State lands national tech conference
BYLINE: Alan Zibel
Baltimore will host the annual conference for a national organization that promotes science and technology-based economic growth, state economic development officials said Thursday.
The Ohio-based State Science and Technology Institute selected the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in the Inner Harbor for its 11th-annual national conference, scheduled for Oct. 18-19. Maryland was selected through a competitive bidding process.
"We look forward to sharing with attendees the practices that have made our state a national leader in technology-based economic development," Renée Winsky, interim executive director of the quasi-public Maryland Technology Development Corp., said in a statement.
The science group's CEO, Dan Berglund, said in the statement that Maryland was a good choice for the conference's location because the state "has made science and technology a central focus for its economic development investments, and proximity to Washington, D.C., ensures a focus from national policy makers."
In the past, the conference has focused on topics including commercializing university research, angel and venture investing, developing university research parks and the impact of economic globalization. The agenda for this year will be set during the summer.