In a report published by United for Medical Research, a consortium of science and research medical organizations, Dr. Everett Ehrlich found that extramural research supported by the National Institutes of Health in fiscal year 2010 (FY10) led to the creation of 487,900 quality public and private sector jobs and produced over $68 billion in new activity across the country.

Using data from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, SSTI has prepared a table showing how each state (and the District of Columbia) has ranked in business churning from 2004 to 2009. Business churning is a measure of the creation of new companies and the death of existing companies as share of total firms. Churning increases as the number of new start-ups and existing business failures per year increase.

James Weyhenmeyer has been named the vice president for Research and Economic Development at Georgia State University.

As the cost of a college education continues to rise and good paying jobs are seemingly scarcer than ever before, many Americans are questioning the value of a college degree. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center found 57 percent of Americans believe the U.S. fails to provide good value for the money students and their families spend, and about four in ten college presidents say the system is headed in the wrong direction. At the same time, however, studies find the lifetime earnings of college graduates to be much higher than those of high school graduates.

This week, White House officials announced several new initiatives to modernize the U.S. electrical power grid and boost the development of clean energy technologies.The initiatives include $250 million in loans for smart grid technology deployment, a private sector effort to provide consumers with detailed energy usage information and a new White House Renewable Energy Rapid Response Team to speed the review of proposed renewable energy projects.

Lawmakers passed two major jobs bills during the 2011 legislative session; one modifying several economic development programs and supporting entrepreneurship and innovation, and the other providing incentives to attract large companies to the state. A proposal dubbed Bioscience Connecticut, centered on renovating and expanding the University of Connecticut Health Center, also won legislative approval.

On June 13, President Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness presented their initial "progress report" on their ongoing projects to catalyze short-term job creation in the U.S. Eleven ideas were offered at the meeting, including working with community colleges to train and employ advanced manufacturing workers, building public-private partnerships to graduate and retain 10,000 new engineers, expanding the EB-5 visa-for-entrepreneurs program and simplifying the process for Small Business Administration loans.

In an effort to persuade foreign and domestic companies to set up shop or expand operations in the U.S., President Obama signed an executive order establishing the SelectUSA initiative. A major component of the initiative includes a searchable database of federal programs and services such as information on grants, loans and tax incentives. The website also provides a clickable map of the U.S.

The Council on Competitiveness in partnership with Deloitte released Ignite 2.0: Voices of American University Presidents and National Lab Directors on Manufacturing Competiveness, the second installment of a three-part series on improving U.S. manufacturing competitiveness. According to the report, talent-driven innovation, education and advanced skills development coupled with research, science, technology and full life-cycle commercialization are the necessary drivers for a U.S. manufacturing resurgence.

"Investment in science, technology and innovation is increasingly being seen by African countries as an essential element in responding to the continent's socio-economic development needs and challenges," according to a statement by Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency to announce the release of the African Innovation Outlook 2010.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage has nominated George Gervais, the acting commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development as commissioner. His nomination must be reviewed by the Joint Standing Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research and Economic Development and confirmed by the Senate.

President Barack Obama recently announced the creation of a national Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) to accelerate the development of manufacturing technologies at top engineering universities. The AMP initiative, which was developed based on recommendations from a report by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), would leverage existing programs and proposals to invest more than $500 million in university and private R&D. The partnership is being called an "umbrella" for federal innovation programs.

The 2011-13 biennial budget for the Oregon Business Development Department recently approved by lawmakers allocates $16 million for the Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC), the same amount as last biennium, but short of the $19 million requested by Gov. John Kitzhaber to broaden research and technology transfer programs.

At the close of the 2011 legislative session in Louisiana last week, lawmakers approved three measures to encourage investment in high-tech economic endeavors. This includes renewing and enhancing the R&D tax credit and the Technology Commercialization credit and reinstating an angel investor tax credit for investment in emerging startups.

Lawmakers last week passed a measure establishing the Innovate NY Fund to invest $25 million of federal funds in technology development organizations, research universities, and seed-stage investment funds. The Empire State Development Corporation will administer the fund and establish a competitive process for evaluating applicants. Investment priority is given to companies involved in commercialization of R&D or high-tech manufacturing.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the largest overhaul of U.S. patent law in 60 years. Under the new legislation, patent decisions would favor inventors who file for patents first, rather the the current "first-to-invent" system. The change would bring U.S. patent law more in line with the patent systems of Europe and Japan. A similar bill was passed by the Senate in March, which will be reconciled with the House bill in the near future.

Europe needs increased and "smarter" investments in both public and private research and development (R&D) to address the European Union's (EU) "Innovation Emergency," according to the European Commission's 2011 Innovation Union Competitiveness Report. The commission contends it is necessary to accelerate investments into R&D to achieve the EU's target of 3 percent of GDP being spent on R&D. EU members currently invest approximately 2 percent of GDP on R&D spending.

Whether you are new to the tech-based economic development (TBED) field or a seasoned practitioner, SSTI's podcast interviews with experts in all areas of TBED serves as a useful learning tool. These short and "to the point" interviews delve into questions such as:

Job Corner

Lawmakers approved Gov. Tom Corbett's proposal to restructure the state's economic development efforts by consolidating several programs within the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Total general fund spending for DCED in FY12 is $212.8 million, down from $327.5 million last year or a 35 percent reduction. Much of this is achieved through consolidating programs.

This week, President Barack Obama announced a new interagency pilot initiative to bolster regional economic strategies in select towns and cities. The Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) initiative will offer federal resources to support ongoing efforts in six pilot communities, including Chester, PA; Cleveland, OH; Detroit, MI; Fresno, CA; Memphis, TN; and New Orleans, LA. Cross-agency teams will assist with mayoral initiatives in the participating cities, while a fellowship program will recruit and train local policy specialists.

The 2012-13 biennial budget signed into law last month by Gov. John Kasich authorizes the state to transfer the liquor distribution system to JobsOhio, a private nonprofit partnership created to assume the business-incentive and job-creating functions of the Ohio Department of Development. With the transfer, the state expects to generate $1.2 billion in a lump-sum payment, with $500 million deposited into the general fund in FY12 and $700 million used to pay off outstanding bonds supported by liquor profits, according to an analysis by the Ohio Legislative Service Commission.

As the outlook for general revenue funds improves in many states, governors are looking to boost investment in higher education and STEM as a means for growing the economy and enhancing the workforce. Universities' economic return to states can be quite impactful.

The European Union is investing € 15 billion ($20.5 billion) over the next two years toward the Horizon2020 project, an initiative designed to boost Europe's knowledge-driven economy, increase global competitiveness, and address key societal challenges. The European Commission has declared funding priorities for the project and opened submissions for the 2014 budget.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced more than $715 million in funding for 824 projects across the state as part of the third round of funding for the Regional Economic Development Councils initiative. Established in 2011 to improve the business climate statewide, the 10 regional councils support projects tailored to maximize resources and competitive advantages.