Search

LaMoyne Hyde, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce, also announced he will resign his position by the end of the year.

Karl Koehler is returning to the Indiana 21st Century Research and Technology Fund to serve as its director.

Jerry Lonergan is Kansas Inc.'s new president.

Dr. Doros Platika is the new chief executive officer of the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse.

Minnesota Technology Inc. has hired Wayne Pletcher as its new president.

Although technology sector employment is down slightly from previous years, Washington firms received twice the aggregate amount of venture capital (VC) funding compared to last year, and the state remains above the national average in educational attainment, according to the sixth annual Washington State Index of Innovation and Technology.

Republican members of the House Committee on Science introduced last week three bills designed to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness by improving math and science education and research.

High speed Internet access, global positioning systems and other information and communication technologies have revolutionized urban and regional economic development, both planning and practice. Communities willing and able to make the appropriate investment decisions regarding information improve their abilities to compete.

Perhaps in no field more than biotechnology are the roles of alliances, mergers and acquisitions, and licensing so influential in determining the future success of a start-up firm. Pharmaceuticals are perhaps the best example of this. There aren't hundreds of big pharma companies around the world; there are perhaps a dozen, and, thanks to television advertising for meds, most are practically household names. To make it as a young biopharma business, most plan to be licensed up or bought out.

[Publisher's note: In last week's Digest, we prepared a table showing what I thought was per capita federal R&D spending by state for 2003. Some readers who are more astute than I questioned the data, and in reviewing how I used the NSF data, I discovered that I had done so incorrectly. My apologies to all for this error. We have removed the incorrect table from our website.

For the fifth consecutive quarter, venture capital (VC) investments in the U.S. hovered around the $4 billion range, showing a sign of stability, according to two independent reports. The reports affirm the industry's shift in focus away from information technology and toward the life sciences.

Biotechnology is projected by many to be the "next big thing" for economic growth — and money is following the hype. Congress has over the last several years accomplished the goal of doubling the budget for the National Institutes of Health, already the nation's largest funder of life science research.

In 2002, angels invested $15.7 billion in entrepreneurial businesses in the U.S., according to the Center for Venture Research. Yet – until now – there was no organization to establish best practices or collect data on how to maximize the performance of groups of angel investors.

Can universities, foundations and funding agencies, local governments and nonprofits work together to mainstream research and evaluation while improving program operations?

Iowa: Davenport Sells City Land for Tech Incubator

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a statistical report on Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2002. The data show trends in science and engineering (S&E) doctorate awards by S&E field and recipient characteristics, institutions awarding doctorates, and postgraduation plans of recipients.

Case Western Reserve University is seeking an executive director of The Power Partnership for Ohio, one of the new Wright Centers of Innovation funded in part by a $18 million grant from the State of Ohio.

Sam Bodman, presently Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Treasury.

John Calvin, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development, has announced his resignation effective Dec. 15.

Sam Bodman, presently Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Treasury.

John Calvin, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development, has announced his resignation effective Dec. 15.

TechPoint, Indiana's statewide technology council, has named Cameron Carter to serve as president and chief executive officer.

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Q. Donaldson, V has been appointed Director of the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC), effective Jan. 5, 2004.

Carol Ann Dykes is the new president of the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers.

The new position of vice president of research and health services at the University of South Carolina will be filled by Harris Pastides.

By a narrow margin, Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment that would have permitted the state to issue up to $500 million in bonds over 10 years to fund technology-based economic development projects. Defeated 51 percent to 49 percent, Issue 1 would have made up the final component of Gov. Bob Taft's proposed 10-year, $1.6 billion Third Frontier project. The remaining $1.1 billion is unaffected by Tuesday's vote.