In the September 26, 2005 Issue:

Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2005. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged — please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected.

Subscription to the SSTI Weekly Digest is free. If you are reading a forwarded copy of this issue and would like to receive your own copy each week directly, please subscribe at http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digform.htm. Requests to unsubscribe also may be completed at http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digform.htm.

Governor Outlines 2005 Agenda with Second Edition of Grow Wisconsin
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle today unveiled the plan that will guide his Administration's legislative agenda for the next 12 months. Grow Wisconsin: The 2005 Agenda focuses on three areas: investing in business, investing in people, and fostering a competitive business climate.

While the largest single funding element in the plan calls for changing the structure of the state's $500 million affordable housing program, tech-based economic development initiatives are prevalent. Highlights include:

The agenda builds from the Gov. Doyle's first Grow Wisconsin plan, released in September 2003. Since then, according to the governor's office in materials accompanying today's announcement, the governor has signed nearly every piece of legislation called for in the original plan.

The 50-page Grow Wisconsin: The 2005 Agenda is available at: http://www.wisgov.state.wi.us/docview.asp?docid=4787&locid=19

return to the top of the page

MTA Launches Tech Network for Post-Katrina Mississippi
Information, telecommunications and electricity provide the basic building blocks for all tech-based economic development - regardless of industry sector, research field or location. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the technology infrastructure for many of the state's emerging tech-firms has been dismantled. How do you restore efforts to build a tech-based economy when the fundamentals are destroyed overnight?

Mississippi Technology Alliance (MTA), the leading tech-based economic development organization for the state, quickly responded to the Hurricane's wrath by launching a TechFix Mississippi Program to help small Mississippi companies rebuild.

“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the thousands of people devastated by this storm. We realize rebuilding our economy will be a costly and lengthy process. MTA is organizing a network of technical support providers to help storm-stricken small companies get the technology resources they need in order to resume operations as quickly and affordably as possible,” said MTA President & CEO, Andy Taggart. “These companies are offering their services at-cost.”

Services available through the growing network, already including 18 businesses, include:

Businesses that need assistance can contact the Mississippi Technology Alliance at 1-888-TECH MTA (1-888-832-4682) or visit the MTA website at www.techmta.com for additional information.

Technology service companies who wish to offer at-cost assistance to small companies affected by Hurricane Katrina can call MTA at the same number to join the TechFix Mississippi Program network. SSTI encourages the Digest readership to help make as many businesses as possible to be aware of this opportunity to assist in rebuilding the Gulf Coast tech community.

For more information, visit www.technologyalliance.ms.

return to the top of the page

California Council for S&T Issues Caution on Expectations from Stem Cell Research
One of the latest big-ticket investments targeting stem cell research came from Ann Arbor last week as the University of Michigan committed $10.5 million of its internal resources to establish an interdisciplinary center for stem cell research. The announcement is one of dozens from around the country since California voters approved Proposition 71 in 2004, borrowing $3 billion over 10 years for stem cell research.

With total spending on medical research now approaching $100 billion annually, up 154 percent from what it was a decade ago according to the Alerion Institute, many states seem to be feeling a need to get ahead or just catch up with their peers as each new funding commitment is announced.

To justify the public investment, the political rhetoric accompanying the calls for state funding in life science research generally, and stem cell research more specifically, is often colored by promises of economic growth and the development of new industries as well as new approaches to life-threatening ailments.

California's independent, nonpartisan think tank on science and technology issues, says not so fast. In its interim report on the recommendations for dealing with intellectual property resulting from Proposition 71, the California Council for Science & Technology (CCST) states "research may take years, decades even, before payoffs in the form of therapies and treatments are seen."

In addition, CCST expressed its concern that heightened expectations about quick returns on investment could result in policies that require unrealistic revenue returns to the state. It is unlikely that the program will quickly provide a new direct stream of revenue for the state, the report notes. However, over the long-term, substantial economic benefits are expected to come through the creation of new jobs and new industries, with the associated increased tax base.

