Illinois 1997 High Tech Yearbook Released

The Illinois 1997 High Tech Yearbook is a first-ever annual report documenting the people, organizations and infrastructure driving the high technology industry in Illinois. The report was recently released by the Illinois Coalition and KPMG Peat Marwick, in cooperation with the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago.

The Yearbook is the latest addition to a growing number of states or regions that are developing technology indexes.

The state's science and technology strengths are highlighted in the yearbook through a series of indicators tracked by the Illinois Coalition. The indicators identify and explain the ingredients and dynamics of Illinois' technology economy.

According to the report, in 1984 Illinois was tenth in the U.S. for the size of its technology economy. Today, it is fourth. The following outline some of the key indicators the report highlights:

• Level of R&D spending by industry, universities, federal laboratories and non-profit research centers
• Illinois' share of federal R&D funding
• Number of patents issued
• Venture capital investment
• Receipt of federal SBIR grant funds
• Number of scientific and engineering doctoral degrees awarded
• Employment of doctoral scientists
• Level of employment in the state's technology sector
• Average annual wage of a technology worker in Illinois
• Number of new technology establishments opened
• Export of manufactured technology products
• Technology initial public offerings a year

The Illinois Coalition was founded in 1989 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of Illinois' top leaders from business, research, labor and government who joined together to pursue a single overriding goal: to strengthen Illinois' economy through science and technology. For more information on the yearbook, contact the Coalition at 312/814-3482.