$190 million? $200 million? $250 million? Each of these figures has been advanced in Maine to support three different approaches toward tech-based economic development. The bottom line for the 2007 legislative session is Maine’s elected leaders - from the governor and the state assembly - believe a sizable injection of public funding is required to accelerate research and technology commercialization in the Pine Tree State.
As Ohio's General Assembly is poised to vote this week on whether or not to join a multi-state/province compact to govern use of Great Lake waters, the Brookings Institution is recommending a similar regional approach for coping with the area's economic future.
Anyone connected to state and local efforts to increase the performance and commercialization success of SBIR awardees will not be surprised to learn the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report critical of how well the participating federal agencies and the Small Business Administration (SBA) provide information regarding awardees.
The U.S. may lose its edge in advanced military technology if it does not increase national investment in basic defense research, according to a new report issue by the Task Force on the Future of American Innovation.
ANGLE, an international venture management and consulting company with broad experience in technology development initiatives at the regional and national level, has position openings for a consultant and a senior executive. These starting-level positions would assist ANGLE's U.S. Consulting and Management operation on domestic and international projects. Both positions require someone with a Ph.D.
Columbus State University (Ga.) appointed James Bowie as director of its Columbus Technology Incubator.
Ohio Gov.-elect Ted Strickland announced he will nominate Lieutenant Gov.-elect Lee Fisher to be the state's development director.
Columbus State University (Ga.) appointed James Bowie as director of its Columbus Technology Incubator.
Ohio Gov.-elect Ted Strickland announced he will nominate Lieutenant Gov.-elect Lee Fisher to be the state's development director.
Art Garcia has resigned as director of the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to accept a job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in his home state of New Mexico.
Dr. Anthony Green has been appointed vice president of regional technology initiatives for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has appointed Stephan Helgesen as director of the Office of Science and Technology at the state Economic Development Department.
South Dakota State University named Teresa McKnight as the first permanent director of the Innovation Campus at SDSU, the university's new research park.
The Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. has named Larry Penley, president of Colorado State University, the recipient of its first Regional Economic Development Excellence Award.
The Association of University Research Parks named the Science Center in Philadelphia "Outstanding Research Park of the Year."
Gov. Jim Risch has appointed Nor Rae Spohn to his science and technology advisory council.
Gov. Haley Barbour has named Gray Swoope as the new executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority. Swoope replaces outgoing executive director Leland Speed, who will serve through the end of December.
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch announced he will nominate his deputy chief of staff and policy director, Michael Vlacich, to be the state's next director of economic development.
The University of South Dakota appointed Terry Young as the director of research and development, a newly created position.
Congress isn't the only place looking at dramatic changes in January. With 11 governors and hundreds of state legislators taking office for the first time, tech-based economic developers across the country are presented with both opportunity and challenge. A change in state leadership often presents the opportunity for positive changes in direction of outdated economic development policies and programs.
A handy resource for bringing new staff, board members and legislators quickly up to speed on TBED, A Resource Guide for Technology-based Economic Development targets a primary audience of existing practitioners looking to implement new or update older programs. SSTI compiled the book's recommendations after conducting extensive interviews with dozens of the countries leading TBED experts.
Both the Bush Administration and incoming Congressional Democrat leadership plan to put higher education under the spotlight in 2007, stressing issues of accessibility and cost containment. While their approaches to the problems will be different, both sides agree universities will play even greater roles in maintaining U.S. economic leadership in the 21st century than they have in the past.
It is unfortunate the word entrepreneurship has become as overused a buzzword as innovation because developing vibrant climates to support tech entrepreneurs remains one of the most important elements of successful state and local TBED.
Not all entrepreneurship is created equal, however. The country's standard of living will decline if it were based entirely on low-wage retail and service businesses – even if every single one of them was created by budding entrepreneurs.
The public role in increasing access to capital is, perhaps, the most controversial element of TBED – if any of the public's role in the 21st century to strengthen competitiveness in a global knowledge economy is controversial.
A Resource Guide for Technology-based Economic Development is available from SSTI as a free, downloadable PDF at http://www.ssti.org/Publications/Onlinepubs/resource_guide.pdf or as an inexpensive 90-page bound book (a format still more likely to be perused by most legislators or gubernatorial staff than a pile of printouts). Single print copies are $15 plus shipping and handling.
So far this year, SSTI's Funding Supplement has made its subscribers aware of more than 1,450 different opportunities to secure funding. Another 40-50 new opportunities will be included in this week's issue. If you aren't a subscriber, your client companies, academic researchers, and state and local TBED efforts are at a significant disadvantage.