Southern states may have a justifiable reason to be proud of their progress in technology and innovation, but their leaders should be concerned with the lack of investment in venture capital and industrial research and development (R&D), suggests a report released last month by Southern Growth Policies Board and the Southern Technology Council (STC).
Prompted by confusion over the dual rulings in the University of Michigan affirmative action cases last year, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering have released a new report to clarify the legalities and offer options for implementing and sustaining diversity programs within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Senate Bill 1134, the reauthorization bill for the federal Economic Development Administration (EDA), only awaits the President's signature following Thursday's passage by the U.S. House of Representatives. SB 1134 was passed by the U.S. Senate just a day earlier.
Highlights of the Economic Development Reauthorization Act of 2003, as passed by Congress, include:
Ongoing economic struggles, along with rising health care and pension costs, have contributed to the bleak conditions of city budgets around the nation. The majority of America’s cities are still suffering from the recession and city financial officers are pessimistic on the financial outlook for the near future, according to an annual survey from the National League of Cities.
Richard Bendis, president and chief executive officer of the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC), has accepted an offer to lead the newly created Innovation Philadelphia Corporation. Mr. Bendis has been involved with KTEC since the organization was created in 1987. He was appointed to the KTEC board of directors by the Governor and served as the board’s first chairman. Mr. Bendis served as interim president in 1994 before being named president in 1995.
The Australian Government has enacted new rules to attract international private equity investment in the country’s venture capital community. The rules introduce tax concessions for international investors, including university endowment funds and venture capital fund-to-fund vehicles. The rules will treat these investors in the same way as pension funds, exempting them from capital gains tax on their Australian investments.
The National Science Foundation has launched the new, online Industrial Research and Development Information System (IRIS) to provide easy access to information on industrial R&D performance across a broad range of years and criteria.
A Letter from Bozeman, Montana
Public corporations headquartered in the U.S. almost doubled the growth rate of their investment in R&D in 2000, according to new data from the advance estimates of annual U.S. corporate R&D released this week by the Commerce Department’s Office of Technology Policy.
With the announcement of the first 30 grants under the Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST) less than two weeks old (see the October 5 issue of the Digest), the new federal program supporting state efforts to encourage small business technology development and commercialization is in danger of being cancelled.
"If technology is at the core of the Innovation Economy, then investment in research and development is one of the principal drivers in the creation of that technology."
After nearly ten years as the head of America's space program, NASA's longest-serving Administrator, Daniel S. Goldin, has announced his resignation, effective November 17, 2001. He also announced he has accepted an interim position as a Senior Fellow for the Council on Competitiveness in Washington D.C., as he transitions into the private sector.
If one were asked to identify localized examples of the economic spectacle that was the late 1990s, the metro region of Austin, Texas would be on most short lists. A recently completed economic development plan from the tech-soaked Austin suburb of Round Rock, however, reflects the fundamental upheaval or disruption that characterizes the economies of many regions of the country.
While the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) have voiced caution and funded efforts to understand the potential societal and environmental implications of nanotechnology deployment, both agencies announced much larger funding commitments - totaling $213 million - to expedite commercial applications for the explosive field.
Nanotech Solutions for Cancer
During the states' fiscal crisis, a number of TBED programs were eliminated, while others survived. SSTI staff spent a fair amount of time analyzing what the survivors had in common, and we boiled the results down to three items that successful TBED programs have in common. While it may seem simplistic, the three commonalities are:
In order to provide further incentives for crucial research and development (R&D) and to encourage more industries to carry out R&D in Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, the economic development agency for Scotland has launched a new funding scheme.
Thirty-six states received failing grades on a biennial report card that reveals the cost of attending college represents a higher portion of American families’ incomes today than it did a decade ago. A separate report from the Pell Institute supports those conclusions by showing students from the lower-income bracket are finding it more difficult than ever to keep pace with rising tuition costs.
The importance a well educated populace plays in a knowledge-based economy is a given for most tech-based economic development strategies. Ensuring that a larger percentage of the population pursues that education through and beyond high school is another matter -- often the responsibility of other state agencies, organizations and decision makers.
The European Commission's 2001 European Innovation Scoreboard, characterizing the strengths and weaknesses in the capacity for innovation of the European Union (EU) and its member states, shows the EU continues to lag behind the U.S. and Japan.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) released State Government Initiatives in Biotechnology 2001, the results of the first comprehensive survey of state government efforts to attract and grow the biotechnology industry. The report, prepared by Battelle Memorial Institute and the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), contains information from 48 states and shows state governments becoming increasingly active in recruiting and supporting biotechnology companies.
Nearly $43 million in grants were awarded October 1 to 74 non-profit organizations, including state and local governments, by the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
As Congress and the Bush Administration look at national economic stimulus packages, debate is beginning in some states to enact similar measures to reverse the direction of their local economies. Various tax cuts for businesses invariably are included in the states’ discussions.
A Rhode Island Economic Strategy: 10 Ways to Succeed Without Losing Our Soul recently was released by the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council. The report outlines 10 economic development initiatives through four themes centered on places, people, clusters and connections.