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The Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to make seven awards to support organizations helping to build strong regional innovation clusters. The awards will support public-private partnerships that bring together businesses, academic institutions, economic development organizations and other local actors to lay the foundations of sustainable growth and economic competitiveness. Three of the awards will go to small businesses that provide cluster-related services. SBA intends to post a request for proposals on or about July 5.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Pilot Challenge, a $6 million pilot initiative to assist economically challenged municipalities in creating long-term economic development plans. Under the SC2 initiative, the EDA will select six pilot communities from across the country. To be eligible for the SC2 initiative, the applicant must be a local government that meet all the economic distress criteria described in the announcement and has a current population of at least 100,000.

During the 2012 BIO International Convention, 41 state bioscience organizations announced the formation of the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI), a coordinated national effort to deliver industry-led life science education, workforce development and entrepreneurship programs. The coalition is intended to allow state bioscience organizations to share knowledge with the goal of improving bioscience education and innovation, while maximizing industry support. CSBI's first task is to identify leading state programs for national consideration including:

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding allowed the U.S. federal government to maintain steady funding of research and development (R&D) during the economic crisis. Now that the vast majority of those funds have been spent, however, the U.S. will have to step up its support of R&D to remain competitive. Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics released some illuminating data on how an increase in federal spending helped buoy U.S.

When testing fourth-, eighth- and twelfth-grade students on their ability to conduct science experiments and thoughtfully explain the results, investigators made three key discoveries that policymakers say may be troubling for future workforce needs. The National Center for Education Statistics Science in Action report found that when using limited data sets, students could make straightforward observations on the data.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) released the third round of the i6 Challenge to spur high-growth entrepreneurship. EDA and its partners will commit up to $6 million to establish six proof-of-concept centers that promote American innovation, foster entrepreneurship and increase the commercialization of ideas into viable companies. These centers incorporate a range of services from technology and market evaluation, through business planning and mentorship and on to early stage access to capital. Organizations eligible for i6 challenge grants include U.S.

Do you like to plan ahead? Do you have some funds left over you need to spend this fiscal year? Why not register early for SSTI's 16th Annual Conference in Atlanta, Oct. 29-30? Every year, our conference offers engaging conversations and expert opinions from the world of technology-based economic development. Visit our site for more information about this year's conference, including our opening reception at the Georgia Aquarium on Oct. 28. Read more at ssticonference.org... Interested in becoming a sponsor of this year's conference? Many sponsorship opportunities are still available!

Although official results may not be declared until July, a statewide ballot measure that would raise taxes on tobacco products to fund cancer research was losing by a vote of 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent, according to unofficial results reported Wednesday from the California secretary of state.

States have been slow to recover from the recession, but amid all the doom and gloom surrounding the national economy, state general fund expenditure trends are moving in a positive direction. The Spring 2012 Fiscal Survey of States finds governors' recommended budgets show an overall increase in both general fund expenditures and revenues in fiscal year 2013. There are, however, significant challenges ahead for states, including increased expenditures, particularly Medicaid costs and enrollment, and reductions in federal funding.

Each year, a group of talented and dedicated practitioners from across the country converge to learn from one another, share successes and challenges, and participate in a national dialogue on improving innovation and competitiveness. This year's theme, The Power of Re- Defining, Imagining and Energizing Regional Economies, echoes the need for bold, innovation-centered ideas and TBED organizations are leading the charge.

Richard Bendis has been named the first president and CEO of BioHealth Innovation, Inc. a regional private-public partnership focusing on commercializing market-relevant biohealth innovations and increasing access to early stage funding in Central Maryland.

A new report from the National Academies' National Research Council urges the U.S. federal government, state government, business and universities to act in concert to preserve the competitiveness of the nation's research universities. The report, a follow-up to 2005's Rising Above the Gathering Storm, suggests that a number of ongoing trends threaten U.S. global leadership in higher education. The most critical of these issues are declining federal funding for university research and the erosion of state support for higher education in general.

