Administration’s FY 2027 budget repeats cuts desired in R&D and economic development
Ten-day clock ticking on SBIR reauthorization
Recent Research: What is the labor market value of bachelor's degrees earned from community colleges?
As states look for ways to expand access to bachelor’s-level education while controlling costs and strengthening workforce pipelines, community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs have
A region’s high concentration of bachelor’s degree-holders predicts future economic growth
Discussions concerning the value of earning a bachelor's degree often center on the return on investment for the degree-holder. However, a recent article from Chicago Fed Insights illustrates that degree-holders, specifically their density in a community, also impacts whether or not their region will thrive in the coming decades.
State News for April 9, 2026
With OZ expansion looming, research shows program has little net jobs impact
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.
Data centers may be inevitable, but state and local resistance is growing
TBED Works: Rev1’s eye for potential and support helps launch biotech company
Innovation Advocacy Council visits the Hill on your behalf
Webinar: A Conversation with the 2026 global entrepreneurship research award winners, Al Link and Don Siegel on Technology Transfer and Academic Entrepreneurship
Job Corner
Research and TBED take hits in FY2026 skinny budget request
The White House Fiscal Year 2026 discretionary budget proposal outlines a significant shift in federal spending priorities, proposing substantial reductions in innovation and non-defense discretionary funding, which, if enacted by Congress, would impact scientific research and regional economic development support across numerous federal agencies.
Webinars
TBED 101: Technology readiness and market funding gaps point to need for TBED support
Note: Every profession has jargon. Practitioners of technology-based economic development know the field may have more than its fair share of confusing words and acronyms as it bridges numerous scientific and engineering disciplines, business and financial acumen, and public-private initiatives at all levels of government supporting regional innovation. This occasional series from the SSTI team provides introductions or reminders of some of the key concepts used across the practice. ~ Mark Skinner, SSTI President & CEO
Recent Research: Cross-industry knowledge flows support high-tech entrepreneurship
New research confirms what TBED practitioners already understand: there’s no single formula for building successful innovation-driven systems. That’s one of the reasons SSTI advises policy makers to focus on the strengths and needs of your region’s innovation system rather than how much your neighbors are spending. The study’s findings about the role of knowledge spillovers, however, offer useful insight into the characteristics that matter most for improving outcomes in your region.
Recent Research: Is innovation district success the enemy of resilience?
Pew finds partisanship growing in American support for science
In the 30 years SSTI has been in existence and the 85 years of concerted federal focus on scientific discover and innovation, the priority of public-private R&D investment has been overwhelmingly nonpartisan. A recent report from the Pew Research Center confirms the cold-war, global competitiveness arguments for U.S science and technology still hold sway across political parties, but fissures in who should pay and who should work on science and tech efforts are beginning to grow.
Disruption is echoing in empty university halls
Vacant storefronts and empty downtown office buildings aren’t the only ways the pandemic-accelerated, technology-stimulated move to remote work has negatively impacted community cohesiveness, commitment to place, and economic opportunity resulting from aggregation. According to a newly released analysis of university campuses, the disconnection and under-utilization problem extends deeper into regions than many may realize.
TBED Works: "Sticky" student innovators provide opportunity for longer relationships, larger outcomes
Campus entrepreneurship programs can lead to decades-long collaborations between academia and industry. Students may learn how to do their very first pitch deck. Or make a poster presentation. Or stand in front of a group of investors. And then go on to found a successful company (or two, or three) and create jobs for people in the area.
Useful Stats: How do the largest higher education institutions fund their R&D expenditures?
NIH R&D budget is healthy in FY 2026 budget
The Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health receive an increase of $301 million in budget authority for a new total of $47.216 billion in FY 2026, a figure that stands in sharp contradiction to the severe cuts recommended in the Administration’s request. Additionally, ARPA-H is to receive $1.5 billion.
Recent Research: AI-exposed occupations and the changing job market for college graduates
The breakthrough launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 sparked widespread questions about artificial intelligence and the future of work. How would generative AI reshape jobs and industries? Would certain roles become obsolete? How should education and training programs prepare workers for an AI-integrated workplace? To understand AI’s actual labor market impact, researchers examined unemployment patterns and hiring trends in AI-exposed occupations between 2022 and 2024 in a new study.