In recent years, much has been said about the migration of corporate research from R&D centers in the U.S. to new sites in developing countries where many multinational companies have found large pools of skilled labor and access to the world’s fastest-growing markets. A report from Booz Allen Hamilton last year found that India and China were the fastest-growing sites for foreign-based research at U.S.

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau releases its annual Geographic Area Statistics report, filled with detailed statistics collected from its Annual Survey of Manufacturers. The report provides data for the nation as a whole, every state, and the District of Columbia for numerous sectors within the manufacturing field. Included in the report are statistics for the number of employees, payroll, value added, value of shipments, capital expenditures, cost of materials, and cost of electric energy for heat and power.

The Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC), the lead organization in Tennessee for technology-based economic development, is seeking a president and chief executive officer (CEO). This position is responsible for the overall direction and management of TTDC and its programs, including resource development, finances, contracts, compliance reporting and operational policies. He or she will work with a 22-member board of directors to establish and successfully implement a work plan that fulfills the organization's mission.

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.

Oklahoma is one step closer to positioning itself as a leader in sustainable energy production, with the creation of a $40 million Bioenergy Center. The legislature passed SB 510 at the close of the 2007 session last month, establishing the Oklahoma Bioenergy Center announced by Gov. Brad Henry during his State-of-the-State Address earlier this year (see the Feb.

Over the last few months, several research parks across the country have announced formal openings, expansions, first tenants and new developments – all with the same general goal in mind. While many of these parks are merely real estate developments, research parks often are constructed around universities and laboratories and are designed to house tenants that will utilize the resources and create new jobs and spin-offs.

 

[Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from the June 1 issue of the SBIR Gateway Insider Newsletter, with permission from the author, Rick Shindell at Zyn Systems. The entire issue is worthy reading and is available, along with archived issues, through the SBIR Gateway that Shindell maintains as a free, public resource for all things SBIR. The SBIR Gateway is http://www.zyn.com/sbir/.]

The U.S. patent system has long been an outlier in its approach to protecting intellectual property (IP) rights. While every other industrialized country awards IP protection to the first party to apply for a patent, the U.S. system bases its IP decisions on the first inventor of a particular technology. As foreign markets have become more important to high-tech companies seeking to go global from day one, this approach has complicated the country's ability to enter into international agreements that would protect the IP rights of U.S.