Maryland General Assembly approval of a $1 million boost for the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) Program, one of the nation's oldest continually run programs to support university-industry research projects leading to technology commercialization, marks a 74 percent increase above the $1.35 million program budget for 2006. The increase was proposed by Gov.
While the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has the recipe for a creative economy - people in creative occupations, industries with a creative workforce, and an environment that supports creativity - it falls short of the national average in more than 75 percent of all creative occupational categories, a new study by the Maricopa Partnership for Arts and Culture (MPAC) finds.
If you know any secondary school teachers or, like millions of Americans, you are heavily involved in high school graduation season right now, you know that the Class of `06 is not like the Class of `05 or the upcoming Class of '07. Assemblages of students tend to develop discernable class personalities as they march from kindergarten through grade 12, distinct and possibly very different than most of their individual personalities.
The Idaho Economic Development Association has named Jan Rogers as new president.
The Grand Forks Region Economic Development Corp. has named Klaus Thiessen as its new president.
The Association of American Universities has selected Patrick White as the new director of federal relations.
Two months into the fiscal year and several federal offices of importance to the state and local tech-based economic development community are finally learning how much money they will have available in fiscal year 2004 — once the consolidated appropriations bill is signed by the President in January.
Economic Development Administration (down $2 million from 2003)
Legislation that would authorize $3.7 billion over the next four years for the National Nanotechnology Initiative awaits the President's signature, having cleared Congress before the Thanksgiving Holiday recess. The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (S. 189) was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 20, following passage in the Senate two days earlier.
The University of Southern California (USC) will serve as the first Homeland Security Center of Excellence, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week. DHS anticipates providing USC with $12 million over the course of the next three years for studying risk analysis related to the economic consequences of terrorist threats and events.
The risks of identity theft, e-mail viruses, denial-of-service attacks, system glitches and other online hazards can make the average person's reliance on computer systems more of a leap of faith than a bond of trust. To promote research into more dependable, accountable and secure computer and network systems, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a solicitation for the Cyber Trust program, which expects to fund up to $30 million in awards.
Pennsylvania's Tobacco Settlement Investment Board (TSIB) recently approved a commitment of up to $20 million to Birchmere Ventures III LP to invest in life sciences companies based in Pennsylvania. Birchmere Ventures III, a new fund jointly formed by Pittsburgh-based Birchmere Ventures and San Francisco-based Bay City Capital, will raise up to $150 million.
Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced on Monday a new investment initiative to help close the capital gap for the state's early-stage technology businesses. CIT, a state-chartered nonprofit corporation, will launch the Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) on Dec. 15, 2003, to address the funding void created by a recent shortfall of angel capital.
To expand on the state's Centers of Innovation strategy, Gov. Sonny Perdue announced in November the creation of the Middle Georgia Aerospace Innovation Center (MAIC). The center is comprised of numerous partners, including the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade & Tourism's Office of Science and Technology, the University System of Georgia, private institutions and companies, and the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center (ALC).
With $90 million already secured in state and private support, a 400-acre automotive research campus to be developed by Clemson University promises to make South Carolina a hub of the nation's automotive and motorsports industry.
Federal laboratories' ability to contribute to local economic development efforts may depend most on the quality of technical and business assistance they can offer, suggests a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy (OTP). The report, Partners on a Mission: Federal Laboratory Practices Contributing to Economic Development, documents nine programs that go beyond immediate laboratory missions to provide communities with greater access to lab technologies and facilities.
Steve Bryant has been named the project director for the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership in Indiana.
Patrick Rea recently was selected as administrator for the Small Business Administration's six-state region involving Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Steve Bryant has been named the project director for the Bloomington Life Sciences Partnership in Indiana.
Patrick Rea recently was selected as administrator for the Small Business Administration's six-state region involving Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Much of the U.S. policy debate regarding the impact of globalization has focused on workforce preparedness and the need for American industry to sustain innovation. Bills before Congress urge increased spending on R&D, especially in the physical sciences and engineering. Much of the data that has helped fuel the competitiveness discussion has focused on indices and statistical reports presenting the U.S. in comparison to other nations.
Marketing tech-based economic development (TBED) programs can be challenging, particularly with the diverse nature of its target audiences of entrepreneurs, existing companies, financial sources, university researchers and, oftentimes, legislators. Sometimes, even the name of the program can cause misconceptions, particularly when a new initiative is outside the traditional services or roles offered by the TBED organization. A recent example of this comes from South Carolina.
Summer classes, camps and special programs to stimulate and sustain K-12 students' interests in science and math will be found all across the country during the next few months. A less frequently occurring phenomenon will be taking place in the Great Lakes Region of Iowa, helping a select group of college students to combine entrepreneurship, rural economic development, and recreation.
The U.S. automotive industry is one of the nation's oldest modern manufacturing sectors, and, similar to many other older populations, is increasingly making its home in the South. Despite this fact, the sector remains heavily centered in the Midwest, according to a new article from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. The Geographic Evolution of the U.S. Auto Industry reveals 47 percent of the nation's motor vehicle employment still resides in three states: Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has published its online statistical resource center for state-level statistics on various science and engineering (S&E) indicators. Drawing data from the most recent updates to seven annual NSF surveys and U.S. Census statistics, the profiles includes downloadable Excel or PDF versions of state statistics for:
The University of Arizona Office of Economic Development (UA OED) has released its annual report card on economic growth and development in the Arizona-Sonora region. Funded by the Arizona-Mexico Commission and the Arizona Department of Commerce, Regional Economic Indicators: Arizona-Sonora 2003 monitors economic changes in the Arizona-Sonora region via 33 indicators across four broad areas:
New figures on the proportion of foreign-born workers in science and technology occupations suggest the federal government must "act now" to meet future needs in science, engineering and technology fields, a new National Science Board (NSB) report argues. A sampling from 2000 census figures indicates a larger than previously known percentage of degree-holding, foreign-born professionals working in the U.S.