The Difficult Task of Clogging the Brain Drain
Growing and keeping an educated workforce, one ready to help build a technology-based economy, is one of the greatest challenges even the most high-tech areas. The problem can be quite severe. For example, a new statewide survey of Florida college students, conducted by Leadership Florida and Nova Southeastern University, revealed that only 48 percent of the students plan to remain in Florida after graduation.
People
Dr. Frederick Humphries, president of Florida A&M University and SSTI Board member, has announced he will retire this summer from the university.
Tech Talkin Govs V: The 2001 State of the State, Budget Addresses
Editor's Note: The fifth installment in our review of the Governors' inaugural addresses, state of the state addresses, and budget messages for 2001. The first four articles in the series were over the past four weeks. Those issues of the SSTI Weekly Digest and all other previous editions are available on our website: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2001/headlines01.htm
Recent Working Papers: Defining and Measuring Productivity in the New Economy
It is widely argued in the tech-based economic development community that New Economy businesses, specifically computers and information technology, account for the tremendous economic growth of the last half of the 1990s. But does the data support this?
Recent Working Papers: Risk and Return of Venture Capital
Many tech-based economic development programs recognize the importance of having seed and venture capital accessible to their start up tech firms and entrepreneurs. Some practitioners, though, see a challenge in encouraging equity investment in more conservative, risk adverse regions and localities. The dot-com “correction” of last year probably did not help.
Florida State Using "Cluster Hiring" to Improve Research Standing
FSU hopes new hires will enhance reputation
The competition for the superstars of the research world is heating up, as more and more universities create programs to attract research faculty to their campuses. One of the most ambitious in the country is Florida State University's Pathways to Excellence program. FSU intends to hire 200 tenured or tenured-track professors within a five-year period, with the intention of transforming the quality of its Ph.D. programs.
State and Local Tech-based ED RoundUp
Albany, New York
Health Reseach Inc., a branch of the New York State Department of Health, is looking to move its Pharmacogenomics Institute to a vacant laboratory in Rensselaer Technology Park, according to a recent article published in the Times Union. The 25,000-square-foot building that housed the Virogenics Corp., a vaccine-research company that left in 2000, has not been officially purchased. The state expects to lease the site when the Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency closes on the purchase.
A Matter of Scale: Florida Governor Outlines "Small" Business Stimulus Package
Facing a $2.3 billion deficit in FY 2010, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has proposed a new financing program to promote small business growth through the current financial crisis. Calling it an Economic Stimulus Plan, the governors.'s proposal will target small Florida-based companies with high-growth potential through direct loans and other support services.
Election Preview: Voters to Decide on Statewide TBED Issues
While the Presidential election takes center stage on November 4, voters in several states also will cast their votes on statewide ballot issues affecting the TBED community. In addition to the 11 gubernatorial races and more than 5,800 state legislative seats up for grabs, voters across the nation will consider measures to provide funding for public education, expand investment in alternative and renewable energy, lift restrictions on stem-cell research, and eliminate income tax and state spending caps.
Several Statewide TBED Issues Win Voter Approval
The outcome of Tuesday's election resulted in several wins and some defeats for TBED among the more than 150 ballot measures presented to voters across the nation. Outlined below are the unofficial election results of select ballot measures from each state's respective election office and local media reports as of Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Massachusetts, Maine Innovation Indices Assess States' Readiness for the Economic Downturn
State governments are poised to play a vital role in the economic recovery through their use of federally-appropriated funds and through their internal policy responses to the global crisis. Several states are focusing on innovation as a means of recovery. Massachusetts and Maine both recently released the latest editions of their annual innovation indices. These annual publications have long helped to clarify trends in the innovation economy and provided assessment of their performance relative to other states.
UCF Seminole incubator graduates 1st firm
Spectrum Bridge Inc. has become the first graduate of the University of Central Florida's Incubation Program Seminole County/Winter Springs office.
According to a release, the Lake Mary-based Internet marketplace and mapping technologies company joined the program in February 2008.
The company has begun generating revenue and completed rounds in venture capital funding totaling $8.1 million, said Esther Vargas-Davis, site manager at the Seminole County incubator office, in a release.
Lake agrees to boost business incubator
LEESBURG -- Lake County commissioners agreed to partner with the city and the University of Central Florida to beef up a business incubator in hopes of attracting more start-up companies.
The partnership includes $85,000 in county funds for the UCF Research Foundation to support the incubator's staffing. The incubator, which was created last year, is at the Leesburg Business & Technology Center on Market Street.
TBED People and Organizations
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Daniel O'Connell, resigned for personal reasons and was replaced by Greg Bialecki, an undersecretary who has been responsible for business development
SSTI Job Corner
Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
Energy RoundUp : States, Governors and Feds Turn Attention to Need for Clean Energy
National Governors Association
Study Says Florida Needs Skilled Workers and Early-stage Support for High-Tech Growth
Though the state of Florida has aggressively pursued research investment over the past few years, particularly in the life science, a new report finds the state is still struggling to build a sufficient pool of highly-skilled workers for its high-tech companies. The study, which was conducted at the behest of 19 local economic development organizations, finds the state has not yet made a complete transition from an agriculture- and real estate-based economy to one built on high-tech industry and innovation.
Florida Legislature Injects Itself into Centers of Excellence Program, Redirects Funding
Massachusetts Passes Pair of Environmentally-Conscious TBED Bills
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick recently signed two bills to improve the commonwealth's standing as a leader in environmental protection and to support the growth of the clean technology industry. Supporters of the Global Warming Solutions Act and the Green Jobs Act believe that the legislation will position Massachusetts as a recognized center for cleantech policy and business.
Useful Stats: 2006 Industrial R&D Intensity per State
According to National Science Foundation (NSF) data released two weeks ago, companies spent in aggregate $247.7 billion on R&D expenditures performed in the U.S. in 2006. Leading the nation was California, with $58.4 billion in industrial R&D, followed by Michigan ($16.5 billion), Massachusetts ($15.6 billion), New Jersey ($14.6 billion), and Texas ($13.3 billion).
Incubator RoundUp: Encouraging Entrepreneurship and Supporting Tech Commercialization
Technology-focused incubators are an important component to fostering entrepreneurial development in a region by nurturing businesses in the earliest stages of development and helping them grow into larger companies that employ high-wage workers and bring new technologies to the market. The following select announcements provide an overview of new incubators from across the nation, illustrating the vital role of entrepreneurial development in growing high-tech regional economies.
10,000 New Life Sciences Jobs Expected in Massachusetts by 2014
Breaking into the Market: End of the Green Pipeline
One of the biggest challenges for green technologies and products is breaking into the market. Achieving the critical mass that allows production volume to drive down prices is difficult, particularly when the commodity being sold is, at least initially, more expensive to make because more of the actual cost of production is captured in the green company's business model.
Recent Research: Venture Capital Proximity Means Larger Financing Rounds, But Not More Money
Despite the global growth of the industry over the past few decades, U.S. venture capital remains as concentrated as ever in the Silicon Valley region, and to a lesser extent, Massachusetts.