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SSTI's 14th Annual Conference agenda features some of the most relevant topics designed to help your efforts to support regional innovation, and this year we're going straight to the top to find out what federal officials, governors, and state policymakers envision on the road ahead for tech-based economic development. Brian McGowan, a senior Economic Development Administration official, will kick off the conference on Tuesday, Sept.

Pressure on state budgets is at a historic high, and, ultimately, it's going to be state legislators that will make the decisions on how limited resources are allocated. The Road Ahead: The View from Legislators will provide you the opportunity to get a candid assessment from two legislators on what is needed to build support for tech-based economic development in this tough environment and what they see as the road ahead.

Everyday more organizations are realizing the potential of mentoring programs to help assist high-tech entrepreneurs and to build stronger tech industries. In recognition of this growing trend, SSTI will feature two sessions on entrepreneurial mentoring at this year's Annual Conference. The first, Sustaining Entrepreneur-in-Residence & Mentoring Programs, will examine how these programs recruit, retain and support experieinced mentors.

TechConnect WV, a nonprofit advancing technology-based economic development, is seeking an executive director and solicits interest from individuals and entities able to provide services on a contractual basis.

Six teams were selected as winners of the i6 Challenge, a new innovation competition led by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA), in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The i6 Challenge seeks to identify and support the nation's best ideas for technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in six different regions of the country. The winning team from each region will receive $1 million from EDA to support their project and may be eligible for additional awards from NIH and NSF.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the selection of 10 regional economic development and job creation efforts through a new pilot program, Innovative Economies, that supports small business participation in regional economic clusters. SBA's funding is designed to expand the opportunities and the role small businesses play in these regional collaborations. The awardees were selected from among 173 applicants. Awards went to organizations in: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina.

With 37 governorships up for election in 2010, one thing is certain: Transitions in state and local economies are on the horizon. In a special series leading up to the November elections, SSTI is tracking news, reports, and analysis from the gubernatorial candidates to report on the most pressing issues for the tech-based economic development community. Over the next several weeks, we'll highlight announcements and campaign platforms from select states across the U.S. The first installment includes competing jobs plans in Iowa unveiled by incumbent Gov.

Since 2006, Michigan's economic development programs designed to transition its economy from the traditional manufacturing-based economy to an economy driven by clusters of innovative manufacturers and service providershave led to more than 24,407 direct and indirect jobs created or retained, the creation of approximately 1,500 new companies and almost 900 patents.

The United States finished third out of 71 countries in entrepreneurship on the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI) according to a report commissioned by the SBA's Office of Advocacy. Denmark and Canada, respectively, were first and second due to strong scores across the three sub-indexes (i.e., Attitude, Activities, Aspirations). ). The U.S. finished first in the entrepreneurial aspiration sub-index but lagged behind in entrepreneurial attitude (6th) and activities (8th). The authors —Zoltan J.

In an attempt to solve the nation's challenges, the Obama administration recently launched challenge.gov. Challenge.gov — a prize platform that cultivates social problem solving — provides Americans with the opportunity to participate in federal government challenges. For their efforts, entrepreneurs, innovators and citizen solvers will be rewarded with prizes and recognition for solving tough problems. In the future, the site will promote and publish challenges from all the federal agencies.

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber seeks an executive director for its Regional Innovation Organization (RIO). The desired candidate will be a dynamic, visionary, and entrepreneurial leader who will launch a new regional acceleration entity that will lead entrepreneurial development in the Baton Rouge area. The individual will have direct responsibility for developing programming and capacity to support best-in-class business acceleration services that prepare companies for rapid growth in the region.

Neal Wade will resign his position as director of the Alabama Development Office in November and has been named senior vice president of economic development for St. Joe, one of Florida's largest real estate development companies.

Florida is one of many states without an incumbent governor participating in the 2010 gubernatorial election, as Gov. Charlie Crist, who served just one-term in office, will seek an open Florida U.S. Senate seat this fall in a race against former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio and Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek. Crist is running as in Independent. Policy aimed at job creation is the topic of much debate in Florida, where unemployment is around 12 percent.

