Minnesota Governor Announces Clean Energy Initiatives
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently unveiled four energy initiatives to promote clean energy R&D and the use of renewable energy technologies in the state. Through a combination of executive orders and legislative proposals, the programs are intended to push Minnesota towards its goals of having 25 percent of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by 2025 and reducing the state’s greenhouse emissions 80 percent by 2050. These new initiatives are:
No Digest Next Week
The SSTI Offices will be closed Wednesday, October 6 - Monday, October 11 due to the SSTI conference and in observance of the Columbus Day holiday.
Due to SSTI’s 3rd Annual Conference next week, the SSTI Weekly Digest will not be published on October 8.
People
Gov. John Huntsman, Jr. named Jack Brittain, dean of the University of Utah Business School, vice president in charge of the new Office of Technology Ventures. Brittain, dubbed the "innovation czar," will continue to lead the business school in addition to his new position.
People
Rose-Hulman Ventures President Jim Eifert and Executive Vice President Brij Khorana resigned their positions to return to faculty duties at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
Tech Talkin' Govs 2005, Part Three
The first two installments of SSTI's annual look at how TBED will play in the 2005 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives on our website: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm
Indiana
People
David Harmer, executive director of the Utah Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), announced his retirement. Chris Roybal, senior advisor to Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. for economic development, will take on many of Harmer's responsibilities.
People
It is an unfortunate and annoying consequence of politics that sometimes, with the change of gubernatorial administrations even within parties, excellent people with enviable records of delivering results for tech-based economic development programs lose their positions. SSTI has learned that Rod Linton and Michael Keene were among 33 "at-will" economic development staff at the Utah DCED fired en masse last Thursday. Gov. Huntsman, who began his term of office on Jan.
Minnesota Approves Energy Initiative, Funding for TBED
Funding for energy and TBED initiatives were highlighted in the fiscal year 2007-09 biennial budget at the close of the legislative session in Minnesota late last month. Winning nearly unanimous approval from the legislature was Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Next Generation Initiative announced during his State-of-the-State Address (see the Jan.
People & TBED Organizations
William Stephan has been appointed vice president of engagement for Indiana University, a new position aimed at furthing economic development and related outcomes.
People
The Purdue Research Foundation has appointed Robert J. Wichlinski as executive director of the new Purdue Technology Center of Northwest Indiana and Kathy DeGuilio-Fox as the center’s business development manager.
People
Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan has named David Dorff as the state's first director for the new Office of Small Business Advocacy.
People
The Board of Directors of BioCrossroads, Indiana's life sciences initiative, announced David Johnson would succeed Charles Schalliol as CEO.
Entrepreneurship Sustains Innovation and Boosts Growth
Public policies should seek ways to promote entrepreneurship in order to boost economic growth, according to a review of existing research by David Audretsch of Indiana University.
People
Indiana Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels recently named Michael "Mickey" Maurer as president of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.
People
Jeff Edwards recently was named interim president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Utah (EDCU). Edwards replaces Christopher Roybal, who will serve as the senior adviser for economic development for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., starting next year.
Want more Entrepreneurship from the Ivory Towers? Try a Culture Change
Study Suggests Cultural Changes in Universities Could Be Key to Promoting Greater Tech Transfer
People
Indiana Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels has named Chuck Schalliol as his budget director. Schalliol had been on loan from Eli Lilly and Co. since April to serve as president and CEO of Central Indiana's BioCrossroads.
Gubernatorial Election Results for 11 Races
Going into yesterday's elections, it was clear at least five states would have freshmen governors as three incumbents chose not to run for re-election and two incumbents lost their parties’ nominations to seek new terms. The five states were Missouri, Montana, Utah, Washington and West Virginia.
People
Peter Bianco has been named executive director of University Enterprise Laboratories, a nonprofit entity created by the University of Minnesota that provides incubator laboratory space for bioscience start-up companies.
Minnesota Cluster-Entrepreneurship Conference Presentations Available
The presentations from last week's conference, Knowledge Clusters and Entrepreneurship in Regional Economic Development, now available online, provide a good introduction to many of the topics and issues to be discussed at SSTI's annual conference, Building Tech-based Economies: Preparing for Tomorrow's Challenges, in Philadelphia, Oct. 13-15.
People
Utah State University named J. Michael Brooks as director of its Innovation Campus. He will also serve as associate vice president for research and economic development, beginning Sept. 20.
People
Effective Jan. 1, Donald Kuratko will be executive director for Indiana University's Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Kuratko is currently runs Ball State University's entrepreneurship program.
People
Jacques Koppel, president of Minnesota Technology, Inc. since 1991, announced his resignation on July 28. Under Mr. Koppel's leadership, MTI worked with more than 5,600 manufacturing and technology companies around Minnesota, helping the state's economy realize gains of more than $700 million in the process.
People
Cameron Carter is serving as interim president and CEO of Indiana's TechPoint, following Donna Gastevich's resignation to spend more time with her family.
People and Organizational News
The Indiana Proteomics Consortium has changed its name to Inproteo.