"Expectations that there will be major new treatments forthcoming in the short term are overstated," said Stephen Rockwood, executive vice president of SAIC and co-chair of the study. "It's important that we all understand this and put in place a system to make sure that, as this research program gets under way, there is a logical process by which new data and resulting technology resulting from it can readily be licensed and disseminated.

California's massive stem cell research investments are being coordinated through the new California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The CCST study group recommended priority be given to publication of research over licensing. Making research tools developed with CIRM funding largely available to other scientists is critical, the study concludes. "Progress in stem cell research, like other research, will depend on researchers' ability to access and use information in the public domain and to combine public and proprietary data into new databases as well as to re-evaluate and reuse existing data," it says.

As a result, the study group urged CIRM and the state to proceed with caution and not set overly prescriptive policies for intellectual property. The report emphasizes balancing the state's interest in receiving benefits from its investment in research with the need to bring actual therapies to market through workable IP agreements. The study group encourages timely publication of research results to maximize public benefit from the project.

Policy Framework for Intellectual Property Derived from Stem Cell Research in California is available at http://www.ccst.us

return to the top of the page

Entrepreneurial Activity Strongest Among U.S. Immigrants, Males and Latinos, According to Kauffman Index
Between 1996 and 2004, an average 0.36 percent of the U.S. population created a new business each month, representing approximately 500,000 new businesses per month, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity.

Using matched data from the monthly Current Population Surveys, a national population survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of the Census and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Kauffman Foundation created a new measure to provide information on recent entrepreneurial trends at the national level. The Index looks at business creation at the individual owner level by gender, education, region, age, immigrant status, and major industries.

Unlike previous studies that capture young businesses that are more than a year old, the Index captures all adults 20-64 who initially start a business, including those who own incorporated and unincorporated firms and who are employers and non-employers, said the Kauffman Foundation.

Surprising, the report notes, is the relative constancy of the Index despite economic changes over the period measured. Entrepreneurship did not change substantially in the strong growth period of the late 1990s, and moreover, the recession of the early 2000s did not result in a major change in entrepreneurship rates. Key findings include:

The Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity is available at: http://www.kauffman.org/items.cfm?itemID=640

return to the top of the page

SSTI Conference Update
Room Block Oversubscribed for SSTI's 9th Annual Conference
Not too surprising. Put the premier professional development opportunity for the tech-based economic development community in a great city and you'll draw hundreds of participants from at least 45 states and several other countries. Offer conference attendees five-star accommodations at prices well below market and we've ended up with the largest room block yet for an SSTI annual conference. It's a formula guaranteeing an incredible experience for everyone joining SSTI in Atlanta on Oct. 19-21.

SSTI is extremely grateful to the management of the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead-Atlanta for agreeing to expand the reserved block by 13-14 percent to allow as many of our participants as possible to savor the comfort of this luxurious property while they attend SSTI's 9th Annual Conference.

With the InterContinental Hotel Buckhead-Atlanta sold out or near capacity for the three days of the conference, SSTI has identified several alternate hotels near the event to accommodate the continuing flow of registrants. The following five properties are within an easy walk of the hotel (1-2 blocks; the Intercontinental's address is 3315 Peachtree Road NE). Given how close we are to the event, no special room rates have been negotiated with the properties. Prices quoted in parentheses are taken from each hotel's website and do not include tax (actual price and room availability may vary):

If you are planning to attend the conference and have yet to make hotel reservations, we encourage you to do so soon. Buckhead is a destination location and hotels in the vicinity of the conference site are filling fast! If you haven't registered to attend the conference yet, please do so at: http://www.ssti.org/conference05.htm

return to the top of the page

SSTI Conference Update
Maximizing Impact Workshop Sold Out!
Limited Seating Remaining in Three Preconference Sessions
The desire to establish sound metrics to evaluate performance and progress for science and technology investments has grown as S&T programs mature, state and federal funding tightens, and good managers simply want to know what's working and what isn't. As a result, SSTI's all-day intensive pre-conference on sound TBED evaluation models has sold out.

