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.
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.
Venture capital (VC) investing dipped in the third quarter of 2004, with $4.3 billion going to 601 companies, according to the latest MoneyTree™ Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, Thomson Venture Economics and National Venture Capital Association. The Q3 2004 figure was below the prior quarter of $5.9 billion, but equal to the $4.3 billion posted in Q3 2003.
Four Greensboro, N.C., economic development organizations – the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Partnership, Action Greensboro and the Development Corp. – have agreed to consolidate into the Greensboro Partnership.
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:
Mark Benedetto, president of the University of Sioux Falls, has been elected chairman of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.
Mark Benedetto, president of the University of Sioux Falls, has been elected chairman of the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.
Julie Coons is the new president of the Technology Council of Maryland. Coons most recently served as executive vice president of PCIA -- the Wireless Infrastructure Association.
The Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest has hired Arthur DeMonte as its first executive director. DeMonte was global director of the e-Business Technology Center at Dow Chemical.
Norma Grace, vice chancellor for technology and economic development at the University of New Orleans, has been elected as the 2004-05 president of the Association of University Research Parks.
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has named Dr. Gautam Pillay to the new position of vice president for research. Pillay was executive director of the Inland Northwest Research Alliance.
Duane Roth is the new executive director of UCSD CONNECT. Roth was CEO of Alliance Pharmaceuticals in San Diego.
Michael Terry, president and CEO of EmergeMemphis, has announced he will resign at the end of the year.
This is the second installment of SSTI’s look at the Inaugural, Budget and State of the State Addresses delivered in the past week. With a heavy emphasis on alternative energy, TBED priorities continue to receive significant time in the speeches delivered by the nation’s governors at the start of the 2007 legislative season. Selected excerpts of new initiatives are provided below:
Arkansas
The gradual aging of the American workforce and the domestic migration of young workers may be at fault for slow economic growth in many states that have historically been successful in promoting high-tech business, according to this year’s Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy.
Recently, Enterprise Florida Inc. and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development joined SSTI as state sponsors. We are pleased to have 38 state science and technology (S&T) organizations show their commitment to technology-based economic development as state sponsors. Our members see value in the educational opportunities, technical assistance and quality research information SSTI provides.
SSTI annually scans the inaugural, budget and state of the state addresses given by the nation's governors to see how TBED priorities fare as the state leaders present their legislative priorities for the year. If the addresses are right, more than a handful of states will be "the" leader for alternative or renewable energy within a variety of time spans. Highlights of speeches available at press time include:
Arizona
Last month, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill that will contribute $270 million to the construction of five biotechnology research facilities across the state. The funding source will be bonds backed up by cigarette tax revenue, as issued by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Gov.