SSTI Receives EDA Award to Support Digest

The SSTI Weekly Digest has a new sponsor, making the publication free to any and all parties interested in tech-based economic development. The Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, selected SSTI as one of three awardees in a competitive solicitation for national information dissemination projects. SSTI proposed dramatically expanding the content and distribution of the Digest and establishing a web-based resource center.

The new cooperative agreement, potentially renewable for two more years, permits SSTI to do several things to enhance the value of the Digest for tech-based economic development professionals, particularly those working at local, regional, and state levels. Beginning with this week's "telco hotels" story, look for expanded coverage of local and regional issues in science, technology, and R&D. Occasional special Digest issues will focus on specific themes and elements of tech-based economic development.

Additionally the EDA award will allow SSTI to create a web-based resource center tailored to economic development practitioners in distressed areas as a freely-accessible section of the SSTI web site. The site will contain an overview of tech-based economic development with sections addressing each of the elements necessary for a thriving tech-based economy. Look for announcements of these additions over the next few months.

If others on your staff, colleagues, board members, and other organizations may benefit from receiving their own copy of the SSTI Weekly Digest, please encourage them to sign up for a free subscription at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digform.htm

SSTI is grateful to EDA for the award. We also want to thank the Digest readers who provided feedback and constructive suggestions during the past four years -- it was your efforts and support that made the Digest worthy of EDA's consideration. We're counting on you, too, to help the Digest evolve into an even better tool.