Limited seating remains for the other three preconference workshops, described below. Individuals interested in attending any of the three are strongly encouraged to register on SSTI's website as soon as possible: http://www.ssti.org/conference05.htm

Developing Successful Angel Organizations: A Practical Guide
Access to capital sources is an essential element for building a tech-based economy and growing thriving businesses. Policymakers and practitioners in many regions worry about how their tech firms will finance growth. Just as the weather varies across the country, so, too, do the philosophy, the motivations, and the depth of the pockets of its angels. What’s the best way to develop a strong angel investor community in your region?

Presented by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Angel Capital Association, this full-day workshop will focus on the development of angel organizations, including a step-by-step process for determining whether or not your community can support an angel organization and, if it can, the type and structure that is right for the involved investors and your community.

Technology Square: Proof for the Power of Local Tech-based Economic Development
The result of a unique public-private investment of more than $400 million, the mixed use, multi-block Technology Square serves as Atlanta's hotbed for emerging technology firms and the new hub of Georgia's economic development community. There are many reasons why Atlanta's award-winning "Intersection of Innovation" can serve as a great model for other universities and communities that want to build tech-based economies.

This full-day on-site workshop will uncover the keys to Technology Square's phenomenal success. From concept and planning to financing and management, you'll hear directly from the people who made it all happen. Members from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Research Alliance, Midtown Alliance, Georgia Quick Start, and many others will lead various panel discussions. Participants will walk away with a recipe for success that they can apply to their own universities and communities.

An Introduction to Tech-based Economic Development
This full-day interactive workshop is tailored to those professionals new to tech-based economic development. Engaging, educational and enjoyable, participants will discover proven programs and policies for creating technology companies, financing high-tech firms, commercializing technology, and developing productive university-industry partnerships. If you're new to the field, there is no better way to prepare for the calibre of discussion and content at SSTI's 9th Annual Conference than to attend this full-day, highly interactive workshop examining the fundamental elements of successful tech-based economic development.

More information on each preconference workshop is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Conf05/preconference.htm

return to the top of the page

Useful Stats
2003 Academic R&D for Life Sciences by State
In 2003, academic institutions across the U.S. reported having a total of $23.76 billion in R&D expenditures for research related to the life sciences, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, FY 2003.

The $23.76 billion figure represents 59.3 percent of the total academic R&D expenditures. Among individual states, however, the prominence of life science research among total academic R&D portfolios varies from a high of 89.6 percent in Vermont to only 18.3 percent in Alaska. Only 20 states had life sciences concentrations higher than the national average.

SSTI has prepared a table presenting state rankings and figures for academic R&D for life-science related research. The table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/092605t.htm

return to the top of the page

SSTI Job Corner
For more information on the positions below, visit SSTI's online Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Georgia SBIR Assistance Program
This new program of the Georgia Tech Advanced Technology Development Center, one of the leading university-based technology incubators in the nation, is seeking a Biosciences Project Manager. The ideal candidate will have a Life Sciences background and experience with the SBIR/STTR programs. This person will provide guidance and hands-on assistance to companies in preparing SBIR/STTR proposals. More information on this position opening is available through the SSTI Job Corner at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. Georgia Tech is an EEO/AA employer.

Washington Technology Center
The Washington Technology Center (WTC), a state-chartered economic development organization, has openings for two positions: (1) Director, Research and Program Operations and (2) Director, Development. The Director, Research and Program Operations develops and delivers all WTC research and economic development programs. This position sets the standard and holds project staff accountable for performance, quality and value to customers. The position manages WTC’s programs, including joint research, economic development, specific programs in target industries as well as the WTC’s microfabrication user facility. The Director, Development is responsible for defining and implementing WTC’s marketing and business development strategy. Typical functions of market assessment, program definition, sales and customer management, communications and outreach are included.

return to the top of the page

State Science & Technology Institute
5015 Pine Creek Drive
Westerville, OH  43081
(614) 901-1690

© 2005 State Science and Technology Institute. All rights reserved.