SSTI Digest

According to National Science Foundation (NSF) data released two weeks ago, companies spent in aggregate $247.7 billion on R&D expenditures performed in the U.S. in 2006. Leading the nation was California, with $58.4 billion in industrial R&D, followed by Michigan ($16.5 billion), Massachusetts ($15.6 billion), New Jersey ($14.6 billion), and Texas ($13.3 billion).   SSTI has prepared a table presenting the state rankings for industrial R&D performed in 2006, the per-state gross state product in 2006, and each state's industrial R&D intensity. The industrial R&D intensity is the ratio of industry-based R&D to the gross state product.   Using these calculations, Massachusetts experienced the largest industrial R&D intensity in 2006, at 4.64 percent. This was followed by Michigan (4.38 percent), Connecticut (4.04 percent), Washington (3.89 percent), and California (3.35 percent). The industrial R&D intensity for the U.S. as a whole was calculated to be 1.89 percent.   The table may be accessed by visiting: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/082708t.htm   The NSF has released an…

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) is seeking someone to serve as its manager of business and community services. This position is responsible for oversight of staff that administers several state and federal incentive programs to assist in the growth of Michigan companies and the creation of jobs, including Economic Development Job Training, Renaissance Zone and Community Development Block Grant Programs. A bachelor’s degree in any major is required. In addition, candidates should have two years of experience as a professional manager or program/staff specialist, or equivalent experience. The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD) is recruiting to fill the position of innovation policy analyst in its Innovation and Economic Strategies Division. The primary purpose of this position is to support the development and execution of an Oregon Innovation Plan that identifies economic development recommendations to grow the state’s knowledge-based economy. A bachelor's degree in business or public administration,…

Last month, Gov. Jennifer Granholm announced legislative approval of two TBED priorities unveiled during her State of the State Address, a program supporting in-state entrepreneurs and continued investment in an initiative to train displaced workers.  Gov. Granholm announced last week the launch of Invest Michigan!, a statewide initiative that commits $300 million in pension funds to provide capital assistance to start-up and expanding companies. The money will be divided equally between a Growth Capital Fund targeting venture capital and expansion-stage companies and a Michigan Opportunities Fund targeting potential acquisitions and buyouts, according to the governor’s press office. Investments of $2 million to $7 million are anticipated for the Growth Capital Fund, while officials expect to make about 10 investments ranging from $25 million to $125 million in the Michigan Opportunities Fund, the Detroit Free Press reports. To grow the size of the fund, the state will encourage additional institutional investors, such as in-state foundations, universities and the business community.   Gov. Granholm unveiled a new component of the program…

A consortium of Michigan’s 15 public universities recently announced a decade-long initiative to launch 200 new businesses in the state. The Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MIIE) plans to raise and distribute $75 million over the next seven years through grants for commercialization projects, university-industry partnerships and entrepreneurship education. Last week, the initiative made its first round of awards, which included 20 grants totaling $1.3 million. Another $2.2 million in matching funds is expected for this round of awardees from private businesses and universities. Funding for the round of grants was provided by the C.S. Mott Foundation, which also helped launch the initiative with a $2 million grant late last year. MIIE plans to raise future funds through partnerships and donations from other philanthropic foundations around the state. Two-thirds of the funds raised by the initiative will support awards through the Technology Commercialization Fund, which funds specific steps to move a technology to market through a new company or licensing. The remaining amount will support the Industry and Economic…

A delegation of Automation Alley representatives recently traveled to the White House to receive the 2008 "E" Award for exporting. The Presidential 'E' Award was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to recognize persons, firms or organizations which contribute significantly to increase U.S. exports.   Since 2001, Automation Alley, a Michigan technology business association and SSTI affiliate member, has conducted eight trade missions and plans a mission to Brazil later this year. The missions focus on small and mid-sized companies in the automotive, electronic equipment, machinery, alternative energy, environmental, biotechnology, information technology and medical fields. Automation Alley directly attributes the trade missions to generating more than $130 million in new business and economic development for company participants in the region, in addition to creating nearly 100 new jobs in Southeast Michigan.   Of the 16 “E” awards made in 2008, Automation Alley is one of only three service organizations recognized and the only one exclusively serving the extensive tech community of its service area. The other…

Gov. Jennifer Granholm today signed legislation creating Centers of Energy Excellence, a program designed to bring companies, academic institutions, and the state together to create jobs in alternative and advanced energy. The initiative, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, is part of an overall job creation and economic stimulus package proposed by the governor in her State of the State address earlier this year (see the Jan. 30, 2008 issue of the Digest).   To be administered through the Michigan Economic Development Corp., the Centers of Energy Excellence will support the development, growth and sustainability of alternative energy industry clusters in Michigan by identifying and/or locating a base company in a geographic region with the necessary business and supply-chain infrastructure. These centers will match the base company with universities, national labs and training centers to accelerate next-generation research, workforce development and commercialization.      Under the new law, which is effective immediately, the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) is authorized to allocate up to $45 million from the 21st…

