The University of Texas at Austin recently announced the formation of a university-wide initative to support technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and innovation. Venture Labs Texas will assist new ventures at the university and broker deals with sources of capital, including venture funds, angel investors and Texas' Emerging Technology Fund. Read more about Venture Labs at the University of Texas at Austin at: http://texasventurelabs.net/

In a report to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget this week, the Louisiana Innovation Council set forth an agenda to recruit world-class researchers, establish centers of excellence, and facilitate university-based technology transfer. In a tight budget year, the council recommends using some of the remaining Louisiana Recovery Authority funds and private sector money to support the initiative with a minimum $15 million total commitment over three years.

A recent Federal Communications Commission (FCC) survey found that 78 percent of U.S. adults are regular Internet users, but only 65 percent use broadband connections at home. Affordability, lack of knowledge of computers and the Internet and lack of interest were cited as reasons by those who said that they do not use home high-speed Internet. The results will be used by the FCC in crafting a strategy to increase broadband adoption rates and improve the cost and quality of high-speed services.

Seven new research programs encouraging collaborative research across biology, behavioral sciences, global health and clinical medicine were announced last week as part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund Programs. The programs, which are scheduled to begin in 2010, expect to yield scientific discoveries and new and better treatments by capitalizing on emerging technologies. Programs to create a national stem cell center and increase capacity for global health research are among the new scientific initiatives. NIH anticipates awarding $17.8 million to support the programs in FY10. More information is available at: http://commonfund.nih.gov/

Grants made for stem cell research projects in 2008 through the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission and the Maryland Technology Development Corporation yielded a return of nearly $3 million to state and local governments and supported more than 500 high-paying jobs, finds a recent impact report. A total $38 million was awarded to researches in 2007 and 2008 following the passage of the Maryland Stem Cell Act of 2006 and Gov. Martin O'Malley's $1.3 billion BIO 2020 Initiative in 2008, which includes $20 million per year for stem cell research. The study concludes that returns are expected to multiply over time because of the cumulative aspect of scientific knowledge and fast pace of industry expansion. Read the impact report: http://www.mscrf.org/_media/client/pdf/Sage_stem_cell_program_impacts_Final.pdf

Recognizing Ohio's metropolitan regions as key to the state's future prosperity, a new report outlines 39 policy recommendations aimed at growing Ohio's economy and transforming old strengths, such as manufacturing, into new products and opportunities aligned with federal goals. The report foresees Ohio as an export-oriented, lower carbon, innovation-led economy capable of building on assets of its metropolitan regions such as innovation, human capital, infrastructure, and quality places. Recommendations include preserving Third Frontier funding, expanding the state's advanced manufacturing network, securing an Energy Innovation Hub, and using federal Sustainable Communities funds to support smaller Ohio cities. Read the full report: http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2010/0222_ohio_prosperity/ohio_report.pdf

Last week, many states, universities and groups in the U.S. observed the fourth annual National Entrepreneurship Week. The Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education sponsored activities around the country and Canada, including educational events, competitions and entrepreneurship summits. Read a full summary of events at: http://www.nationaleweek.org/

Arizona State University invites applications for the position of director, High Performance Computing Initiative (HPCI). Some of the responsibilities include leadership and management of the HPCI, developing the HPCI mission and strategy, growth of the HPCI computing systems and infrastructure, building a strong technical staff to support researchers, and training in HPC for graduate and undergraduate students. A PhD or equivalent experience in the areas of engineering, computer science, informatics, physics, chemistry, biology, computational science, applied mathematics or other relevant discipline is required.

Karina Edmonds will join the Department of Energy as its new technology transfer coordinator starting in April. This is the first time that the Department has appointed a full-time person to fill this role.

Sixteen American technology companies, including Intel, Google and Microsoft, have launched a new initiative to boost the U.S. tech economy. The Invest in America Alliance is planning a two-prong approach, building a $3.5 billion national venture fund and securing commitments from U.S. companies to increase their hiring of recent college graduates. Leaders of the effort say that it will complement the federal stimulus and create a more favorable environment for American competitiveness.

A recent NSF survey found that between April 2008 and March 2009 Japanese R&D expenditures decreased by 0.8 percent to $188 billion compared to the previous year. Though this is the first decline in Japanese R&D spending in nine years, the rate of R&D investment as a percentage of GDP hit a record high of 2.78 percent. Read the full memorandum at: http://www.nsftokyo.org/rm10-02.pdf

The National Economic Council and the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) are asking for public input for a new initiative intended to address the challenges of the 21st century. The initiative, which would be similar to the National Academy of Engineering's (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering program, would help catalyze innovations to spur economic growth, encourage multidisciplinary collaborations and improve STEM education. Responses are needed to help identify specific challenges, potential partners and models for the program.