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Sean Greene has joined the Case Foundation as entrepreneur in residence. Greene most recently served as associate administrator for Investment and special advisor for Innovation at the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Businesses on SUNY campuses outside of New York City, and on certain designated private campuses, will be exempt from sales, property and corporate state taxes under a new initiative unveiled this week by New York Gov Andrew Cuomo. In addition, employees of these businesses will be exempt from income taxes. Eligible businesses must have a relationship with the host university related to its academic mission. The state will offer an additional 3 million square free of tax-free commercial space at New York private universities as part of the Tax-Free NY initiative.

New nonprofit initiatives have been re-defined in Seattle and Atlanta to support their cities' startup communities. Startup Seattle and Startup Atlanta will work to serve, support, and link the regional innovation systems and startup ventures in their respective cities. Both entities previously were developed by and for the local entrepreneurial communities to support new companies but are restructuring as independent organizations.

London's Mayor Boris Johnson has announced an initiative to transform Olympic Park into a creative and digital business hub for the city. According to an article from startups.uk, the proposed redevelopment promises to boost the United Kingdom's (UK) GDP by $450 million ($692.5 million US) and create more than 6,500 new jobs.

Puerto Rico Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla recently issued three executive orders aimed at advancing the island's renewable energy industry. The orders will grant priority approvals to renewable energy projects and introduce two new councils that will coordinate energy initiatives. Gov. Garcia Padilla joins a growing list of governors who have used executive orders to quickly implement energy policies without going to the legislature.

For as little as $2,000, you can highlight your organization, support SSTI -- and receive a registration to this year's conference in Portland, OR, Sept. 15-17! The more support we receive the larger the impact of the conference. Over the last few years SSTI has been able to introduce automatic polling, discussion groups, dine-arounds and numerous other opportunities because of the generous support of our sponsors.

London's Mayor Boris Johnson has announced an initiative to transform Olympic Park into a creative and digital business hub for the city. According to an article from startups.uk, the proposed redevelopment promises to boost the United Kingdom's (UK) GDP by $450 million ($692.5 million US) and create more than 6,500 new jobs.

Threats to America's cybersecurity continue to make headlines, underscoring the growing importance of protecting our country's digital infrastructure. As national security experts continue to grapple with how to address the challenge, the federal government is stepping up to coordinate state cybersecurity efforts. In an effort to promote our country's economic security and boost innovation and competitiveness, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working with states and the private sector to develop a framework for national cybersecurity standards.

As Congress considers comprehensive immigration reform, policymakers are debating the effect of high-skilled immigration on the U.S. economy. Amidst the fervent discussion, the question has been raised of whether or not there is a shortage of domestic high-skilled workers, especially those in the field of science, technology, engineering and math; a question that now is being fiercely debated by two renowned policy groups. Researchers from the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) recently made the claim that the U.S. has a sufficient supply of workers to fill the demand of STEM occupations.

The budget agreement reached by Texas lawmakers earlier this week includes $50 million in new funds to provide grants to technology companies for research and commercialization activities under the Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). A bill to address accountability and transparency of the fund was passed in the House, but later removed from the Senate calendar despite controversy surrounding the decision-making authority of the grants.

Governor Mike Pence has released details on Indiana's statewide public-private collaborative life sciences partnership. The estimated $360 million Indiana Biosciences Research Institute will receive $25 million for the biennium from the state of Indiana to cover startup costs, which will be augmented by another $25 million from industry and philanthropic sources (see the May 8 issue).

The 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) U.S. Report by Babson College and Baruch College shows that the total early stage entrepreneurial activity in the country increased 13 percent, the highest rate since 1999 when GEM first began tracking entrepreneurship. Among the findings, GEM found that a diverse population of age, gender, and immigrant status exists in the entrepreneurship community.

The University of Virginia has announced a six–month pilot initiative to fund early stage research via an exclusive crowdfunding portal. In partnership with USEED Inc, a crowdfunding startup focused on philanthropic fundraising for higher education, the U.Va.

