 years.
Total research and experimental development (R&D) performed in the U.S. reached nearly $1 trillion of expenditures in 2024, reveals new data from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). This represents a 6% increase over the prior year, a 101% increase in the past 10 years, and a nearly 16,000% increase in the past 70 years.
Adjusted for inflation, total R&D expenditures, relative to their 2024 values, have increased more modestly but still reflect impressive growth: 3% since 2023; 56% in the 10 years since 2015; and approximately 1,670% in the 70 years since 1955.
Figure 1 below includes two line charts, each with a line for billions of current and constant (2017) USD: GDP on the left and R&D expenditures on the right. Periods of recession are highlighted in grey for applicable years. Note that each chart has a different y-axis.
Policymakers should be interested in which sectors are present in their region to ensure TBED investments and workforce priorities can have the greatest impact. Exploring gross domestic product (GDP) at the county level offers a detailed look at the economic output of sectors and how they shape local economies. At the county level, data for smaller or more rural counties may reveal nuances invisible when looking broadly at entire MSAs or states, particularly for those areas with lower populations.
Stats and pundits suggest fewer of us are taking the time to read, absorb, and embody what we can take from real, printed books. Humbug! This is a short piece with nods to those Digest subscribers defiantly resisting that trend—and welcoming all others to embrace the mind-expanding opportunities a long read—replete with physical page turning—can yield. Fully safe for work. ~ Mark Skinner, President & CEO, SSTI
To sustain our work to support state and regional innovation initiatives across the country, SSTI relies on the generosity of those members of the community who share our vision of serving as a center for advancing best practices across the field. We greatly appreciate their support. We also invite others equally committed to using smart programs to combine the four pillars of science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship to advance their own regional economies to join the list of leading organizations below.
The Dimension Mill has rebranded as Amplify Bloomington. It launched with support from Indiana University, Cook Group, the city of Bloomington, and a coalition of corporate partners. Former Bloomington Mayor and SSTI Board member John Fernandez leads the organization.
BioCrossroads has officially launched its BioCrossroads Startup Hub, a new, comprehensive ecosystem platform designed to serve as a centralized front door for Indiana’s life sciences startup community. Built as a continually evolving resource, this online hub brings together funding pathways, mentorship, regulatory and clinical resources, startup visibility, and ecosystem connections in one place.
State reserves shrank in fiscal year 2025, for the first time since the Great Recession. According the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) and analysis from the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Fiscal 50 project, which provides data and research on state fiscal conditions, the capacity of states’ rainy day funds—the number of days they could cover state operations—fell for the first time since the G