SSTI Digest

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney recently announced a plan to spur job growth in the state by tapping the expertise of area business, community and education leaders through Regional Competitiveness Councils. Six such councils will represent the Berkshires, Cape and Islands, Central, Northeast, Pioneer Valley and the Southeast regions of the state. The Greater Boston area, due its size and diversity, will be approached on a cluster basis by working through existing technology-focused organizations, such as the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Each of the six councils is comprised of about 25 members from fields ranging from financial services and health care to manufacturing and tourism. In addition, key elected officials have been named as ex-officio members. The councils have been charged with a set of first tasks to perform, including: Conducting an in-depth analysis of their region's economic climate; Assessing local abilities to attract new companies; Identifying which companies and jobs are currently at risk; and, Devising a strategy to turn a region's…

Many states and communities are focusing their limited technology-based economic development funds toward cluster development, concentrating on those sectors in which some assemblage already exists within the jurisdiction. Proponents of the approach suggest the public sector is able to maximize its investments in those areas already showing some strength. But what does a state with a new governor do when it is one of the top states in the country for two of the sexier tech sectors – biotechnology and information technology – and public resources are growing more scarce? In Massachusetts, perhaps fearing an either/or option in public policy direction awaits, both sectors recently issued studies charting the potential benefits or risks impact of state action or inaction. MassBiotech 2010: Achieving Global Leadership in the Life Sciences Economy has implications for any state or region hoping to develop a life sciences economic cluster. Similarly, The Telecommunications Industry in Massachusetts: A Time of Transition identifies common issues affecting future growth of the telecom industry.…

Massachusetts' high tech economy was hammered by the economic equivalent of a nor’easter throughout much of 2002, according to a report released by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC). The Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy tracks nine industry clusters and 30 economic indicators and documents the declines experienced in the Massachusetts Innovation Economy, which is responsible for one quarter of all jobs in the state. The data show that compared to last year unemployment is up, the state’s consumer confidence index is down having dropped more than 14 percent, and Massachusetts had only one initial public offering in 2002. Venture capital investments in Massachusetts also fell 36 percent in the first six months of 2002 compared to the first six months of 2001, dropping from $2.2 billion to $1.4 billion. "For the first time in the six year history of our analysis, nearly all of the current economic indicators point to either unchanged or weakened performance in the Massachusetts economy," said Collaborative Executive Director Mitchell Adams. "However, we are much…

In an era of tight public budgets, sources of seed funding for early stage and developmental research projects with potential for commercialization is getting harder to come by. Many state initiatives to support these endeavors are subject to the same budget cuts as other areas, and small firms' interests in the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program are increasing pressure for these already competitive grants. Using at least $15 million of a $20 million gift from the co-founder and chairman of Sycamore Networks, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has taken matters into its own hands for its faculity and students by launching Ignition and Innovation Program Grants through the new Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation. The $15 million is expected to be allocated to dozens of different projects over a five-year period. The center recently announced nine awards to receive the first $1.25 million from the Ignition and Innovation Program Grants. Ignition grants provide seed funding of up to $50,000. Targeting risky, unprecedented technological…

With more than 1,000 links to socio-economic data sources, EconData.Net provides a convenient and valuable starting point for gathering information to understand regional economies. Funded by the Economic Development Administration, EconData.Net is a 100 percent free website offering easy access to state and sub-state socio-economic data for practitioners, researchers, students and data users in general. EconData.Net provides eight sections on its website to help locate data: Links By Subject - Over 750 links to data are grouped into 10 subject categories. Links By Provider - All links are grouped by the organization that provides the data. What’s New - This page provides details on changes to the website, changes in data series and new listings. For example, this month's issue highlights several sources for gauging the level of R&D activity in a state or region. Ten Best Sites - Lists the 10 best sites in regards to the amount of data and user-friendliness. Data Collections - Provides 150 websites that include multiple data series. Quick Links - A condensed page for…

