Increasing federal funding for life science research is one of the most significant ingredients for improving a state’s position in building a strong biotech and biomedical sector. As appropriations for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were increasing annually – as they did in the last half of the 1990s and the first few years of this decade – this was not a zero-sum game. All states could win.
Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
With new governors often come changes in the leadership of state economic development organizations. Arkansas, Colorado and Maryland recently announced their new development officers:
With new governors often come changes in the leadership of state economic development organizations. Arkansas, Colorado and Maryland recently announced their new development officers:
Catherine Renault is the new director for the Maine Office of Innovation within the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development.
Jim Rice, with the Information Technology Association of Wisconsin, announced his departure as the organization’s first president.
This is the fourth installment of SSTI’s look at the Inaugural, Budget and State of the State Addresses delivered in the past week. Earlier installments, published Jan. 29, Jan. 15 and Jan. 8, are available through: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2007/headlines07.htm
Selected excerpts of the most recent batch of speeches are provided below:
Connecticut
Texas Gov. Rick Perry unveiled his budget proposal for fiscal year 2008-09 with an additional $300 million to recapitalize the state’s Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The program provides loans and grants to commercialization projects with ties to state universities, and to create research centers in key technology areas. The funding would represent a significant expansion of the program, which received $200 million when it was established in 2005 and no new funding in 2006.
Over the past 27 years, the Bayh-Dole Act has been frequently cited as critical for university tech transfer in the U.S. The Act allows universities to assume ownership over the intellectual property (IP) produced on campuses, whenever that property derives from research funded in whole or in part by the federal government. The possibility of financial returns from licensing agreements or on the sale of IP gives institutions an important incentive to engage in applied research and move their discoveries to market.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced it will provide $65 million in new grants under the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) Initiative.
Looking for that perfect professional development opportunity for you or your staff. If so, the SSTI Web calendar of events should prove useful in your search.
By visiting www.ssti.org/calendar.htm, you can view more than 170 technology-based economic development events.
Events include:
With the opportunity presented by a $732 million budget surplus, Gov. Linda Lingle wants Hawai`i to shift its public investment philosophy away from land development and toward encouraging, nurturing and rewarding innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and risk-taking. Most of Gov. Lingle's State of the State Address on Jan.
Earlier this month, Gov. Janet Napolitano presented Arizonans with a three-part plan to prepare for the 21st century economy in her annual State of the State Address. The One Arizona Plan would support state economic growth by investing in education, physical infrastructure and innovation. During her address, Gov. Napolitano emphasized the need to increase Arizona’s innovation capacity and to build a technologically-savvy workforce.
The Cleantech Venture Network (CVN) announced last week that U.S. venture investment in clean technologies fell 34 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. Investment in cleantech, which includes products and services that reduce or eliminate environmental impacts, declined to $613 million last quarter -- down from a record-breaking peak of $933 million in the previous quarter. The drop brought to an end nine consecutive quarters of gains for cleantech, but still capped a record-breaking year for VC investment in the sector.
On Jan. 17, the U.S. Department of Labor announced 13 regions across the country will share $65 million in the second round of Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grants.
A recent report by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) recommends the state’s next steps to develop its biotechnology industry should include the creation of a privately managed early-stage capital fund for investing in start-up companies, to be financed by the Legislature.
Looking for information on individual states or on key statistical indicators? If so, the SSTI Weekly Digest archives are a resource that should prove helpful in your search.
By visiting www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm, one can browse headlines or view Digest articles dating back to 1996 or use any of these tools:
Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
Less than one week before President Bush releases the Administration's budget request for fiscal year 2008, congressional Democratic leadership released its solution to the FY 2007 fiasco. The need to remain within spending caps approved last year and the need to focus on FY08 spending meant the FY07 fix would be simple, but slightly painful for agencies used to above-inflation-rate increases each year. Sixty programs reportedly will see cuts from their FY06 funding levels.
The provincial government of Québec committed to infusing $888 million (Canadian) into its science and technology community over the next three years, as a result of the innovation and research strategy released earlier this month. The new investment is in addition to $278 million committed this year alone for research infrastructure and the Québec Aeronautical Industry Development Strategy.
Delaware
Gov. Ruth Minner, State of the State Address, Jan. 18, 2007
In Iowa
Less than two weeks after his inauguration, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver called for the state legislature to lift the state ban on embryonic stem cell research. The ban was first instituted in 2002.
The question of whether or not there is enough opportunity for economic development through public-private investment in biosciences has been answered with a pretty strong “yes,” based on a report released Jan. 29 by Battelle and BIO.
Imagine you're going into business for yourself. You will become an entrepreneur. Do you think you would stop to consider if you should relocate to a state with lower or even higher taxes before embarking on this venture? Probably not.
A new study of the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) reveals MTI's award programs have been effective in contributing to the success of its awardees and in increasing high-tech employment in the state. The MTI evaluation, conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Southern Maine, also found that the success rate of MTI's funded projects improved over the five-year history of the organization.