The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) has initiated a program to help technology-based start-up companies locate and obtain equipment needed for their operations.

California is considering expanding its network of Regional Technology Alliances (RTA), which is a component of the Goldstrike Partnership. The Goldstrike Partnership, a program of the California Trade and Commerce Agency's Office of Strategic Technology (OST), supports the development, application, and commercialization of technology to create jobs, respond to industry changes, and foster competitiveness.

The 1999 Advanced Technology Program National Meeting, Nov. 15-17 in San Jose, Calif., will feature more than 30 workshops for industry, academic and government researchers to discuss current ATP work in

high-risk, high-potential technologies and future R&D opportunities. The meeting also will feature general information presentations on ATP and a showcase exhibit of a broad array of successful ATP-sponsored

Two recent reports indicate the amount of venture capital financing increased in 1996, although the two reports differ on the amount of financing and the most active investors. Both surveys agreed that California and Massachusetts were the lead states in attracting venture capital.

The National Academy Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit organization, and President Clinton have announced the selection of 12 public high schools to pilot the Academy of Information Technology program. The program is intended to prepare predominantly at-risk high school students for careers in information technology fields. The program will provide a ninth-through-twelfth-grade curriculum with opportunities to partner with community colleges, universities, and businesses.

California Governor Gray Davis has appointed Joseph A. Raguso as Deputy Secretary for Strategic Technology for the Trade and Commerce Agency. Mr. Raguso currently serves as President and CEO for the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance (SDRTA), a position he has held since 1997. Mr. Raguso will begin serving in his new capacity on January 31.

Regardless of their potentially arbitrary nature, the political lines separating jurisdictions can wreak havoc on a region's ability to support innovation. Whether it's a boundary between two communities, two states or two countries, these imaginary lines define real rules of commerce (e.g. by the taxes levied, property values, etc.) as well as intangible concerns and perceptions.

The California Manufacturing Technology Center has begun a search process for qualified applicants to fill a number of economic development-oriented engineering positions. The CMTC seeks applicants with over eight years of hands-on manufacturing experience to: define and develop proposals, present to potential clients, perform and manage projects, and build a network of consultants.

Director, NASA Far West Regional Technology Transfer Center (FWRTTC), School of Engineering, University of Southern California

The mission of FWRTTC is to play a leading role in the commercialization of NASA technology, with the primary focus on technology developed in the three NASA field centers in its region; Ames Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Dryden Flight Research Center.

Milwaukee, St. Louis, and San Diego were named to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for developing system-wide reforms in K-12 science, mathematics, and technology education. The awards are part of NSF's Urban Systemic Initiative. The initiative supports science, math, and technology education reform in cities with the largest number of school-aged children living in poverty.

The metaphor of a pipeline is often used for describing the innovation process and, specifically, the health of a regional innovation system. Sustaining knowledge-based growth requires a steady flow of ideas, people and capital. Often, the flow can be weak in one of these areas -- or clogged by other factors such as lack of key resources or programs.

[Editor’s Note: The following discussion regarding the research’s relevance to state and regional TBED policy is SSTI’s. It will not be found in the working paper, nor do we mean to suggest these conclusions were drawn by professors Zucker and Darby.]

Job growth in information technology (IT) now exceeds the production of talent, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy (OTP) study, America's New Deficit: The Shortage of Information Technology Workers. A recent survey of mid- and large-size U.S. companies by the Information Technology Association of American (ITAA) concluded that there are about 190,000 unfilled IT jobs in the U.S. today due to a shortage of qualified workers.

As competition for leadership in stem cell research heats up across the nation, legal battles and the introduction of new legislation are becoming commonplace among many states. Following is a round-up of recent news on stem cell research legalities and legislation in several states.

Joni Cobb is the first president of KTEC Pipeline, Kansas's new technology entrepreneurship fellowship program.