With several of the right elements already in place but scattered across a wide area, the two planning districts comprising the 13-county region surrounding Roanoke, Virginia, combined efforts to develop a strategic economic development strategy that focuses heavily on science and technology-based initiatives.
Two separate news stories covering different New Jersey's technology-based economic development initiatives may give one of the first peeks at Governor James McGreevey's plans for science & technology in the Garden State.
Already, more than 20 organizations are taking advantage of SSTI's new affiliate membership program. In addition to being able to tap into SSTI's resources, among the benefits available to SSTI affiliates are two perks that many are taking advantage of: discounted registration fees for Building Tech-based Economies: From Policy to Practice, SSTI's Sixth Annual Conference and a 10 percent discount on any purchases from SSTI's 150+ title bookstore and catalog.
In June, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce released the 2002 estimates for Gross State Product (GSP). GSP estimates can be useful for standardizing data across states for ease of comparison or interpretation. SSTI has prepared a table presenting the GSPs for all 50 states and the District of Columbus for the decade 1991-2000 in current 2000 dollars. The states are then ranked by percent change over the decade.
Jeanne B. Berdik has announced her retirement as Vice President of Workforce Education and Development at the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Catalyst Connection. See next article for job posting.
The Massachusetts Technology Council named Carol Meier as its new Executive Director, succeeding Katherine Raphaelson who is relocating to Washington D.C.
Jeanne B. Berdik has announced her retirement as Vice President of Workforce Education and Development at the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Catalyst Connection. See next article for job posting.
The Massachusetts Technology Council named Carol Meier as its new Executive Director, succeeding Katherine Raphaelson who is relocating to Washington D.C.
The Rhode Island Technology Council has appointed Katherine O'Dea as director of workforce development and JoAnn Johnson as manager of education partnerships.
Tom Schumpert, director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation for the past two years, is leaving to become executive director of the metro center of Roger Williams University in Providence. His responsibilities will include strengthening the university's relations with corporations and the community.
Meriby Sweet has been appointed technology business counselor by the Maine Technology Institute and the Maine Small Business Development Centers.
The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) has hired Lara Vande Walle to serve as director of membership and business development.
SSTI Affiliate, the Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC) seeks candidates to become the organization's Vice President for Workforce Education and Development. The senior-level position is responsible for the management of all Catalyst Connection and Pittsburgh Technology Council education programs and services and IT workforce development and recruitment strategies.
With more than 30 sessions and keynote addresses by Michigan Governor John Engler and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development David Sampson, SSTI's Sixth Annual Conference promises to be the year's best and most comprehensive conference on tech-based economic development. Building Tech-Based Economies: From Policy to Practice will be held October 2-3, 2002 in Dearborn, Michigan, with pre-conference activities on October 1.
Earlier this week, New York Governor George E. Pataki and NY Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno unveiled a new funding program designed to recognize and support outstanding scientists and engineers who, early in their careers, show potential for leadership and scientific discovery in the field of biotechnology.
Two Department of Energy national laboratories and two land-grant universities announced on July 17 that they will work together to form a new research institute for the production of energy and industrial products from biomass resources. The new Northwest Bioproducts Research Institute will combine the talents of DOE's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, DOE's Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, Washington State University, and the University of Idaho.
On July 2, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) and the Emerging Venture Network (EVN) launched the MBDA Equity Capital Access (MECA) Program to increase minority entrepreneurs access to capital.
MBDA hopes the initiative will help address the fact that minority firms receive only two percent of all private equity.
“Failure to improve broadband performance could reduce U.S. productivity by 1 percent per year or more,” concludes Charles H. Ferguson in a recent Brookings Institution policy brief. The July brief addresses the pace of broadband deployment and development in the U.S. and makes several recommendations to further progress.
The National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) has two new free or low-cost resources for small town leaders and rural development practitioners. Based in Washington, D.C., NCSC conducts research, training and technical assistance to benefit the leaders of U.S. small communities.
Columbus Tech Councils Merge
Several recent reports and testimonies by the United States General Accounting Office (GAO) address issues of importance to many state and local technology-based economic development initiatives. Highlights of six are provided below. The full reports and testimonies can be found at http://www.gao.gov/.
You know that feeling you get when you've done something nice for no apparent reason? Or at least the grounds for being good are hidden so deeply within you that you aren't aware of the potential payoff?
Well, the annual readers' survey for the SSTI Weekly Digest presents another one of those opportunities to ignite or rekindle that warm inner glow that made the Grinch's heart grow three sizes that day.
State fiscal conditions continue to deteriorate dramatically, according to a report released Wednesday at the 2002 Annual Meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
Vermont’s high-tech businesses now can take advantage of new tax credits with Governor Howard Dean, M.D.’s signature on H. 239. The bill creates a set of five incentives for high-tech businesses in industries including computer hardware or software, information and communications, microelectronics, semiconductors, digital communications, medical devices, energy technologies and electric vehicles.
The 20 states with the least total R&D expenditures increased their share of the total pot in 1999 to 5 percent, according to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) latest InfoBrief. In 1998, NSF found the lowest 20 states captured only 4 percent of the nation's R&D investment.
The importance of strong academic R&D capabilities in building state and regional tech-based economies cannot be overstated. Subsequently most states, either independently or in partnership with federal EPSCoR programs, are making investments toward strengthening their academic research enterprises. Some also have invested in programs to attract, leverage or match federal R&D investments.