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island are collaborating to increase access to capital through the Build Ventures fund, a private early stage capital investment organization based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The fund helps entrepreneurs build startups and invests $1 to $5 million (CAD) per venture. The provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will both contribute $15 million (CAD) to the fund, while Prince Edward Island will provide $2.5 million (CAD). Together with private contributions, Build Ventures has raised $50 million (CAD).

Graduates of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University have started or acquired businesses at double the national average rate among college graduates since 1996, according to a report released by the Michigan University Research Corridor (URC). About 19 percent of all graduates have started their own business, and these businesses were 1.5 times more likely than the national average to remain open over the past five years. URC attributes their success to the comprehensive entrepreneurial curriculum available at the corridor's institutions.

The Department of Energy's guaranteed loan program has made headlines as automotive company Tesla paid back over $450 million in federal loans nine years ahead of schedule. Tesla's move highlights the potential of federal loan programs to support the growth of renewable energy industries by investing in companies that are developing new technologies such as lithium batteries and electric cars.

With buy-in from the state and private industry, the University of Wyoming (UW) School of Energy Resources will move forward with plans to build a major new energy and engineering research complex. The recently enacted 2014-16 biennial budget also includes $8 million in support of UW’s efforts to gain “Tier 1” status for the engineering school, matching funds to establish endowed chairs, and $15 million for a test center to study carbon sequestration.

Between FY03-11, the U.S. Department of Treasury's Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFI) Fund supported $26.4 billion in private investment through the New Market Tax Credits (NMTC) program, according to data released by the fund. The CDFI Fund helps economically distressed communities leverage private investment capital by offering investors a federal tax credit.

A central tenet in the understanding of regional economic clusters is the idea that the closer two actors are to one another, the more likely they are to collaborate. This belief is based on decades of research done to examine knowledge spillovers and the effect of spatial proximity on tacit knowledge sharing. In a recent article, however, Jasjit Singh of INSEAD and Matt Marx of MIT differentiate the varying effects of crude distance on knowledge sharing compared to the effects of geopolitical borders.

The rapid proliferation of accelerators world-wide has raised questions about whether this model is viable and sustainable. Though many accelerators have been founded and funded by private investors, accelerators are now getting a public boost on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Commission and the U.S. Small Business Administration are both becoming involved in the accelerator phenomenon, perhaps representing an expanded role for national (and quasi-national) public support for accelerators.

Oregon lawmakers unanimously approved a bill (HB 3472) that instructs the state's Higher Education Coordinating Commission to design a pilot program to evaluate a new college funding system known as "Pay It Forward." Under the proposed model, students would commit a percentage of their future incomes to repay the state, instead of paying tuition or taking out traditional loans to attend community colleges and universities. The bill currently awaits the signature of Gov. John Kitzhaber.

he Department of Defense (DOD) released funding announcements to help establish and sustain two new manufacturing innovation institutes in the areas of lightweight and modern metals manufacturing and digital manufacturing and design. DOD intends to commit up to $70 million for each institute, with at least a 1:1 cost share ($70 million over five years) of non-federal funds from the recipient organizations.

During a recent public hearing, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a new rule that moves equity-based crowdfunding one step closer to reality. As mandated by the JOBS Act (see the March 28, 2012 issue of the Digest), the new rule will allow companies to publicly advertise, market and disclose the fact that they are fundraising. However, the sale of securities is still restricted to accredited investors and the company must take reasonable steps to verify that all purchasers are accredited.

A three-year effort to implement an SBIR state matching funds program gained enough traction this legislative session to win support from Rhode Island lawmakers. The measure was spearheaded by a group of leaders from 24 life science companies who advocated for a statewide program to encourage small business R&D and commercialization. Lawmakers appropriated $500,000 for the effort in FY14. Adding a workforce development component to the measure, a new bioscience and engineering internship also will be established to enhance the state's talent pipeline.