Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives approved patent reform legislation that would represent the most significant reform of the U.S. patent system since the Bayh-Dole Act. The Patent Reform Act of 2007 (HR 1908) would move the U.S. to a first-to-file patent system rather than the first-to-invent system that has long made the U.S. an international outlier in intellectual property (IP) protection.
Public universities in most states compete with other state priorities for appropriations each year or two-year budget cycle. With the state’s fiscal year ending Sept. 30, no new budget passed by the legislature and a projected state revenue deficit of more than $1.5 billion for 2008, universities in Michigan may feel greater pressure to assert their importance to the state’s economy.
Virginia could capitalize on its strong energy R&D foundation of universities, federal laboratories and businesses through coordination among research activities and by creating a consistent funding stream for federal R&D funding and technology commercialization, finds a new state energy plan released last week.
As with every public policy or program to promote economic development, TBED initiatives can fall victim to critics’ concerns regarding the value of these approaches if performance measurement is not an integral component of your efforts. Fair assessment of impact, though, remains a thorny issue for many TBED strategies because of the early stage of investment (e.g. support for university research, entrepreneurship education or even seed capital).
Each year, Southern Growth Policies Board honors Southern initiatives that are improving the quality of life in the region through its Innovator Awards. The Awards are presented annually to one organization in each of Southern Growth’s member states Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
Ronnie Bryant, president and chief operating officer for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, is leaving to become president and CEO of the 16-county Charlotte Regional Partnership in North Carolina.
Ronnie Bryant, president and chief operating officer for the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, is leaving to become president and CEO of the 16-county Charlotte Regional Partnership in North Carolina.
Albert Clough is the new Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, following the resignation of Edgar Blatchford last week.
Pat Dillon has taken a position with the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network, an initiative to support high tech, high growth companies in Wisconsin.
The new chairman for the Georgia Medical Center Authority is former State Senator Randy Hall.
Carrie Hines, presently with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, will serve as the first executive director of the American Small Manufacturing Coalition.
The U.S. Senate has confirmed William Alan Jeffrey as the new director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The new head of the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City is Jeffrey Kaczmarek, effective Sept. 6. Kaczmarek currently is senior vice president for community development with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Former Massachusetts State Senator Peter Larkin is the senior vice president and chief operating officer for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
Chris Marschner is the new president of the Maryland Business Incubation Association (MBIA).
Rebecca Bagley is the new Deputy Secretary for Technology Investment in the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development.
Rebecca Bagley is the new Deputy Secretary for Technology Investment in the PA Dept. of Community and Economic Development.
Former University of Washington President Lee Huntsman is the first director of Washington's Life Sciences Discovery Fund.
John Shields, president of the Alabama Technology Network since 1996, stepped down June 30. Mike Bailey is the new president.
Maurice Swinton recently announced he has accepted the position of Program Manager for the Advanced Technology Office (ATO) of the Department of Homeland Security. Among its responsibilities, the ATO oversees the agency's SBIR/STTR programs.
Citing a reorganizing, the Delaware Economic Development Office fired 20 percent of its staff (10 positions) last Thursday. According to the Associated Press and local news sources, among those relieved of their duties were Janet Wurtzel, chief operating officer, and Rob Propes, entrepreneurial and small business support director.
Nonprofit entities in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Washington will receive $13.2 million over six years for training and incentive programs for Advanced Placement (AP) and Pre-Advanced Placement Programs. The grants will be used for extensive training of teachers, identification of lead teachers, additional "time on task" for students, and financial incentives based on academic results.
While dozens of states have instituted clean-tech strategies in order to cash in on the high-tech wave of the future, some are looking even further ahead. In several western states, private space travel and companies are drawing the attention of political leaders, researchers and investors eager to pioneer an industry that may still be many years away from creating dividends.
One of the many challenges for tech-based economic development organizations and private firms is to access and take advantage of the wealth of knowledge produced throughout the nation’s federal laboratory system. With the hope of making their intellectual property more accessible for commercialization, four research facilities within the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) recently signed a cooperative agreement to pool together their patents.
What factors will enable regions with a historical strong industrial heritage to become attractive to creative individuals? According to Richard Florida in his 2002 book, The Rise of the Creative Class, creative people are most drawn to places that have an abundance of existing creative talent, a tolerance for diversity, and the ability to produce technology.