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty committee has suggested that the university provide off-campus facilities to help faculty perform classified public service or research involving the nation’s security. In the Public Interest, a report of the Ad Hoc Faculty Committee on Access To and Disclosure of Scientific Information of MIT, presents recommendations for the university in handling classified work in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Appointed by Provost Robert A. Brown and Professor Stephen C. Graves, the panel stresses that MIT is firmly committed to it long-standing policy of the intellectual openness of the campus. The panel expresses concern that allowing classified research on university grounds would create two classes of individuals and would restrict faculty and student interaction on campus. It also states that students should not be required to have security clearance for thesis research. The team proposes that MIT provide nearby facilities off campus for faculty to work on classified national security matters. They also recommend that MIT not provide storage…

The Massachusetts Technology Council named Carol Meier as its new Executive Director, succeeding Katherine Raphaelson who is relocating to Washington D.C.

Columbus Tech Councils Merge To establish more clout, eliminate confusion and duplication, and cut costs, the Columbus Technology Leadership Council and the Industry & Technology Council of Central Ohio are merging into a new entity, according to the Columbus Dispatch. The details for the new organization, including its new name, will be announced later this year. First Incubator in Memphis Gets New Digs The grand opening of the new location of EmergeMemphis was celebrated last month as the city's only incubator and current 16 tenants moved into a renovated warehouse in the historic district of downtown. The incubator, operated by Memphis Incubator Systems, Inc., was launched in 2000, having received $4 million in initial funding from the Economic Development Administration, City of Memphis, Tennessee Valley Authority, Housing and Urban Development, Tennessee Technology Infrastructure Program, Memphis 2005, and private sector investors. New Grafton, MA Receives Grant for Science Park A $1.895 million grant to the town of New Grafton from…

Louis Soares, project manager for workforce development at the Rhode Island Technology Council (RITEC), is leaving to accept a fellowship at the JFK School of Government at Harvard University.

The Institute for Government Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government recently announced open competition for its 2002 annual awards program. The Innovations in American Government Awards focuses on the quality and responsiveness of U.S. government at all levels and promotes innovative approaches to meeting challenges. Begun in 1986, the program has recognized 295 innovative programs that have received $17.9 million in grants. Of these programs, 150 have been named winners and received $100,000 grants while 145 have been named finalists and received $20,000 grants. Five initiatives were chosen among 15 finalists in the 2001 competition, including California’s Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program. MESA has built a network of support for disadvantaged students by teaming educators with corporate activists. The program's accomplishments are many: More than 30,800 students are served via a network of 462 schools, 35 community colleges and 23 universities; 85 percent of MESA seniors attend college; 100…

As a means of highlighting the performance and composition of state economies, Harvard's Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, led by Dr. Michael Porter, has published profiles on all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The profiles, available at http://www.people.hbs.edu/mporter/stateprofiles.htm, include data based on the Cluster Mapping project — a multi-year effort to statistically define clusters and analyze regional economies in the U.S. Relevant economic areas for companies and metropolitan areas, as defined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, are outlined. The profiles are arranged by the following topics: Economic Performance and Innovation Output Patents by Organizations, 1995-1998 Overall Composition of Employment and Wages Employment by Cluster Job Creation by Traded Cluster Top 10 Highest Wage Traded Clusters Specialization of the State Economy by Traded Cluster State Ranking by Leading Subclusters The profiles were prepared under the guidance of Porter and are the work of the Council on Competitiveness, Monitor Company and the Institute for Strategy and…

Albany, New YorkHealth Reseach Inc., a branch of the New York State Department of Health, is looking to move its Pharmacogenomics Institute to a vacant laboratory in Rensselaer Technology Park, according to a recent article published in the Times Union. The 25,000-square-foot building that housed the Virogenics Corp., a vaccine-research company that left in 2000, has not been officially purchased. The state expects to lease the site when the Rensselaer County Industrial Development Agency closes on the purchase.   Cambridge, MassachusettsThe Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently announced the creation of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation, established through a gift from Jaishree Deshpande and Desh Deshpande. Their $20 million gift will set off the initial phase of the center, which will be a part of MIT's School of Engineering. The center will will be dedicated to supporting research on novel technologies in collaboration with the high technology and venture capitalist communities of New England and will support undergraduate education in engineering practice. A press release on the center is available at: http…