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Establishing manufacturing centers to provide resources for small biotech companies to bring products to market and creating teams at the National Institutes of Health to identify promising research are among a list of recommendations resulting from a comprehensive review of the federal government's system to produce medical countermeasures against bioterrorism threats. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released last week findings from the report, which identified five key areas for improvement focused on speeding up early stage research to produce vaccines and other countermeasures. The report finds that the U.S. needs to more quickly develop manufacturing processes that can be used for multiple medications or vaccines and better nurture discoveries in their earliest stages. As a result of these findings, HHS expects to release a draft solicitation for one or more Centers of Innovation for Advanced Development and Manufacturing in the coming weeks and create new NIH research teams. HHS also will explore ways to help small companies attract investors. Read the press release or the full report.

"Tapping the Technology Innovation Program and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership"
On September 14th from 9:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M., SSTI is co-hosting a regional meeting with officials from the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) that we encourage you or one of your colleagues to attend. TIP and MEP are two of the most market-driven programs offered by the federal government. The meeting will give you a chance to learn directly from officials with the two programs about:

U.S. manufacturing competitiveness will continue to decline, according to the 2010 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index (GMCI). Index projections suggest, by 2015, Brazil will have overtaken the U.S. for fourth in the global rankings behind China, India and the Republic of Korea. The report concludes the increasing talent pools worldwide, coupled with higher U.S. wages, have placed U.S. manufacturing at a disadvantage in the global markets. However, the U.S. should remain at the forefront of manufacturing innovation due to a focus on strengthening science and technology research, the strong intellectual property rights (IPR), technology transfer policy, and STEM initiatives.

High-tech manufacturers in Connecticut seeking to innovate and diversify their processes are eligible for grants of up to $25,000 each under a new pilot program announced last week by Gov. Jodi Rell. The goal of the Connecticut Small Business Innovation and Diversification Program is to help the state's small businesses develop, produce and commercialize new products while streamlining delivery of products and services, according to the governor's press office. Matthew Nemerson, president and chief executive officer of the Connecticut Technology Council, said in a New Haven Register article that the money will be helpful in the innovation process for companies that have not yet received seed money, but are trying to develop a model or prototype or advance research. The program, administered through the Small Business Innovation Research Office at Connecticut Innovations, is open to Connecticut-based companies with fewer than 500 employees and requires matching funds. A press release is available from the governor's office at:  http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/cwp/view.asp?A=3675&Q=452840.

Two recent efforts – a new program launched in Maryland and legislation introduced in Congress – aim to help manufacturers retool for the rapidly changing economy. Successful tech-based economies have an environment conducive to industry development of new, leading-edge products or services or processes that significantly enhance the competitiveness of existing operations. Programs and initiatives that provide industries with the essential tools and resources to effectively compete in the global marketplace are imperative to achieving this climate.

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau compiles data at the national and state levels describing the performance of the manufacturing sector within the U.S. While the data are usually included in the Census’ Annual Survey of Manufacturers, every five years the data can instead be found in the U.S. Economic Census. SSTI has prepared a table showing the state rankings for the percent change over the five-year period from 2002 to 2006 for the total value-added manufacturing, the value of shipments, and the value-added per employee for each state and the District of Columbia.