Membership in SSTI allows access to the most extensive network of current and past practitioners, academics and policymakers who are attempting to speed commercialization and encourage innovation.

Joining SSTI places your organization with today’s TBED leaders. SSTI connects you to active members in 46 states, Puerto Rico and Canada, enabling you to share experiences and best practices with your peers from across the continent.

Gov. Phil Bredesen’s budget proposal for 2007-2008 includes more than $100 million in new funding for several new education and high-tech development initiatives and a strategy to spur the state’s alternative fuels industry.

 

The following recently became SSTI affiliates or supporters:

Coming a little late in the year to be included among our Tech Talkin’ Govs series (see Digest issues for Jan. 8, 15 and 29 and Feb. 19), Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland delivered his first State of the State Address on Mar. 14. Below are excerpts from his address calling for a $1 billion investment in alternative and renewable energy technologies over four years.

 

South Dakota recently announced it is reorganizing its programs to support entrepreneurs and high-tech start-ups. Instead of offering assistance to new firms through small, targeted programs, the state will reallocate the funding for these smaller programs into a larger fund with fewer restrictions on how that money can be spent. The change will allow the state greater leeway to assist expanding businesses, many of which were not eligible for the existing support programs.

SSTI serves as the TBED community’s go-to resource and strategic partner when dealing with TBED issues. SSTI’s unique ability to address the information needs of its members comes from the fact that SSTI’s staff and board have been “in the trenches” of technology-based economic development. SSTI’s president, vice president and board members, including former Governors John Engler of Michigan and Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, have more than two decades’ of direct policy development and service delivery experience.

Diffusion of effort can be a great thing in fostering local or regional economic development because there are so many fronts on which the battle must be fought: workforce; business retention and recruitment; entrepreneurship; infrastructure; investing; and, science and technology addressing the needs of different sectors such as manufacturing, retail, service, financial or information technology.

240 events already posted on SSTI's web calendar

Although only a few events remain for 2003, SSTI's web calendar of science and technology (S&T) items has brief descriptions and contact links for 240 regional or national conferences, meetings and workshops planned for 2004.

Although only a few events remain for 2002, SSTI's web calendar of S&T items has brief descriptions and contact links for more than 120 regional or national conferences, meetings and workshops planned for 2003.

The Angel Capital Electronic Network (ACE-Net) will be privatized by September 1, 2000. The Internet-based listing service for growing companies and angel investors has been run by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Advocacy.

Mel Ustad, current interim vice president for research at the University of South Dakota, is the new director of the state's first Office of Commercialization.