SSTI Digest

A complete description of this opportunity is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a nonprofit economic development organization created to stimulate economic growth through technological innovation, is seeking a vice president to lead its Technology Commercialization group in the Physical Sciences. This position will be responsible for developing strategic and operational plans and cultivating regional partnerships and initiatives with key personnel at universities, companies, government and private research institutions, and other key institutions. A Bachelor of Science degree in engineering or science related to the physical sciences is required. Candidates also should have at least 10 years of private sector experience in a related field.

The Beaver County (Pa.) CO-OP announced it will change its name to StartingGate. The incubator will continue to assist entrepreneurs and new business start-ups and help expand existing businesses.

Joe Dedman was chosen as the first executive director of the Southeast Indiana WIRED.

Brian DuBoff was named the director of Maryland's southern region Small Business Development Center, which is hosted by the College of Southern Maryland.

Barbara Goodman has joined the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization as its executive director.

Mark Long has stepped down as the CEO of the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp.

Across the nation, policymakers, business leaders, private foundations and nonprofit groups are investing in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates to maintain a competitive U.S. workforce. From middle school math and science labs to engineering-centered summer camps and tuition reimbursement for undergraduates who pursue these fields, there is widespread support for STEM graduates.   The authors of a recent report from the national campaign Skills2Compete argue that while increasing the number of scientists and engineers is critical for the U.S. to remain a globally competitive force, researchers are underestimating middle skill job prospects and find that investments in these areas will likely generate important returns for the U.S. economy.  

Several months of debate leading into a special legislative session late last year was not enough to convince lawmakers to approve funding for two of the governor’s major TBED priorities. With the release of the fiscal year 2008-09 budget recommendation, Gov. Ed Rendell is again asserting the importance of the alternative energy legislation and the Jonas Salk Legacy Fund, urging lawmakers to quickly enact the initiatives.   The alternative energy legislation calls for an $850 million bond issue securitized by an electric power public benefits charge to fund energy independence programs (see the Feb. 12, 2007 issue of the Digest). Additionally, the governor’s budget recommends $500 million – a portion of the state’s Tobacco Settlement Fund – in seed funding for the Jonas Salk Legacy Fund for biosciences research, biotechnology commercialization and investment capital.  

While many universities offer business plan competitions and programs in entrepreneurship and commercialization, fewer opportunities are available to learn about the capital side of the equation. Last week, however, two major conferences invited students to learn more about venture capital (VC) investment and emerging trends in the venture industry.   The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania's student-run Private Equity & Venture Capital Conference hosted a day of discussions about developments in the venture capital field. More than 900 industry leaders, alumni, faculty and students met for the 14th annual conference to discuss changes in legislation and the regulatory environment for venture investors and the expanding global-orientation of investment.  

George Burrell resigned as president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia. Kelly Lee, the organization's executive vice president, is running day-to-day operations until Burrell's successor is named.

The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory selected David Hiller as its first executive director.

The Rhode Island Manufacturers Association and the Rhode Island Manufacturing Summit have joined forces to serve as one voice for manufacturing in the state.

As part of the budget deal agreed upon earlier this week between Gov. Ed Rendell and Pennsylvania lawmakers, two of the governor’s major TBED priorities - the Jonas Salk Legacy Fund and an alternative energy fund - will be voted on later this year.    Under the budget agreement, lawmakers committed to a roll call vote in November to decide on the Jonas Salk Legacy Fund, which proposes borrowing $500 million from the state’s tobacco settlement proceeds to invest in scientific research (see the Feb. 19, 2007 issue of the Digest). The initiative will be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis, yielding $1 billion in new bioscience investments, according to the governor’s press office.  

Catalyst Connection has named Petra Mitchell as its new president.

Beth Gorin stepped down as CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.

Steve Zylstra stepped down as CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council.