California governor announces $1.1 billion from SSBCI
Gov. Gavin Newson of California announced that the state is approved for $1.1 billion of funding from the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), which represents the largest funding amount that has been approved in the SSBCI program.
Gender and racial makeup of startup's founding team impacts funding
A recent report by DocSend Inc., a subsidiary of DropBox, surveyed over 300 pre-seed startups, finding that on average, in terms of gender alone, mixed teams raise the most funds, while all-male teams raise the least. In terms of both gender and race, on average, mixed gendered teams with minority members raise the most funds while all-male teams with no minority members raise the least.
Congress advances three-year SBIR/STTR reauthorization
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a bill to extend the SBIR, STTR and related pilot programs through Sept. 30, 2025. The House is expected to act on the legislation next week, just ahead of the current expiration at the end of this month.
New report highlights federal bioeconomy policy considerations in R&D, regional promotion, and workforce development
On the heels of President Biden’s recent announcement of a Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative to boost the United States bioeconomy, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has released The Bioeconomy: A Primer, which examines the future of the bioeconomy, explores the United States’ competitiveness in global
Inflation provides big boost to crowdfunding limits
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently published statutorily-required five-year inflation adjustments for various limits placed on crowdfunding, and the increases are substantial.
Treasury releases RFI and clarifications on SSBCI technical assistance
Last week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released clarifications and a request for information (RFI) related to its $500 million pool for State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) technical assistance.
DOD awards $30M to six Defense Manufacturing Communities
The U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC) recently announced the six winners under the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (DMCSP), with funding of approximately $30 million.
DOE opens $7 billion funding opportunity for regional clean hydrogen hubs
Representing one of the largest investments in the agency’s history, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has opened applications for the clean hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs) program.
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia releases the Anchor Economy Report, dashboard
In an effort to help to determine the economic impact of higher education institutions and hospitals within their regions and how reliant these regions are on these “anchor institutions” to drive their economy, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia developed an Anchor Economy Initiative. It recently published an
Georgia Research Alliance companies raise more than $2B in venture capital
The Georgia Research Alliance (GRA) — a nonprofit working to grow Georgia’s economy through supporting research at state universities — recently announced that its portfolio of companies had raised more than over $2 billion in venture capital. These startups also had a high survival rate — 88% were still in business four years after launch, outpacing the national average of 44%. Along with this announcement, GRA released 2021 data on their economic impact on the state, demonstrating growth from the previous year.
SBA announces 44 FAST awardees
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced 44 FAST awards, including 12 new awards, totaling over $5.4 million, with each up to $125,000 for specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance for research and development.
Manufacturing Week celebrates industry while employment grows
As Manufacturing Week kicks off on Friday, Oct. 7, the U.S. Census Bureau and Manufacturing USA are providing valuable manufacturing statistics and data to help inform policymakers and businesses, while also highlighting careers in the industry.
DOL rescinds IRAPs, refocusing on long-standing Registered Apprenticeship model for success
Citing an 85-year record of promoting higher quality training and worker protection standards, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has rescinded the short-lived Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Program (IRAP) in favor of the established Registered Apprenticeship (RA) program.
51 recipients share $47 million in EDA Build to Scale awards
A total of $47 million has been awarded to 51 organizations by the U.S. Economic Development Administration to support programs that accelerate innovation and tech-based economic development as part of the Build to Scale program, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced yesterday. The 2022 awardees will leverage an additional $48 million in matching funds from private and public sector sources.
Commerce releases info on plans for CHIPS funding
The recently-passed CHIPS and Science Act included $54.2 billion in appropriations, largely for semiconductor manufacturing incentives ($39 billion) and R&D ($11 billion). The administration is releasing information about its planned distribution of funds. Recent resources include: a strategic plan from the U.S.
White House announces major expansion to open access policies
A recent announcement from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) included major updates requiring open access to federally funded research. The new guidance will require federal agencies to ensure that all taxpayer-funded research is immediately available to the public, disallowing the previous optional 12-month embargos.