Governments of advanced economies are starting to believe as the 21st century advances significant opportunities for their technology-based product and service sectors will emerge from increasingly open, competitive and affluent global markets. To compete in this changing world, they are looking to expand access to capital for startups and entrepreneurs, support their research and development (R&D) infrastructure and address weaknesses in their national economies.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced last week five new programs under the Pure Michigan Business Connect initiative established last year to provide small businesses in emerging industry sectors with economic development incentives, startup capital and support services (see the June 8, 2011 issue of the Digest).

The new programs focus mostly on providing access to capital and making connections. They include:

The Kansas Bioscience Authority (KBA) has launched a collaborative partnership of more than 90 contract research organizations (CROs) to help the region compete in the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. BioResearch Central will help promote the Greater Kansas City region as a destination for pharmaceutical R&D at a time when drug companies are increasingly looking overseas for their contract research needs.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new $120 million five-year multidisciplinary and sustained effort intended to identify problems and develop solutions across the lifecycle of critical materials. The Critical Materials Hub will work to advance U.S. leadership in energy manufacturing (e.g., electric vehicles, wind turbines and efficient lighting) through research aimed at having a reliable supply of these rare earths and other critical materials, as well as finding efficiencies and alternatives that reduce the amount needed.

This week, the Nevada Governor's Office of Economic Development announced the ten organizations that will serve as local partners in state economic development initiatives. The new Regional Development Authorities (RDA) will lead regional economic development efforts by linking partners in their respective communities. Gov. Brian Sandoval introduced the RDA concept in his State Plan for Excellence in Economic Development earlier this year (see the Feb. 8 issue).

U.S. immigration policies are irrational and undirected according to a new report from the Partnership for a New American Economy and Partnership for New York City — Not Coming To America: Why the U.S. is Falling Behind in the Global Race for Talent. In sharp contrast, to attract immigrants that drive economic growth and increase international competitiveness, foreign countries have adopted targeted and strategic policies that include:

Past judges of the Excellence in TBED award program have told us they want to read a clear, concise and compelling story about how tech-based initiatives are improving local, state and regional economies. To assist applicants in their quest for the trophy, SSTI has provided several resources for writing an outstanding proposal. First, we recommend downloading the brochure, which explains the program philosophy and provides complete instructions. Writing samples from past award winners are available to gain a better understanding of what the judges are looking for in the narrative.

Last week, the White House released a comprehensive national strategy to guide federal investments and collaborations with the private sector in the life sciences. The National Bioeconomy Blueprint identifies five strategic objectives that will inform administration efforts to boost the bioeconomy. Key among these objectives is the expansion of foundational, cross-disciplinary research, which will require improved funding mechanisms that are flexible enough to support many kinds of collaborations and that encourage high-risk/high-reward research.

A program envisioned nine years ago as a $1 billion endowment that would transform Oklahoma into the research capital of the Great Plains was eliminated last week by the legislature. The Economic Development Generating Excellence Fund, or EDGE Fund, which provided grants to high-tech companies, was unable to secure a long-term financial commitment from the state following an initial appropriation of $150 million in 2006. The balance of the fund, about $161 million, will be transferred to Oklahoma universities for the endowed chairs program to fund academic positions and research.

It's easy to recognize a great thing when you see it. Over the years, judges of the SSTI Excellence in TBED awards program have seen promising tech-based economic development initiatives worthy of showing off to the community. If your organization is working toward improving economic conditions through a creative approach, we want to hear about it. This is a great opportunity to capture national recognition and secure support for your program. Judges also look for strategic partnerships and a well-defined action plan.

House lawmakers fell short of overriding Gov. Paul LePage's veto of a $20 million bond for R&D projects that would have gone to voters in November following passage in the legislature earlier this month. The money would have been used by the Maine Technology Institute to provide competitive grants to businesses, nonprofit organizations, university research labs and others for R&D and commercialization projects through the Maine Technology Asset Fund (MTAF).

Michigan State University (MSU) launched Spartan Innovations, a newly formed subsidiary of the MSU Foundation, to help its faculty and students form spin-off companies based on technology developed at the university. To achieve this goal, it will provide five key resources to increase the MSU startups including: