In This Week's Issue
SSTI News and Analysis
Tech Talkin' Govs: Part V
The fifth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes
excerpts from speeches delivered in Ohio, Oklahoma and
Pennsylvania. The first four installments are available in
the Jan.
11, Jan.
18, Jan.
25, and Feb.
1 editions of the Digest.
Ohio
Gov. John Kasich,
State of the State Address, Feb. 7, 2012
"And today I want to tell you about the best
technology resource that you've never heard of. It's buried
underground in Ohio. This will set us apart from every other state
in America.
"It's beyond high speed Internet. And I'm
announcing today we're going to increase the speed of OARnet, from
10 gigabytes per second to 100 gigabytes per second and what does
that mean? It's not Back to the Future with gigabytes. I mean, this
really means something. ... This allows our research hospitals and
universities to compete more successfully for the research grants
that create breakthroughs in jobs. ...
"We're also saying that it's not good enough
to do research. If you don't commercialize and create jobs,
what's the point? I can find you research on a
top shelf in a building 140 years from now. Commercialize. Create
jobs. Spinoff companies.
"We can get that done, but it's going to take
new and renewed focus and so, you know, whether it's graduation,
whether it is working together on this issue of, of the fixing of
their buildings, whether it is targeting people, getting the
universities to target people for jobs that exist, if we create a
university system, it would unbelievable. It would be absolutely
unbelievable and we are on the verge of being able to do
it."
Oklahoma
Gov. Mary Fallin, State
of the State Address, Feb. 6, 2012
"And on the subject of tax credits, I know a
lot has been said. Representative Dank and Senator Mazzei are
conducting a study to investigate which credits are effective and
create jobs, and which do not. I'm looking
forward to the results of that study, and our course of action will
be simple: only tax credits that create jobs will stay. For
instance, my budget begins the process of restoring the Aerospace
Engineer Tax Credit, which brings good, high tech jobs to
Oklahoma."
Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Corbett,
Executive Budget Address, Feb. 7, 2012
"Pennsylvania competes with every other state
in the union for factories, offices and corporate headquarters. The
shorter we make the journey from the drawing board to the
ribbon-cutting, the better our chances of growing jobs.
"So, I am bringing before you a new and
innovative program to create a robust employment market and a vital
economy. We call it Jobs First PA. It comprises four programs:
Pennsylvania Inc., The Comprehensive Job Matching System, Keystone
Works, and The Targeted Industry Certificate Program.
...
"Briefly, Pennsylvania Inc. provides a single
point of access between job creators and state government to speed
the time between an idea and a business. Keystone Works would allow
unemployed workers to continue their benefits while being trained
by companies with available jobs. ... The Targeted
Industry Certificate program provides increased grants for college
and trade school students who are training for high-demand
occupations. ...
"... At the Department of
Community and Economic Development, we are at work finalizing a
program I proposed last year, the Liberty Financing Authority. It
will merge several programs under a single umbrella. The Liberty
Financing Authority will provide the flexibility to direct loans to
expanding businesses."
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TBED Priorities Outlined in Nevada Plan
In response to an economic development study calling on the
state to diversify its operating system, support regionalism and
invest in innovation, Nevada's newly established
Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED)
released a plan of action to align resources and establish
partnerships for meeting those goals over the next three years.
The statewide plan builds on legislation passed last session to
unify economic development efforts through a regional approach and
private sector engagement. To this end, lawmakers allocated funds
for GOED and the governor appointed an executive director,
elevating the position to cabinet-level. During the first half of
2012, GOED will work to establish its organizational structure and
designate Regional Development Authorities (RDAs) tasked with
developing plans for their regions. RDAs can be local government
organizations, private organizations, or a combination of the
two.
The RDAs will serve as the central point of contact for economic
development within the regions focusing their efforts on creation
and retention of new businesses, expansion of existing companies,
and attracting companies from outside the state. The plan outlines
programs and projects the RDAs are expected to engage in, which
include:
- Driving sector and cluster advancement to create jobs;
- Working with community colleges and state agencies to meet
workforce needs;
- Cooperating with research institutions to increase innovation
and technology transfer;
- Fostering regional incubation of startups; and,
- Increasing exports and foreign direct investments.
The $10 million Catalyst Fund approved last year will allocate grants and loans during the next 18 months in the form of
to help businesses create, expand or relocate in Nevada, according
to the plan.
The Nevada plan also prioritizes technology-based economic
development (TBED) through a statewide innovation and
commercialization strategy, increased collaboration with
universities and research institutions, and efforts to build an
entrepreneurial support structure. The state immediately will hire
a technology commercialization director to identify existing
R&D capacities and develop a formal TBED plan with help from
the research institutions to be completed by September 2012.
Benchmarks include increasing licensing of intellectual property,
number of startups and research funding.
During 2012, GOED will allocate initial funding for some TBED
initiatives while developing a strategy for generating private and
public support for the Knowledge Fund, created last year to spur
research and commercialization (see the July
20, 2011 issue of the Digest).
Initial investments include matching funds for
industry-sponsored research; matching funds to assist the Nevada
Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization in winning a
federal Economic Development Administration Grant; and, helping
small businesses win SBIR/STTR grants.
The plan also calls for working with industry to develop sector
acceleration plans, expanding global engagement, and increasing
opportunities through education and workforce development.
Moving Nevada Forward: A Plan for Excellence in Economic
Development 2012-2014 is available at:
http://www.diversifynevada.com/documents/state_plan/2012_NVGOED_StatePlan_Full.pdf.
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President Announces $80M STEM Teacher Training
Initiative
This week at the second annual White House Science Fair,
President Obama announced a new $80 million Department of Education
competition to support STEM teacher preparation programs. The
investment will support innovative programs, such as those that
allow prospective teachers to simultaneously earn a STEM degree and
a teaching certificate. Another $22 million from philanthropic and
private sources, including the Carnegie Foundation, Google and
Dell, will complement the administration's STEM
effort. A separate $60 million Department of Education/National
Science Foundation initiative also was announced to reform U.S.
mathematics education. Read the White House release...
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State Science Education Standards Hurt U.S. Competitiveness,
According to Report
Seventy-five percent of states (38 states) received grades of
"C" or lower for their science
education curriculum and instructions, according to a new
report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. In contrast, only
seven states received an "A-"
or an "A." California and the
District of Columbia were the only
"As." Indiana, Massachusetts, South
Carolina and Virginia received
"A-s" for their
excellent state science standards. New York was the only state to
receive a "B+." Another six states
were able to achieve a "B"
— Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio
and Utah.
In The State of State Science Standards 2012, researchers
reviewed and analyzed the guidelines that inform K-12 science
curriculum and instruction in every state and the District of
Columbia. States were evaluated on the clarity, content,
completeness and scientific correctness of their standards.
However, researchers did not investigate whether science standards
are properly assessed with state tests, effectively
implemented in the schools or whether they are driving improvements
in student achievement.
The results indicate that most states lack rigorous,
content-rich science standards for K-12 students in most states.
The report found four common areas where state science standards
were flawed, including:
- Anti-evolutionary pressures continue to threaten and weaken
science standards in many jurisdictions;
- Many standards are extremely vague;
- Science educators, curriculum developers and standards writers
have focused excessive attention on
"inquiry-based learning" instead of
direct instruction of specific content; and,
- Few states make essential link between math and science clear
and many seem to go to great lengths to avoid mathematical formulae
and equations altogether.
According to the report, these poor results and common trends
place America's national competitiveness,
technological prowess and scientific leadership in grave jeopardy.
Read the report and individual state
report cards...
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Johns Hopkins Remains Top University Recipient of Federal
Research Dollars
In 2008, federal agencies obligated $28.4 billion to 1,316
academic institutions for science and engineering activities,
according to data from the National Science Foundation. Although
this represents a 0.9% increase in current dollars over 2007
levels, it represents a 1.4% decrease in inflation-adjusted 2005
dollars. The Johns Hopkins University (including its Applied
Physics Laboratory) continued to be the leading academic recipient
of federal S&E obligations, followed by the University of
Washington and the campuses of the University of Michigan.
Together, the top 20 institutions received 34.4 percent of all
federal S&E obligations in 2008. Read the InfoBrief...
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AUTM Launches Web-based Portal to Accelerate
Commercialization of University Technologies
The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM)
launched a Global Technology Portal (GTP) — a
web-based resource to facilitate networking, partnership and
licensing deals among corporations and universities. The portal
will allow universities and corporations to match available
technologies with emerging market needs. AUTM also hopes that the
portal the portal will help to quicken the pace of product
development by making it much easier for corporations to identify
potential university partners. Only AUTM members may post and
update their information on the portal. However, other entities and
individuals can search the site for available technologies. AUTM
expects quick growth for the portal, predicting its more than 3,000
members will make licensing ready technologies available on the new
resource.
Read the press release...
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Useful Stats
Share of U.S. Venture Capital Dollars and Deals by State,
1995-2011
After decreasing in 2010 for the first time in a decade,
California's share of U.S. venture capital
investment increased from 50.3 percent to 51 percent in 2011,
according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers/National Venture Capital
Association Moneytree Survey. The state's share
of total U.S. venture deals also increased from 39.3 percent to
40.2 percent. Massachusetts, the second most active venture capital
state, received 10.5 percent of venture dollars and 10.4 percent of
deals in 2011. Together, the top five states (California,
Massachusetts, New York, Texas and Illinois) received 77.1 percent
of all 2011 U.S. venture capital dollars.
SSTI has prepared tables of total venture dollars and deals by
state, venture dollars per capita, deals per one million state
residents, and share of U.S. dollars and deals. This data is
available in Excel format.
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SSTI Events
New Research Targets High-Growth Companies to Create Jobs
The Team PA Foundation intends to harness the power of these
high-growth firms (higros) through a new pilot program in
Pittsburgh. In the first installment of SSTI's new monthly webinar
series, Team PA will provide an insider's look at their new
high-growth pilot program, a program intended to learn from the
region's higros and potentially incorporate their best practices
into economic development policy. You also will have the
opportunity to learn about the characteristics of higros and what
separates them from other businesses. Read more...
March Webinar Just Announced!
One of our most highly rated sessions during last year's
conference will be presented as a webinar in March. Infusing
Technology into Companies: A Case Study explores an intermediary, a
company and other partners coming together to bring technology to
the marketplace resulting in new products and increased sales.
Register now...
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TBED People and Job Opportunities
TBED People & Orgs
Norm Chagnon has been named deputy chief of the Office of
Technology Investments (OTI) at the Ohio Department of
Development. Chagnon will lead and direct the OTI, which is
responsible for the State of Ohio's Edison
Technology Centers and Edison Technology Incubators Program, the
Ohio Third Frontier, the Technology Investment Tax Credit Program,
the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Ohio Venture
Capital Authority. Additionally, Anthony Howard has
been named interim assistant deputy chief of the OTI; Lisa
Delp has been appointed interim executive director of the Ohio
Third Frontier Commission; and, Elizabeth Colbert has been
named interim Manufacturing Extension Partnership center
director.
Claire Leonardi has been selected as the CEO and
executive director of Connecticut Innovations.
Peter Longo, who was CI's president and
executive director, will continue to be a part of CI, reporting to
Leonardi, and running the day-to-day operations. As part of his
legislative agenda for 2012, Gov. Malloy is proposing to
consolidate the Connecticut Development Authority into CI. The
measure requires legislative approval.
Jason Hall has stepped down as appointed director of the
Missouri Department of Economic
Development. Gov. Jay Nixon announced Hall's
appointment Dec. 30, 2011. Chris Pieper, deputy counsel to
the governor, has been named as acting director of the DED.
The Louisiana Department
of Economic Development has consolidated jobs and realigned the
agency's workforce. Jeff Lynn, currently
executive director of LED's FastStart
job-training program, will serve as executive director of workforce
development programs. Don Pierson, currently
LED's assistant secretary, will serve as senior
director of business development. Jason El Koubi, currently
LED's director of state economic
competitiveness, will serve as assistant secretary.
John Voltz recently was named executive director of
Blackstone Accelerates Growth, a statewide initiative to
encourage entrepreneurship and innovation, involving the Maine
Technology Institute, Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development
and the University of Maine.
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Staff Picks
Applications Sought for Fourth U.S. Energy Innovation
Hub
Letters of Intent are due March 1 to establish an Energy
Innovation Hub focused on advanced batteries and energy storage.
Read more ...
ARPA-E Releases Request for Information on $150M Funding
Opportunity
The funding opportunity expected in early March will support
transformational and disruptive high-impact energy R&D projects
related to renewable power, bioenergy, transportation, conventional
generation, the electrical grid, and building efficiency.
Read more ...
ASU's Rapid Startup School Takes Non-Traditional Route
The part-time program, which aims to generate startup activity
among postdoctoral researchers and graduate students, will be
presented in mini-modules and delivered after hours on campus.
Read more ...
Kauffman Foundation Delivers Address to State Policymakers
The third annual State of the Entrepreneurship address speaks to
state and local officials seeking low-cost solutions to job
creation through changes in state law and policy.
Read more ...
Challenge Grant Issued to Expand Entrepreneurial Engagement
in U.S. Cities
A $1 million challenge grant from the Knight Foundation will
help JumpStart America raise an additional $14 million and expand
its model of engaging entrepreneurs in 20 cities over the next
three years.
Read more ...
Denver Aiming for Culture Shift to Support
Entrepreneurs
A longtime decline in federal funding has prompted the Denver
Office of Economic Development to restructure its efforts, starting
with the creation of a $20M public-private fund to finance startup
companies and expansions.
Read more ...
National League of Cities Recognizes Innovative
Cities
Virginia Beach, Va., Potosi, Wis., and Rock Hill, SC, were among
the cities selected for their creative approaches to economic
development programs.
Read more ...
Low Skill Workers Left Behind in Unemployment Drop
This Washington Post article argues that if the
unemployment rate counted the 2.8 million people who want jobs but
have stopped looking, it would sit at 9.9 percent rather than its
current 8.3 percent. This is attributable mostly to low-skill
workers unable to find jobs.
Read more ...
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