The European Commission has released the first comprehensive innovation strategy for the European Union. The strategy has over thirty action points including the development of European Innovation Partnerships, improving access to finance, creating a major research program on the public sector & social innovation and modernizing Europe's intellectual property rights regime.

Regional innovation clusters can be a useful framework in understanding the high-tech economy, but only if local leaders recognize the limits of cluster-based strategies, according to a recent study by the Brookings Institution. Authors Mark Muro and Bruce Katz suggest that research has confirmed the positive impact clusters can have for local workers, firms and regions, but that effective policy interventions must focus on targeted initiatives to foster existing clusters.

A recent report from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Science Board calls for a new NSF research agenda to identify and develop the next generation of STEM innovators. The board developed a STEM agenda built on findings from a two-year study on math, science and engineering education in the U.S. The report, entitled "Preparing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators," provides recommendations that are intended to help set funding priorities at NSF for STEM education in the coming years.

Minority and women entrepreneurs continue to experience lower survival rates than their white (and Asian), male counterparts, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report by Ron Jarmin and C.J. Krizan of the Bureau's Center for Economic Studies. Jarmin and Krizan link several databases on business activity in 2005 in order to track how race, gender, education and experience of the entrepreneur relate to survival rates, profits, size, employment growth and exports.

EDA will implement a new grant approval process starting in FY2011, which is intended to improve competiveness, transparency and efficiency. The new process includes continuous technical assistance and customer service, quarterly rounds of funding, enhanced responsivenessand competitive selection framework. Only Public Works, Economic Adjustment and Global Climate Change Mitigation Incentive Fund (GCCMIF) investments will be made under the new system. The first funding cycle deadline will be Dec15.

California's next governor will inherit a dire budget situation and an unemployment rate that is above the national average. While the two main candidates vying for the job offer different visions for enhancing California's economy, both plans set forth policies and incentives to encourage renewable energy development and deployment and provide resources to support entrepreneurs. Jerry Brown (D) has a clean energy jobs plan that he says will produce half a million jobs in research, development, manufacturing, construction, installation, and maintenance over the next decade.

Two candidates vying for Georgia governor unveiled proposals to create technology jobs and invest in biomedical R&D. Democratic nominee Roy Barnes would expand the scope of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) to build on programs that accelerate technology transfer. Barnes credited the organization with a 20-year track record of helping create high-value companies based on university research. Republican nominee Nathan Deal would expand access to capital for biotechnology startups and create a Certified Capital Company (CAPCO) program to help fuel R&D.

Recent graduates and grad students will have access to new resources aimed at helping them launch high-tech businesses and commercialize new technologies under the Government of Canada's new Scientists and Engineers in Business Initiative.

California's green economy remains strong through the Great Recession, according to a new report — the 2010 California Green Innovation Index. The yearly report published by Next 10 provides dashboard of indicators that track changes over time. This year's report indicates that California's clean tech companies continue to attract venture capital (VC) investments, the state leads the nation in clean tech patents and green manufacturing has grown.

Brookings' researchers contend that the U.S. region worst hit by the Great Recession has the potential to spearhead the U.S. towards a Next Economy. The Next Economy: Economic Recovery and Transformation in the Great Lakes Region provides a roadmap for federal, state and local stakeholders to transition the Rust Belt into a forward thinking economy. It replaces the old economy, which was driven by highly-leveraged, domestic consumption, with an export-oriented Next Economy powered by a low-carbon energy strategy and driven by innovation that benefits all Americans.

TechColumbus is seeking a director of Information Technology Commercialization responsible for the business development of TechColumbus client companies, including assessment, evaluation and organized assistance to Information Technology/Computer Science client companies, with emphasis on proactive advising and guidance resulting in company success and wealth creation.

Craig Dye was named director of the Mtech VentureAccelerator Program, a fast-track, early admission program tied to Mtech's Technology Advancement Program.

The Minnesota High Tech Association announced Margaret Anderson Kelliher, speaker of the Minnesota House, will assume the role of president of the Association beginning in January after she leaves public office.