With U.S. private sector R&D activity declining and global competition intensifying in areas of U.S. expertise, it is clear the U.S. must take strategic action to maintain its position as the world leader in R&D and prevent innovation from leaving our shores. Last week, the Department of Energy announced 66 breakthrough energy-related projects would receive a total of $130 million through its OPEN 2012 program.

Encouraged by promising commercialization efforts, new companies created and an impressive leverage of outside funding, Gov. John Kitzhaber has proposed a more than 50 percent increase in Oregon innovation efforts through the state's signature research centers. The governor's budget proposal for 2013-15 also includes funding to address small business capital needs and to better align workforce programs with employer needs. Calling his two-year spending plan an “education investment budget,” Gov.

Performance-based funding for higher education has emerged as a top policy recommendation for addressing concerns ranging from accountability and affordability to helping keep states economically competitive. In states that already have performance-based funding in place, such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, efforts to revise and expand the programs are underway.

While Washington remains in political gridlock and the national economy continues sluggish growth, one key trend for political and economic success is apparent: U.S. metro regions experiencing high economic growth have invested federal, state, and private funds in high-speed broadband access.

Recently, the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) announced a new outreach effort to connect the state's community banks with promising technology and innovation-based businesses. These businesses often have capital needs that differ from other small firms and less collateral to secure loans. As a result, it can be difficult for high-tech firms to secure bank loans. The initiative will kick off with a series of workshops, held in partnership with community banks, on the funding options available to tech companies.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) intends to launch a $10 Million Strong Cities, Strong Communities National Resource Network (SC2 Network) — a pilot program to align federal resources and coordinate technical assistance programs to help distressed U.S. communities make more effective local investments. The focus of the SC2 Network will be to strengthen the foundation for economic growth and resiliency in these communities including local technical capacity, comprehensive planning and regional collaboration.

In FY11, the top 30 U.S. research universities accounted for over 40 percent (approximately $26.1 billion) of total academic R&D spending in 2011, according to survey data collected by the National Science Foundation. The other 882 universities surveyed accounted for approximately $39 billion of the total academic R&D spending for the 2011 fiscal year (approximately $65.1B billion). The Higher Education Research and Development Survey population also increased from 742 universities in 2010 to 912 in 2011.

Amid the economic uncertainty surrounding fiscal cliff negotiations, and what it means for states, some governors are erring on the side of caution when it comes to funding recommendations for the upcoming year. At the same time, several state budget officers are projecting significant revenue shortfalls in the current fiscal year or biennium as a result of lower than expected tax collections.

In a new report, the National Academies' Institute of Medicine (IOM) praises the remarkable research output of California's Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) during its first seven years, but recommends several changes in oversight that could improve the quality and defensibility of its work. IOM suggests that external scientific reviews and independent oversight of the institute's management could help ameliorate concerns about conflicts of interest and increase transparency.

In an attempt to leverage the economic promise of young people, the state of Kentucky is launching a new public-private initiative designed to enhance creative thinking and entrepreneurial skills. The Governor's School of Entrepreneurs will be launched this summer as an experiential program that brings together representatives from Kentucky's science, engineering, design, entrepreneurial, and higher education communities to teach promising high school students from across the state on business fundamentals, entrepreneurship, product design, and creative thinking.

A new report released by Deloitte on "U.S. Public Opinions on Manufacturing" reveals that a strong majority of Americans consider manufacturing to be the most important industry in the country. But while nearly two-thirds of Americans (64 percent) believe our manufacturing industry can be globally competitive in the 21st century, most Americans (46 percent) see the manufacturing sector getting weaker or at best staying the same (32 percent).

In a report, the President's Council of Advisors on Science & Technology recommends that the federal government should launch a coordinated effort to boost American agricultural science by increasing public investments.

Two organizations have in recent weeks called on the United States to create a national federal office of innovation to help focus and concentrate innovation across the country.

SSTI is pleased to announce that John Fernandez, Assistant Secretary for Economic Development at the U.S. Department of Commerce, will participate in a plenary session on the changing role of the federal government in TBED at this year's Annual Conference. SSTI's Annual Conference is the only economic development conference this fall with the senior leaders of the Economic Development Administration (EDA), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) speaking.

Governors in several states are bringing lawmakers back into session this fall with a more focused agenda on job creation. During a one-day special session on Friday, lawmakers in Mississippi approved a $175 million incentive package to bring two high-tech manufacturing facilities to the state. Meanwhile, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will try again to enact the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA) to support science and tech companies and the Compete Missouri Initiative, both which failed to pass during the regular session.

Temple launched the Pennsylvania Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) initiative designed to increase the number of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematics (STEM)-related professionals graduating from two- or four-year institutions and to build a diverse, national STEM workforce necessary to compete economically in a global environment.

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices invites applications from U.S. states to participate in a Policy Academy on "Making" our Future: Encouraging Growth Opportunities in Manufacturing through Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Investment to Assist States in Developing and Implementing Economic Development Strategies aimed at spurring innovation and entrepreneurship in ways that encourage the growth of advanced manufacturing industries.

Even through the enduring global economic downturn, nations across the world have targeted technology-based economic development initiatives to build their respective country's science and technology (S&T) sectors. The governments contend that building their respective country's Next Economy is necessary to compete in a globalizing world and increase quality of living for their citizens. Canada, India and the European Union have announced initiatives that could help grow their respective countries S&T sectors.

The University of Kansas' Center for Technology Commercialization is seeking a director that will be responsible for effectively managing faculty-generated intellectual property across all the University of Kansas campuses and deploying it for the greater social good.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the 20 winners of the $37 million Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge. The multi-agency competition will support cluster-based, regional initiatives to spur job creation and economic growth. Descriptions of all 20 winning projects are available on the EDA site. Read the announcement...

President Obama last week announced several initiatives aimed at spurring technology commercialization following the signing of the America Invents Act, including two new programs to assist biomedical entrepreneurs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The administration also will develop a national plan focused on reforms to speed commercialization and open new markets. A blueprint outlining those efforts is due in January.

The Association of American Universities (AAU) will undertake a five-year initiative to assess and improve the quality of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning focused on the first two years of college. Specifically, the group will create a demonstration program at a subset of AAU universities to implement its framework and develop tools to survey and assess the quality of teaching, the extent to which effective teaching methods are being used, and the effects of improved teaching on retention of STEM majors and completion of STEM degrees.

SSTI is thrilled to announce that Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee will be the Keynote Speaker. Dr. Gee has held more university presidencies than any other American. He is the co-author of eight books and the author of numerous papers and articles on law and education. He is both an insightful and entertaining speaker that you won't want to miss.

The Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC) announced Innovation in Milwaukee (MiKE) — a new $500,000 initiative designed to align southeastern Wisconsin's global and advanced manufacturers with the region's design, technology and innovation companies. MiKE will be built around three core elements:

Startup America, the nationwide, White House-endorsed entrepreneurship initiative, officially began operations last week. Young companies may now register to receive support services from more than 25 private partners. Offerings include free and discounted software packages, professional network memberships and market data. Visit the site...