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The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration announced it is accepting applications for the $12 million i6 Green Challenge. EDA, in partnership with the departments of Agriculture and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, will select six teams from around the country that present the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in support of a green innovation economy.

The latest annual report on state higher education finance by the State Higher Education Executive Officers finds that state and local per student spending fell to its lowest point in 25 years last year. Rising enrollment and stagnant appropriations contributed to the decrease in per student spending.

"The new frontier of effective worker education lies in combining classroom and workplace education to produce a hybrid of technical knowledge and hands-on skills," according to a report from the Center for American Progress — Delivering Innovation Economy Skills While Wisely Using Public Funds. The report contends that the U.S.

Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) has stimulated the state's job creation and increased the amount of additional funds leveraged, according to a report by Battelle. In 2010, SFAz-funded programs led to over 1,150 new jobs, 84 patents and 16 new companies. For every $1.00 awarded by SFAz, an additional $3.06 was matched by an outside source (e.g., federal grants, industry, and venture capital). SFAz's leveraging has increased progressively over the last three years.

With the number of startups on the rise, several states and cities are reaching out to entrepreneurs to connect them with the assistance and capital they need to survive.

Indiana

George Osborne, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the country's 2011 budget including the "Plan of Growth," a package of measures intended to support private sector investment, enterprise and innovation. Several initiatives highlighted in the Plan of Growth include:

George Osborne, the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced the country's 2011 budget including the "Plan of Growth," a package of measures intended to support private sector investment, enterprise and innovation. Several initiatives highlighted in the Plan of Growth include:

Innovative firms rely on global pipelines and communication more than local interactions to increase their innovative capacity, according to a working paper by Rune Dahl Fitjar and Andres Rodriguez-Pose. The authors examine the practices of 1604 firms in the five largest urban regions of Norway, and find that international cooperation is the main source of product and process innovation.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland is seeking a dynamic and innovative biomedical/biotechnology expert to provide strategic leadership as the director of the newly created Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination (OTAC). The OTAC is charged with accelerating the translation of basic discoveries and innovations into new diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics, and facilitating the development of new technologies via SBIR initiatives.

The Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority, a semi-autonomous Hawaii State agency that developed and manages a globally unique and innovative technology incubation and commercial park in Kailua-Kona on the island of Hawaii, currently is seeking an Executive Director.

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is seeking a highly talented and experienced individual for the position of Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer for the West Virginia Regional Technology Park located in South Charleston. The selected individual will have the opportunity to help refine and implement the vision for this property and its role in technology development, economic development, education, research and innovation in West Virginia and the surrounding region.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) will be armed with $100 million for efforts to attract new businesses and help existing businesses grow in the coming year — an additional $50 million above Gov. Rick Snyder's request. Another $25 million was approved for a new innovation and entrepreneurship program.

Editor's Note: Last week, the Digest erroneously reported that Congress had approved the extension of SBIR/STTR. This mistake was due to the substitution described in the article below. The actual SBIR extension was approved on May 31, 2011. We regret the error.

For the 11th time in the last 32-months, Congress approved a continuing resolution to extend authorization of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program. The House version of the Small Business Additional Temporary Extension Act of 2011 (S.990) would extend small business programs "as is" through the end of Fiscal Year 2011. The Senate version would extend the program through May 31, 2012.

What TBED Approaches are Successful in the Current Economy?

Often overshadowed in the media by state budget deficit reporting, city fiscal conditions are rapidly declining and expected to worsen through 2010 and beyond, finds the National League of Cities (NLC) annual survey. Additionally, pessimism about the ability to meet city fiscal needs is at its highest level in the history of NLC's 24-year survey on city fiscal conditions.

The U.S. will not be able to achieve its goals for human space flight unless substantial changes are made to NASA's plans for the next decade, according to a report from the U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee. The report's conclusions and recommendations, if they are adopted by the Obama Administration, would have significant impacts on those state and local TBED initiatives focused on NASA installations, space science, and the aerospace industry.

Halfway through its money and its first decade, Ohio's Third Frontier Initiative has helped generate a $6.6 billion impact for the state, according to an independent assessment released by the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) on Tuesday. The report also credits the initiative's investments for creating 41,300 jobs within Ohio over the past five years.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), housed at the U.S. Department of Energy, has released a Request for Information (RFI) to assist the development of its future funding opportunities and initiatives. Public and stakeholder ideas are needed in two categories:

Once again, SSTI's annual conference continues to be the most affordable professional development event of the year for the state, local, and university-based TBED community. Early registration discounts, which knock off $100 from the lowest prices already in the field, will expire Sept 29. Make the smart investment for your TBED program and your career by registering today. More information, including a registration form, is available at: http://www.ssticonference.org

The United States Army has unveiled a new competition to foster the development of software and services that will be of use to the military. Apps for the Army would help speed the development process for Defense IT projects by providing an incentive for the military community to participate in creating innovative applications. Officials say that the program will help tap into the work already being done by military personnel to design software that is tailored to the demands of the battlefield.

President Obama has named Ron Bloom as the administration's senior counselor for manufacturing policy. Since, February, Bloom has been a senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and he sits on the president's automotive industry task force.

The national recession that began at the end of 2007 is "very likely over," according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Recovery, however, may be a long way off. Because states were affected differently by the economic downturn in both timing and impact, recovery for state and local economies is likely to occur at different times. Moody's Economy.com predicts, according to an MSNBC article, that job growth will return first in five states: Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

The differences in economic performance among the metropolitan areas with the largest populations are vast, as a few metros already are emerging from the recession and others are in danger of being left behind, according to a recent brief by the Brookings Institution. To be issued every quarter, last week's MetroMonitor: Tracking Economic Recession and Recovery in America's 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas examines changes in employment, unemployment rate, gross metro product (GMP), housing prices and foreclosed properties through the end of June 2009.

Each year, Southern Growth Policies Board honors Southern initiatives that are improving economic opportunities and quality of life in the region. The 2010 Innovator Awards will be chosen from creative initiatives in the region that aim to help communities recover from the recession. Innovator Awards are presented annually to one organization in each of Southern Growth's 13 member states, and winners are recognized at Southern Growth's Annual Conference. The deadline for nominations is Nov 6.