Industrial R&D expenditures in the U.S. totaled $208 billion in 2004 — an increase of 2.1 percent ($4.3 billion) from 2003, according to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Survey of Industrial Research and Development.
With the title America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act, it isn’t surprising that S. 761 had 69 cosponsors in the U.S. Senate. The bill’s passage last night by an 88-8 vote by the full chamber sends an even stronger signal that the vast majority of the Senate has heard the message regarding the need for the federal government to be more aggressive in its support for science and technology.
Over the last few months, three states have announced new strategies to encourage regional tech-based economic development. Several states have experimented with how best to support or encourage regional TBED in the past, resulting in both successes and failures. In some cases, state sought partnerships at the local level in the creation of new programs while other states took a more hands off approach, such as providing seed funding to create regional technology councils.
California accounted for 22.4 percent of the nation’s total industrial R&D in 2004, leading the U.S. with $46.6 billion in total industrial R&D expenditures, according to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Survey of Industrial Research and Development: 2004. Michigan ($15.2 billion), Massachusetts ($11.8 billion), New Jersey ($11.0 billion), and Texas ($11.0 billion) rounded out the top five.
Galynn Beer succeeds Johnny Roy as the new chairman of the board of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology.
Jeff Brancato has been named Associate Vice President for Economic Development of University of Massachusetts.
Galynn Beer succeeds Johnny Roy as the new chairman of the board of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology.
Jeff Brancato has been named Associate Vice President for Economic Development of University of Massachusetts.
Victor Budnick, executive director of Connecticut Innovations, has announced his retirement effective April 1.
Chris Capelli, currently director of the technology transfer office at University of Pittsburgh, is leaving to become vice president for technology transfer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
The University of Cincinnati has appointed Anne Chasser to serve as associate vice president for technology transfer and commercialization in the school's Office of Research.
Ladd Christensen and Martin Frey are the new co-directors of the Utah Department of Community and Economic Development.
Oleg Kagonovich has been promoted to the position of CEO of the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance. He formerly served as Chief Operating Officer.
Mike Koop, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Community & Economic Development, is resigning effective March 1 to return to the private sector.
Richard Lunak is the new CEO of Innovation Works and Ron Bianchini has been named chairman of the organization.
Envision Utah appointed Alan Matheson as executive director of the Coalition for Utah's Future, the sponsor of Envision Utah.
Johns Hopkins University has named Jill Tarzian Sorenson to serve as associate provost and director of the Office of Licensing and Technology Development.
West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin has appointed Nancy Sturm and Jay Cole to serve, respectively, as the state’s education technology coordinator and governor's liaison for education policy, both new policy positions.
Jason Williamson is leaving his position as vice president of community development for the South Carolina Technology Alliance to become a founding partner in a new start-up tech firm.
It’s no secret that research and education are important to a state’s economy, but for many poorer states, they may be even more vital than previously believed. A few recent studies suggest that increasing the number of patents and the education level of residents in a state could be a valuable first step in overcoming persistent poverty.
While the Tucson area is growing rapidly, surpassing one million residents last fall, regional economic development officials are concerned about personal income levels keeping pace with the growth. They argue that a highly-skilled and educated workforce within existing and emerging clusters is imperative to raise per capita personal income and to improve the region’s economic growth along with its burgeoning population.
It’s a question that many policymakers and researchers across the world are attempting to answer. A recent paper by Sharon Belenzon and Mark Schankerman, Harnessing Success: Determinants of University Technology Licensing Performance, adds to the growing body of knowledge on the topic, exploring how the differences between universities may impact the income generated by licensing technology.
Please plan on joining us in Baltimore on October 18-19. You can learn firsthand how the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund successfully secured the increase in funding and how the initiatives are progressing, all while enjoying the view of the gorgeous Inner Harbor (see related story in this Digest).
For those interested in technology-based economic development, you'll be hard-pressed to find any good news in the President's Budget Request for FY 2006 unless, that is, you're hoping to go to Mars or heavily involved in homeland security. It's become a matter of routine to expect bad news when the federal budget comes out.
Strengthening America's Communities Grants Program The Strengthening America's Communities Grants Program is a new $3.7 billion initiative proposed within the Department of Commerce to provide performance-based grants for both community and economic development.
Opportunity Zones - While the Administration's FY06 budget request proposes eliminating all other geographically-based tax credit programs (e.g. Enterprise Zones), it is requesting $10 billion over 10 years in tax incentives to competitively select 28 urban and 12 rural economic Opportunity Zones in areas transitioning to new and emerging industries.