The Aerospace, Manufacturing and Information Technology (AMIT) Cluster of Southern Arizona has consolidated its operations with the Arizona Technology Council. Automation Alley was one of 19 organizations chosen to receive 'E' and 'E-Star' Awards, given by the president to recognize American export excellence. The nonprofit Automation Alley, an SSTI affiliate, supports Southeast Michigan's economy through a collaborative culture that focuses on workforce and business development. Raymar Dizon has resigned from the Maryland Venture Fund to become director of technology transfer at Mitre Corp. Jim Hayes, the president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, passed away on June 6 after a long illness. Hayes was considered one of the state's top experts on economic development. James Ryan was named the first dean of the newly formed Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering being run by North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The National Science Foundation has selected Edward Seidel as the director of its Office of Cyberinfrastructure. Tom Walker…

Offering customized workspace such as wet laboratories and specialized research equipment is one of the many benefits provided by technology-focused incubators. Access to university research, business mentoring and administrative support services often accompany the reduced rent facilities with the goal of growing technology companies into successful, self-sustaining enterprises. Following are select announcements of recently launched incubators and partnerships from across the nation.    GateWay Community College recently received a recommendation from the Phoenix Parks, Education, Bioscience and Sustainability subcommittee of the Phoenix City Council to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the college to build a bioscience incubator laboratory with wet lab space, the Arizona Republic reports. The wet lab would be a minimum of 5,000 sq. ft. and located near the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.   Colorado’s first aerospace business incubator will provide services, less the office space, for companies involved in space technology and resource development. The 8th Continent Project at the Colorado School of Mines announced a $150…

Rallying the myriad local organizations, chambers of commerce and political jurisdictions of any large metropolitan area toward a shared economic development agenda is challenging. To twist a phrase from supply-side economics, the “trickle around” theory of benefits – when any major economic development project occurs in one community will have spillover benefits for the entire region – is a tough sell to communities and school systems trying to keep their budgets in the black.   True success most likely requires radical transformation of several institutions, consolidated tax and revenue sharing systems, and fundamental shifts in one's sense of belonging to a particular place.   That last element, shifting the sense of belonging to a larger region, is a regular challenge for watershed management systems, which, among their other responsibilities, try to get the residents of a particular area to realize the watershed ignores the arbitrarily drawn political jurisdictions we create. We all live upstream and/or downstream from somewhere else and are affected by the activities occurring in those other places.  …

More information on these opportunities and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. JumpStart, a nonprofit venture development organization in Cleveland, recently announced two positions openings: Chief Development Officer (CDO). This position has a dual role of managing and directing multiple internal new and emerging business development opportunities, as well as having an outward-oriented position responsible for nurturing and stewarding financial supporters. The CDO will be responsible for both sets of activities, managing multiple working groups while developing and maintaining external relationships working closely with JumpStart’s CEO. A Bachelor of Arts degree is required; an advanced degree is preferred. Chief Marketing Officer. This position will manage a three- to five-person team and will be a critical member of JumpStart's senior management team. The ideal candidate will have 15 years of experience in a variety of marketing roles and will have worked in a start-up environment. An understanding of the early-stage investing industry and an appreciation for the Northeast Ohio environment also are helpful. A bachelor’s degree is…

John Austin is the newly appointed executive director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan. Tom Cech announced he will return to the University of Colorado at Boulder next year to pursue laboratory research and teaching after eight years as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Sarah Djamshidi was selected as executive director of the Chesapeake Innovation Center. John Hardin was named the acting executive director for the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology. Wayne Hicks announced he is stepping down as the president and CEO of the Cincinnati Business Incubator to focus on other interests, including his work as executive director of the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation. Paul Wooley will serve as R&D director for Via Christi's Orthopedic Research Institute and a faculty member in engineering and biology at Wichita State University.

More information on these opportunities and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The City of East Lansing, Mich., a residential community of 47,000 people and home to Michigan State University, is seeking a project manager for its New Economy Initiatives. This newly created position will focus on business and economic development, including the Lansing Regional SmartZone, East Lansing’s high-tech incubator/accelerator, arts and cultural entrepreneurship program, and related initiatives. The position also will have some responsibilities with housing and Community Development Block Grant programs. A bachelor’s degree in business, economics, urban planning, community development, geography, or a related field is required; a master's degree is preferred. The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department, which provides economic and community development and cultural enhancement throughout the state and administers programs that assist businesses, communities and people, recently announced two position openings: Business Support Services Manager. This position is responsible for managing a team…