TBED Community of Practice

With support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), SSTI has launched a Tech-based Economic Development (TBED) Community of Practice.

This initiative builds the capacity of EDA grantees to achieve greater impacts for their regional innovation economies. 

SSTI’s work emphasizes:

  • Identifying and distributing best practices in structuring, measuring and planning TBED initiatives;
  • Fostering community among grantees around types of TBED activities and target audiences/technologies; and,
  • Facilitating communication with external stakeholders, including funders, clients and partners. 

The TBED Community of Practice is for grantees across all EDA funding programs -- Build to Scale, Economic Adjustment Assistance, Public Works, Technical Assistance and more.

We have two easy ways to connect with the TBED Community of Practice:

  • Sign up for more information at ssti.org/tbedcopinfo 
  • Contact SSTI's community of practice team at tbedcop [@] ssti.org. 

This information is also available as a factsheet [pdf].

 

Subcommunities of Practice

SSTI is supporting subcommunities that focus on strategies within the field. Given the broad nature of the TBED field, we believe that fostering networks within more specific areas of practice will help achieve these goals. Learn more about the purpose of the subcommunities from these FAQs.

The three subcommunities availble at this time are: Entrepreneurship Development; Risk Capital; and, Lab-to-Market.

To register for a subcommunity of practice, complete this brief registration form letting us know what subcommunities and topics most interest you.

 

Community Events

Strategies to Drive Regional Technology-based Entrepreneurship and Economic Development

Wednesday, March 19, 3:00pm EDT

Fostering a thriving tech-driven ecosystem is essential for sustainable regional growth. Our panelists will explore key strategies to accelerate technology commercialization, support startups, attract investment, and build collaborative networks. From leveraging public-private partnerships to enhancing workforce development, we’ll discuss actionable insights that can help regions compete in an increasingly technology-driven world.

  • Griffin St Louis, Sr. Program Manager – Maryland Innovation Initiative, TEDCO
  • Brian Cuevas, Director – Office of Innovation Management, University of Southern Mississippi
  • Angela Specht, Global Head - BARDA Alliance, Johnson & Johnson
  • Jerry Coughter, Program Director - TBED CoP, SSTI

Register here: https://ssti-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_sa0TigSzQ0iR6w5M0BSWDQ

 

Past Events

Recordings and slides from previous TBED Community of Practice webinars are available in SSTI's Webinar Library. 

 

Research & Tools

Key Technology Area Investment Data Tool

SSTI has released a new data tool that defines investment activity, one indicator of the vibrancy of a region’s innovation economy, in each of 18 technology areas. Comprising two interactive visuals and a downloadable data file, this tool includes three investment data points by state, year (2013-2023), and investment stage (e.g., seed, angel, venture) for technology verticals that were selected to align with many of the key technology areas defined in the CHIPS and Science Act and included in the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Tech Hubs program. 

Access the data tool.

 

State SBIR/STTR resource guide
SSTI has created a new SBIR/STTR resource guide that includes examples of state-level initiatives in four broad categories: 

  • Proposal assistance and mentorship,
  • Technical assistance and networking,
  • Financial assistance, and
  • Commercialization support

The resource guide includes a downloadable Excel file of all programs and their offerings. Additionally, there is a map to visualize which types of financial assistance are available in different states. Lastly, the guide provides examples by state of the different types of support programs available nationwide.
Access the State SBIR/STTR Resource Guide.

 

Federal Funding Video Library

To help organizations that implement TBED strategies better-understand the wide variety of programs that can fund their work, SSTI has created the Federal Funding Video Library. Find brief explainer videos on the following programs:

  • EDA STEM Talent Challenge
  • EDA Build to Scale Capital Challenge
  • EDA Build to Scale Venture Challenge
  • EDA Revolving Loan Fund
  • Appalachian Regional Commission
  • EDA Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA)
  • SBA Regional Innovation Clusters Inititative (RIC)

View the full Federal Funding Video Library. 

SSTI is in the process of recording and editing additional videos. Suggest topics to tbedcop [@] ssti.org.

 

 

Note: The TBED Community of Practice is a project of SSTI using Federal funds under award ED22HDQ3070129 from the Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations of resources on this page are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Economic Development Administration or the U.S. Department of Commerce