U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan recently announced that $67 million will be available for a second round of the Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant program.
A sluggish economic recovery, mostly due to no sustained upturn in housing activity, combined with pressures from rising commodity costs, supply-chain disruptions, and extreme domestic weather means most U.S. metros can expect only minimal job growth by the end of this year, according to a new report prepared for the United States Conference of Mayors. Job growth in 2011 is expected to reach 1.2 percent and unemployment will not fall below 8 percent until late 2013.
In a report published by United for Medical Research, a consortium of science and research medical organizations, Dr. Everett Ehrlich found that extramural research supported by the National Institutes of Health in fiscal year 2010 (FY10) led to the creation of 487,900 quality public and private sector jobs and produced over $68 billion in new activity across the country.
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 from 2004 to 2009. Business churning is a measure of the creation of new companies and the death of existing companies as share of total firms. Churning increases as the number of new start-ups and existing business failures per year increase.
As the cost of a college education continues to rise and good paying jobs are seemingly scarcer than ever before, many Americans are questioning the value of a college degree. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center found 57 percent of Americans believe the U.S. fails to provide good value for the money students and their families spend, and about four in ten college presidents say the system is headed in the wrong direction. At the same time, however, studies find the lifetime earnings of college graduates to be much higher than those of high school graduates.
This week, White House officials announced several new initiatives to modernize the U.S. electrical power grid and boost the development of clean energy technologies.The initiatives include $250 million in loans for smart grid technology deployment, a private sector effort to provide consumers with detailed energy usage information and a new White House Renewable Energy Rapid Response Team to speed the review of proposed renewable energy projects.
Lawmakers passed two major jobs bills during the 2011 legislative session; one modifying several economic development programs and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, and the other providing incentives to attract large companies to the state. A proposal dubbed Bioscience Connecticut, centered on renovating and expanding the University of Connecticut Health Center, also won legislative approval.
On June 13, President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness presented their initial "progress report" on their ongoing projects to catalyze short-term job creation in the U.S. Eleven ideas were offered at the meeting, including working with community colleges to train and employ advanced manufacturing workers, building public-private partnerships to graduate and retain 10,000 new engineers, expanding the EB-5 visa-for-entrepreneurs program and simplifying the process for Small Business Administration loans.
In an effort to persuade foreign and domestic companies to set up shop or expand operations in the U.S., President Obama signed an executive order establishing the SelectUSA initiative. A major component of the initiative includes a searchable database of federal programs and services such as information on grants, loans and tax incentives. The website also provides a clickable map of the U.S.
Job Corner
i2E has three new career opportunities available in their Oklahoma City office. These positions are designed to work directly with entrepreneurs and grow the support infrastructure of early stage companies in the region.
The positions include:
SSTI has an effective new learning tool for TBED policymakers and practitioners seeking guidance in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies. Through exclusive interviews with Excellence in TBED Award recipients, find out first-hand how these award winning initiatives successfully responded to a critical need by applying innovative approaches to generate substantial economic gains for their region.
In 2011, the nation's city finance officers report that the fiscal condition of cities has continued to weaken and placed pressure on cities to cut spending on personnel, infrastructure investments and key services, according to a new research brief, City Fiscal Conditions Survey: 2011, from the National League of Cities (NLC). The results were taken from a survey of over 270 city finance officers from across the United States.
The Obama administration, congress and the private sector must implement a comprehensive policy package to unleash startups and empower small businesses, according to a newly released report, Taking Action, Building Confidence, from the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. The report outlines a three-phase approach to accelerate short-term job growth, while rebuilding long-term U.S. competitiveness:
The Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) is soliciting advice on how to best stimulate job creation through investments in biological research and development. In a new Request for Information (RFI), OSTP asks for input on national challenges related to biotechnology research, eduction, entrepreneurship and partnerships. Submissions, which are due by December 6, 2011, will help shape the administration's bioeconomy strategy.
Michigan State University, Rutgers University and the University of Michigan all have announced new initiatives that are intended to fuel innovation and grow regional economies. Michigan State established the University Center for Regional Economic Innovation — a university-based, economic development research center focused on generating businesses and jobs statewide. Rutgers University created a Disruptive Innovation Fund to provide up to $1 million to support the commercialization of innovative products.
A coalition of private businesses and nonprofit organizations, including Microsoft, Best Buy, the Boys and Girls Club and the National Urban League, has launched a new initiative to increase broadband adoption and teach technology skills. The new Connect to Compete initiative, which will be managed by One Economy, will deploy a variety of digital training resources, courses and tech jobs matching programs beginning next year. Earlier this year, U.S.
Job Corner
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (A•P•L•U) is seeking applicants for the position of director of Innovation and Technology Policy. The individual in this position will serve as the director for the APLU Commission on Innovation, Competitiveness and Economic Prosperity as part of his/her responsibilities as a member of the staff of the Office of Research, Innovation and STEM Policy.
The 2011-13 biennial budget for the Oregon Business Development Department recently approved by lawmakers allocates $16 million for the Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC), the same amount as last biennium, but short of the $19 million requested by Gov. John Kitzhaber to broaden research and technology transfer programs.
Whether you are new to the tech-based economic development (TBED) field or a seasoned practitioner, SSTI's podcast interviews with experts in all areas of TBED serves as a useful learning tool. These short and "to the point" interviews delve into questions such as:
The University of Kansas' Center for Technology Commercialization is seeking a director that will be responsible for effectively managing faculty-generated intellectual property across all the University of Kansas campuses and deploying it for the greater social good.
Maria Haley, the executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission passed way Sept. 13 after suffering a brain aneurysm.
The U.S. Commerce Department's Economic Development Administration announced Matthew Erskine will join the agency as the U.S. deputy assistant secretary of Commerce for Economic Development and chief operations officer.
Job Corner
The Invest Nebraska Corporation is hiring a CEO to join their team in Lincoln, NE. The CEO will manage Invest Nebraska's programs throughout the State of Nebraska. Invest Nebraska Corporation is a private, nonprofit venture development organization focused on developing high-growth companies in Nebraska and growing the state's economy.
The European Union (EU) launched the Technology Transfer Offices — Connecting Innovation and Research Centers and Laboratories in Europe (European TTO CIRCLE ), a network of tech transfer offices at Europe's 25 largest public research organizations. With the goal of increasing the market and societal impacts of publicly-funded research, the European TTO CIRCLE members already have adopted a set of several initiatives including: