An overwhelming majority of residents in Georgia see higher education as vital to the state’s economic growth and quality of life, as more educational attainment is aligned with higher incomes, higher levels of entrepreneurship and less government spending.
Though Silicon Valley and New England still dominate the U.S. venture capital landscape, several other regions - whether through local initiatives or the natural evolution of the economy - have emerged as respectable national hubs of investment over the last decade. Some areas, like San Diego, have seen greatly expanded investments and have joined the top tier of venture markets as VC firms turned their attention toward biotech.
Publisher's Note: SSTI notes with much sadness the March 5 passing of Indiana State Sen. David Ford, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. David was a good friend not only of SSTI's, but also of the tech-based economic development community across the nation. In addition to being a tireless and cheerful advocate for investing in science and technology, he was also a gentleman in the true sense of the word, and we miss him greatly.
Rob Atkinson resigned from the Progressive Policy Institute to become president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a new think tank.
Rob Atkinson resigned from the Progressive Policy Institute to become president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a new think tank.
Richard Bendis, an SSTI Board member, is leaving his position as president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia to become president and CEO of True Product ID, Inc..
The Pennsylvania NanoMaterials Commercialization Center selected Alan Brown as its executive director.
Anne Conroy was named president of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit agency in New York.
Kansas Technology Enterprise Corp. named Trish Costello as its newest Entrepreneur in Residence.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Robert Cresanti as the Department of Commerce's undersecretary for technology, succeeding Phil Bond as head of the Technology Administration.
Krisztina Holly was named executive director of the University of Southern California's Mark and Mary Stevens Institute for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization.
President Bush selected Idaho Gov. Dirk Kempthorne to replace Gale Norton as secretary of the Department of Interior.
Thad LeVar was appointed deputy director of the Utah Department of Commerce. LeVar replaces Jason Perry, who was named director of the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED). Richard Bradford, the former director of GOED, retired from state government after 13 years of service.
Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue appointed Debra Lyons to lead the newly created Office of Workforce Development.
Anthony Martoccia was appointed associate deputy administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Government Contracting and Business Development.
Sally Stroup, assistant secretary for postsecondary education for the U.S. Department of Education, is stepping down to pursue other interests.
The Ohio Business Alliance for Higher Education and the Economy named Reginald Wilkinson to serve as its executive director.
The Canadian Government this week released its budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year, which includes several new TBED-related initiatives and increases in funding for a few existing programs. The government plans to leverage its relatively strong fiscal position by providing tax relief and paying down the national debt, while providing $606 million for workforce development and $440 for research over the next two years. Major science and technology (S&T) initiatives in the 2008 budget include:
Three states recently wrapped up their 2008 legislative sessions, resulting in the passage of operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. State lawmakers approved funding for new and existing TBED initiatives aimed at diversifying the states' economies through increased investments in energy programs, higher education research initiatives and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
South Dakota
Earlier this month, three universities - Stanford University, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley - announced partnerships with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a graduate-level research university set to open in Saudi Arabia by September 2009. Each of the U.S.-based universities will assist with the development of the following initiatives within specific academic fields of study at KAUST:
The presence of "surrogate universities" - that is, nonacademic institutions able to attract a skilled workforce, produce marketable innovations and cultivate local entrepreneurship - have greatly influenced the growth of the tech-based economy of Boise and Idaho's Treasure Valley. Furthermore, distinctions in these surrogates' culture, innovation model and marketable products may help to explain the development of new technology firms in the metro area.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced the recipient universities to conduct security research through five new Centers of Excellence. These centers will develop new technologies to prevent natural and man-made disasters, improve government response to such crises and monitor the nation's shores and borders.
State universities and research programs depend on public support to develop and commercialize new technologies, but the actual science involved in these discoveries can seem intimidating and arcane to the layman. How then should a state go about engaging the public in scientific research?
The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology has announced a trio of new programs. Last month, the OCAST governing board approved a business plan for 2007 that committed $10 million of recently appropriated revenue for high-tech development. OCAST is devoting much of this funding to a new seed capital program, awards for plant science research, and a program to encourage the use of nanotechnology in manufacturing.
The innovation gap between Europe and the U.S. is shrinking by several measures, according to the latest benchmarking study from the European Union (EU). The size of the gap remains significant, however, due in part to factors such as an increasing public R&D intensity in the U.S. and a decreasing public R&D intensity in the EU.