Pennsylvania manufacturing has potential to expand, new report says
Pennsylvania is losing ground in expanding manufacturing opportunities in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Manufacturing Advisory Council, which has issued a playbook to help build the sector’s competitiveness and highlights recommendations for the state to increase its manufacturing opportunities.
RTI International leading, SSTI supporting Build Back Better Regional Challenge Community of Practice
The nonprofit research institute, RTI International, has been named the grant winner to coordinate and lead a Community of Practice (CoP) for the Build Back Better Regional Challenge’s 60 finalist coalitions. While the 21 awardees of the challenge will go on to build out their proposed programs, the CoP is intended to build long-term connections among all 60 coalition finalists, which were awarded from 529 applications.
21 Build Back Better Regional Challenge winners announced
In what is being heralded as one of the most impactful regional economic development initiatives in decades, 21 coalition winners — including three SSTI members as coalition leads — of the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge have been announced. Each of the awardees will receive between $25 million and $65 million to fund 123 projects designed to advance economies across 24 states.
Efforts underway in the states to capitalize on CHIPS funding
With President Biden’s signing the CHIPS and Science Act on Aug. 9, states and universities are already making plans to build on the funding opportunities present in the legislation.
Arkansas report offers possible template for public-private capital access analysis
An inaugural report looking at the landscape of capital resources in Arkansas may be useful to others who are interested in examining the capital access in their state or region. The report will serve as a baseline for trends in public, private and philanthropic investments in entrepreneurship across the state and may be a useful resource as the state plans its State Small Business Credit Initiative strategy.
$100M grant to Pitt will help fund biomanufacturing hub, increase life sciences impact in region
In a move designed to strengthen southwest Pennsylvania’s role in life sciences research, the University of Pittsburgh and Richard King Mellon Foundation last month announced a $100 million gift to help fund a bioresearch and development facility.
In a move designed to strengthen southwest Pennsylvania’s role in life sciences research, the University of Pittsburgh and Richard King Mellon Foundation last month announced a $100 million gift to help fund a bioresearch and development facility. The grant, which will be disbursed in $10 million increments over 10 years, will help build Pitt BioForge, a biomanufacturing facility that will leverage biomedical research conducted at Pitt and bring “an entirely new commercial manufacturing sector to Pittsburgh and, if all goes according to plan, increase the economic opportunity for residents and families in and around Hazelwood,” according to a Pitt press release.
Useful Stats: Business R&D expenditures by state and source of funding, 2019
Private sector investment into research and development (R&D) is a critical component of innovation, new product development, and regional economic vitality. As a substantial performer and funder of R&D in the United States, the strength of private industry’s R&D activity in a region can provide an indication of the region’s capacity for developing and bringing innovative technologies to market.
Private sector investment into research and development (R&D) is a critical component of innovation, new product development, and regional economic vitality. As a substantial performer and funder of R&D in the United States, the strength of private industry’s R&D activity in a region can provide an indication of the region’s capacity for developing and bringing innovative technologies to market. Using data from the recent release of the National Science Foundation’s 2019 Business Enterprise R&D (BERD) Survey, this SSTI analysis shows that while private companies nationally paid for the greatest share of total business R&D expenditures themselves in 2019, this was not the case for all states.
NIST seeks information to bolster US innovation and industrial competitiveness in emerging tech areas
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a Request for Information (RFI) to help guide the development of eight emerging technologies.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a Request for Information (RFI) to help guide the development of eight emerging technologies. NIST will use the information to inform a study it will provide Congress with a comprehensive analysis of the nation’s emerging technology sector including information on relevant marketplaces; supply chains; future investment, legislative, policy and standards needs; and, strategic public-private partnerships to enhance the nationwide adoption of technology development and utilization.
OECD studies people’s perceptions of inequality to improve chances for reform
While income inequality has increased in many countries over the past 30 years, gathering public support to sustain momentum for reforms that address those inequalities is important, especially in recovering from the pandemic, says a recent report from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).