Inconceivable? Unconscionable? Inexcusable? Which word best conveys what is happening to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program? Perhaps all of them. The SBIR program will expire March 20 unless Congress acts before that date.

Several of Gov. Tim Kaine's energy and job creation proposals were included in the approved revisions to Virginia's current two-year budget passed by the General Assembly last month. Lawmakers, faced with a projected $ 3.7 billion deficit, made revisions and incorporated federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to amend the budget.

On Monday, President Obama signed an executive order concerning embryonic stem cell research in addition to signing a presidential memorandum that strengthens the influence of science-based decision making in the executive branch of the federal government.

Savannah's Creative Coast Alliance (TCCa) and the Savannah Economic Development Authority recently announced that they would provide up to one year of free rent for game designers to take up residence at the region's new Game Development and Digital Media Center.

The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation. 

The SBA's Office of Advocacy has produced its 2008 Small Business Profiles for every U.S. state, which assembles from a variety of sources the most recently available data across a number of topics.

Lonnie Emard has been named interim director of the Consortium for Enterprise Systems Management, a recently formed collaboration of business, academic and economic development organizations intended to build information technology (IT) opportunities in South Carolina.

SSTI has an effective new learning tool for TBED policymakers and practitioners seeking guidance in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies.

As part of the 2010-11 biennial budget unveiled last week, Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed a package of tax incentives directed toward small, emerging businesses and companies that create green jobs and services. The governor's proposed Minnesota Jobs Recovery Act calls for a sizable investment over the next biennium with even greater costs beginning in 2012.

Facing a $1.6 billion budget deficit, Arizona legislators set their sights on the state's three-year old 21st Century Competitive Initiative Fund. A group of four Republican lawmakers led the effort to remove the program's $22.5 million from the 2009 state budget, which was signed by new Governor Jan Brewer last week. The fund was started under former Democratic Governor Janet Napolitano, who recently left office to join the Obama administration as secretary of Homeland Security.

Geographic Concentration Continues as California Share Grows, SSTI's VC Dashboard Shows

The fifth installment of the Tech Talkin' Govs series includes highlights from state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses from governors in Alabama, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Utah.

The technology agenda for President Obama includes both advancing biomedical research and improving the efficiency of medical treatment. Coupling this federal strategy with the initiatives of many states to stimulate health and biotechnology-related research may result in a boon of federal R&D spending from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) within the states.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Daniel O'Connell, resigned for personal reasons and was replaced by Greg Bialecki, an undersecretary who has been responsible for business development

Whichever version of the H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), emerges from conference committee would provide a significant reversal to the direction spending has gone for the past four years for federal research and development, based on data released by the National Science Foundation during the past week.  From FY 2005 through FY 2008, federal R&D obligations decreased 7.8 percent in constant dollars.

On March 12 from 1:00-5:00 p.m. in San Francisco, SSTI is co-hosting a meeting with officials from the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) that we would encourage you or one of your colleagues to attend. TIP and MEP are two of the most market-driven programs operated by the federal government. Both programs have launched new investments and innovative services in the last year. The meeting will give you a chance to learn about:

As the U.S. Congress is ironing out the details of the stimulus package, the final share of science and technology investments within the bill is not known at this time. However outside of the U.S., other countries have recently announced their own proposals to improve the research and innovation infrastructure of their countries.

Gov. Jim Doyle unveiled today an economic stimulus plan for Wisconsin that includes a proposal to enhance tax credits for angel and venture investors in support of start-up technology companies. A coalition assembled to improve Wisconsin's existing investor tax credits law applauded the governor's announcement to refine the four-year-old program.

Adding to a growing number of governors proposing to consolidate state economic development agencies, Gov. Jodi Rell last week announced in her budget request her intention to overhaul Connecticut's job creation infrastructure by merging several state agencies into the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).

According to the most recent release of gross domestic product (GDP) by metro area, 23 of the nation's 363 metro areas experienced a decrease in inflation-adjusted GDP from 2002 to 2006. Benchmarking against the aggregate U.S. metro GDP growth rate over those five years - which increased 12.8 percent - 167 of the nation's metros grew at a faster rate.

The complete description of this opportunity and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Department of Energy

ARRA includes $39 billion in stimulus funding for the Department of Energy (DoE) as part of the package's support for upgrading the country's infrastructure and power grid. DoE allocations include funding for the department's science office, research grants, and energy efficiency programs.

ARRA will provide $7.2 billion to upgrade the country's broadband infrastructure through the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The major federal R&D funding agencies all received significant funding through ARRA, including:

Department of Health and Human Services

A total of $10 billion will be provided to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which will be distributed among the following entities: