Although Missouri frequently ranks in the top 20 states for federal research grants and academic R&D, the state consistently ranks much lower in the creation of new high-tech companies. A recent report by Dr. Mark Parry of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School of Business suggests that early-stage high-tech entrepreneurs and companies have been unable to secure sufficient capital to launch successful ventures.
Three major announcements were made in Singapore last month focusing on R&D of new technologies and educating the workforce to produce specialized graduates in upcoming fields.
One continuing challenge states and regions are attempting to overcome is adjusting their workforces in a rapidly changing, innovation-driven, global economy. The growing consensus emerging from many people examining science and technology competitiveness is that U.S. students need to be academically stronger in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields than they are today and that the supply of graduates with a science background needs to increase.
Nearly 700 new products resulting from university research handled by technology transfer offices reached the marketplace in FY 2006, according to the latest Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) Survey of U.S. Licensing Activity released this week.
The 189 research performing institutions that participated in the survey also reported the creation of 553 start-ups during the year and almost 5,000 new licensing relationships with companies.
During the past year, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program has garnered a great deal of attention, setting the stage for a national debate over potential changes to the well known federal program – namely the issue of participation from companies with venture-capital backing. With congressional reauthorization on the horizon for next year, SSTI examined the SBIR program in-depth during a breakout session at the annual conference in October, looking at both current status and future developments.
Earlier this month Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell announced a broad state strategy to improve the state’s energy independence, support alternative energy business, and reduce the state’s environmental impact. The key element of the new state plan is an $850 million Energy Independence Fund, designed to reduce energy costs for consumers and shift the state’s usage toward clean and renewable sources. Gov. Rendell hopes the plan will save Pennsylvania consumers $10 billion over the next 10 years by lowering energy costs and reducing consumption.
Energy giant BP has announced that the University of California at Berkeley, in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will receive a total of $500 million to host a research center dedicated to developing biofuel technologies. The Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) will conduct both basic and applied biological research relevant to energy. BP and the university plan to launch research programs this summer.
A recent study completed for the Small Business Administration (SBA) concludes that small business establishment births are the single-largest determinant of the growth rate of gross state product (GSP), state personal income, and total state employment using data from the years 1988-2002. The authors contend state efforts to promote the creation of small businesses will generate more economic growth then any other policy option included in their models.
Rapid growth in the number of international patents filed by northeast Asian nations during 2006 has resulted in a shift of positions for the top-performing nations, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). With 34.1 percent, the U.S. maintained its global dominance with 49,555 patent filings. The figure represents an increase of 6.1 percent over America’s 2005 total; the U.S. rate of growth is slower than the 6.4 percent growth in total world filings.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in partnership with the Richard Florida Creativity Group (RFCG), recently announced the formation of the Knight Creative Communities Initiative in three metropolitan areas of the country: Charlotte; Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wisc.; and, Tallahassee. The goal of the initiative, utilizing Dr. Florida’s theories on the importance of creativity and innovation for economic growth, is to produce through community dialogue a vision to enhance each region’s environment for ingenuity.
Increasing federal funding for life science research is one of the most significant ingredients for improving a state’s position in building a strong biotech and biomedical sector. As appropriations for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were increasing annually – as they did in the last half of the 1990s and the first few years of this decade – this was not a zero-sum game. All states could win.
This is the fourth installment of SSTI’s look at the Inaugural, Budget and State of the State Addresses delivered in the past week. Earlier installments, published Jan. 29, Jan. 15 and Jan. 8, are available through: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2007/headlines07.htm
Selected excerpts of the most recent batch of speeches are provided below:
Connecticut
Texas Gov. Rick Perry unveiled his budget proposal for fiscal year 2008-09 with an additional $300 million to recapitalize the state’s Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). The program provides loans and grants to commercialization projects with ties to state universities, and to create research centers in key technology areas. The funding would represent a significant expansion of the program, which received $200 million when it was established in 2005 and no new funding in 2006.
Over the past 27 years, the Bayh-Dole Act has been frequently cited as critical for university tech transfer in the U.S. The Act allows universities to assume ownership over the intellectual property (IP) produced on campuses, whenever that property derives from research funded in whole or in part by the federal government. The possibility of financial returns from licensing agreements or on the sale of IP gives institutions an important incentive to engage in applied research and move their discoveries to market.
Looking for that perfect professional development opportunity for you or your staff. If so, the SSTI Web calendar of events should prove useful in your search.
By visiting www.ssti.org/calendar.htm, you can view more than 170 technology-based economic development events.
Events include:
With the opportunity presented by a $732 million budget surplus, Gov. Linda Lingle wants Hawai`i to shift its public investment philosophy away from land development and toward encouraging, nurturing and rewarding innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship and risk-taking. Most of Gov. Lingle's State of the State Address on Jan.
Earlier this month, Gov. Janet Napolitano presented Arizonans with a three-part plan to prepare for the 21st century economy in her annual State of the State Address. The One Arizona Plan would support state economic growth by investing in education, physical infrastructure and innovation. During her address, Gov. Napolitano emphasized the need to increase Arizona’s innovation capacity and to build a technologically-savvy workforce.
The Cleantech Venture Network (CVN) announced last week that U.S. venture investment in clean technologies fell 34 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006. Investment in cleantech, which includes products and services that reduce or eliminate environmental impacts, declined to $613 million last quarter -- down from a record-breaking peak of $933 million in the previous quarter. The drop brought to an end nine consecutive quarters of gains for cleantech, but still capped a record-breaking year for VC investment in the sector.
On Jan. 17, the U.S. Department of Labor announced 13 regions across the country will share $65 million in the second round of Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grants.
A recent report by the Florida Legislature’s Office of Program Policy and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) recommends the state’s next steps to develop its biotechnology industry should include the creation of a privately managed early-stage capital fund for investing in start-up companies, to be financed by the Legislature.
Looking for information on individual states or on key statistical indicators? If so, the SSTI Weekly Digest archives are a resource that should prove helpful in your search.
By visiting www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm, one can browse headlines or view Digest articles dating back to 1996 or use any of these tools:
Less than one week before President Bush releases the Administration's budget request for fiscal year 2008, congressional Democratic leadership released its solution to the FY 2007 fiasco. The need to remain within spending caps approved last year and the need to focus on FY08 spending meant the FY07 fix would be simple, but slightly painful for agencies used to above-inflation-rate increases each year. Sixty programs reportedly will see cuts from their FY06 funding levels.
The provincial government of Québec committed to infusing $888 million (Canadian) into its science and technology community over the next three years, as a result of the innovation and research strategy released earlier this month. The new investment is in addition to $278 million committed this year alone for research infrastructure and the Québec Aeronautical Industry Development Strategy.
In Iowa
Less than two weeks after his inauguration, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver called for the state legislature to lift the state ban on embryonic stem cell research. The ban was first instituted in 2002.
The question of whether or not there is enough opportunity for economic development through public-private investment in biosciences has been answered with a pretty strong “yes,” based on a report released Jan. 29 by Battelle and BIO.