SSTI Announces Inaugural Awards for Excellence in TBED

SSTI is pleased to announce the creation of the Excellence in TBED Awards. This new program is designed to celebrate exceptional achievement in technology-based economic development (TBED), the approaches used to help foster a climate where innovative companies developing and adopting technology thrive.



In celebrating exceptional achievement in TBED, the awards program: requires applicants to provide a clear explanation of the need for the initiative, a logical approach to addressing the need, and demonstrable results; will be highly selective with applications reviewed by a committee of distinguished current and former practitioners; and, will be rigorous but fair in its evaluation.

 

Any TBED program or practitioner is eligible to apply. Each application will be reviewed by a committee of distinguished current and former practitioners with knowledge and experience within a given award category. Selection committee members are chosen by SSTI based on their experience, knowledge of the field, and accomplishments. 

 

Award categories are shown below. Examples listed should be viewed as illustrative rather than restrictive.

• Expanding the Research Infrastructure: Initiatives that strengthen the capacity to conduct research in universities, federal labs or the private sector. This may include initiatives to expand research facilities, recruit eminent scholars, or increasing research funding through R&D tax credits.
• Commercializing Research: Initiatives that promote the conversion of research (from universities, federal labs or other research institutions) into technologies and products with high commercial potential.
• Building Entrepreneurial Capacity: Initiatives that encourage entrepreneurship and support entrepreneurs, including enriching the skills and ability of entrepreneurs, increasing the capacity of entrepreneurs to successfully start and grow companies, and improving the environment for entrepreneurial development.
• Increasing Access to Capital: Initiatives that enhance the ability of companies to access start-up capital or fill other critical stages of capital formation in order to bring products to market and to grow.
• Enhancing the Science & Technology Workforce: Initiatives that seek to expand the science and technology workforce, improve the skill levels of science and technology workers, or assist industry in finding and maintaining a globally competitive science & technology workforce.
• Improving Competitiveness of Existing Industries: Initiatives that expand the innovation capacity of existing companies or industries to develop new leading edge products or services or significantly enhance the competitiveness of their existing operations.

Winners will be announced and awards presented at SSTI’s annual conference being held Oct. 18-19, 2007 in Baltimore.

 

Applications are due by July 20, 2007. The award application and additional information are available at: http://www.ssti.org/awards.htm