SSTI Digest

Only 13 days left to register early for SSTI's 9th Annual Conference!

Save $100 by Registering Before Sept. 20, 2005.

Registration Form and Most Current Information Available at:

http://www.ssti.org/conference05.htm

Many of the readers are new to the Digest since last year's conference, so we're getting questions about how SSTI's upcoming 9th annual conference, to be held in Atlanta on Oct. 19-21, differs from other events.

The easiest way to answer that is to let the conference speak for itself — through the comments we received from past participants:

"The most relevant conference I’ve attended in the last five years. Great mix of people — connected to others with similar interest that will give me a resource base."

“Outstanding organization and right on target topically. The value you deliver attracts an audience that is such a great balance of academics and practitioners in TBED.”

"I emerged from this session with eagerness to get back to work on linking research to regional economic development!”

When it comes to managing a portfolio of programs, do you know what really works to ensure they will have the most impact for building a tech-based economy? "Maximizing Impact: Evaluating Science and Technology Programs," one of four full-day pre-conference workshops to be held at SSTI's 9th Annual conference on Oct. 19-21, 2005, strives to answer the question.

Designed for those advanced in the field, this engaging workshop will examine the programmatic and political effectiveness of different evaluation models, dissecting applied evaluation tools to assess their replicability across states and regions. One of several objectives for the day is to give attendees the evaluation research design tools they need for building sophisticated evaluations. The session will focus on:

SSTI is pleased to give regular Digest readers the first peek at a PDF version of the brochure for SSTI's 9th annual conference, Investing in a Brighter Future: Building Tech-based Economies, to be held in Atlanta on October 19-21, 2005.

A quick glance at the 28-page brochure reveals why the event is the premier professional development experience of the year for the tech-based economic development (TBED) community. The brochure includes:

The new chairman for the Georgia Medical Center Authority is former State Senator Randy Hall.

Your kids may not be bored of summer yet, but if you're an avid bird watcher, you know the season has already changed to fall as Yellow Warblers and several species of shorebirds begin their migrations south by July 4.

If you find that a little depressing, then SSTI has a perfect suggestion to make certain your summer lasts well into October: Make plans now to join us for our ninth annual conference Oct. 19-21 in Atlanta! The average Mid-October temperatures for the area are ideal for discovering why the Buckhead area of Atlanta is called the "Jewel of the South" or "Shopping Mecca of the Southeast." October weather in Atlanta also is usually perfect for playing a few of the more than 1,100 holes of golf available in the metro area.

Terry Blum, dean of Georgia Tech's College of Management, will resign her position on June 30, 2006.

SSTI's annual conference is already considered by many to be the nation's premier educational and networking experience for the tech-based economic development community. However, the ninth annual conference to be held October 20-21, 2005 - keeping with years past - gives certified economic development professionals even more reason to attend. Investing in a Brighter Future: Building Tech-based Economies will be recognized by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) as a professional development event that counts as one credit toward recertification of Certified Economic Developers (CEcD).

In addition, this year for the first time certified economic developers can earn a second recertification credit by participating in SSTI's preconference workshop examining the success of the renowned Technology Square complex at Georgia Tech.

The first conference mailer went to the post office yesterday, but we're too excited to delay announcing that the website for SSTI's 9th Annual Conference is now available to accept registrations and provide preliminary information for the tech-based economic development (TBED) community's premier professional development event of the year. The conference will be held on Oct. 19-21, 2005, at the beautiful Intercontinental Buckhead-Atlanta.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development announced William Boone is the first director for the new Agricultural Center of Innovation.

Gov. Sonny Perdue recently announced the creation of the state's fourth Center of Innovation. Located in Augusta, the Life Sciences Innovation Center (LSIC) will assist with business incubation and securing matching grants for applied R&D with industry partners through the Georgia Research Alliance.

A joint partnership between the state and the Life Sciences Business Development Center of the Medical College of Georgia, LSIC will enhance the likelihood of success for Georgia life sciences companies, according to the governor's office. The center will provide expertise and counsel for life science entrepreneurs, serve as an incubator facility for bio-business, and foster opportunities for joint university and private applied research work.

The Georgia Biomedical Partnership named Charles Craig as its new president.