SSTI Digest

In an effort to move technologies into the commercial sector more quickly, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has introduced a one-stop shopping experience called Express Licensing. Interested innovators and entrepreneurs can visit a website featuring AFRL-developed technologies that are available for license and learn about pre-negotiated terms and pricing, eliminating the need for lengthy contract negotiations. The innovative approach was inspired by work done by the U.S. Navy, which has had success with this type of licensing model. 

There are currently 36 AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate-developed technologies available for Express Licensing, with more expected to be added in the near future.

While many state startup capital ecosystems have a healthy density of early-stage startups, few states have developed strong late-stage ecosystems, according to a new report from PitchBook – 2Q 2018 PitchBook Analyst Note: VC Ecosystems. PitchBook researchers contend that one potential factor leading to these underdeveloped late-stage ecosystems is the limited number/size of exits coming from those ecosystems. They contend, however, that healthy early-stage startup density could indicate the potential for future growth in many state VC ecosystems, if those ecosystems increase the number of companies with exits. Via this new report, PitchBook outlines a proposed framework for the evaluation of venture ecosystems in the United States. The framework is comprised of three key indicators:

As economic development efforts try to keep up with changing demographics, many states, regions, metros, and other local governments face difficulties trying to cultivate, attract and retain a 21^st century workforce. Three recent reports look at the strategic steps that states and regions must play to create strong workforce development organizations.  While these reports, from the Urban Institute, the National Skills Coalition (NSC), and the Western Governors’ Association (WGA), look at broad workforce development strategies for public-sector agencies to employ, several states and cities have launched specific efforts to reimagine or strengthen their workforce development efforts.  

American Made Solar Challenge is seeking teams of creative individuals and entrepreneurs to compete for prize money and strategic support in accelerating ideas and solutions. In a three-part series of contests, $3 million will be awarded in cash prizes and up to $525,000 in vouchers, which can be used at national laboratories and other voucher facilities to develop, test and validate ideas in the energy marketplace.

The challenge is intended to accelerate the cycle of innovation from years to weeks, while creating partnerships connecting entrepreneurs to the private sector and the network of DOE’s national labs. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is the prize administrator of the challenges and is working with the U.S. Department of Energy on the contests. Another 16 national laboratories will be serving as technical partners, along with other fabrication and manufacturing facilities. The DOE can leverage last year’s Agreement for Commercializing Technology (ACT) to enable flexible financial arrangements between industry and national labs.

A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that while postsecondary education enrollment has increased overall between 1955 and 2015, it has increased and decreased during this long-term period of increase, reflecting changes in the economy. In particular, the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009 influenced significant changes in American postsecondary education enrollment, according to the report.  The number of students enrolled in college in the U.S. increased during the recession, and then fell during the post-recession years of 2012-2015. However, from 2006 to 2011, total college enrollment grew by 3 million, contributing to the overall growth of postsecondary enrollment during the Great Recession period.

Other findings in the report detail additional changes in enrollment surrounding the recession, including: 

Part 1 of this series on SAFEs (simple agreements for future equity) focused on the investment vehicle and its pros and cons, and can be found here.

In this second article in a series on SAFEs, we examine how the investment contracts may be used by venture development organizations (VDOs), entrepreneurial support organizations, and other investment-focused economic development entities. These public/nonprofit capital providers may increasingly face exposure to SAFEs from the changing private market as their region’s private accelerators, super angels, and other private investors shift from convertible notes to SAFEs during the early-stage investment process.

Economic development was the most prevalent policy issue across mayoral speeches in 2018, according to State of the Cities 2018 from the National League of Cities (NLC). This is the fifth straight year that economic development issues were are the forefront of mayoral speeches with NLC reporting 58 percent of  state of cities speeches including “significant coverage of economic development issues.” However, this year marked a shift from mayors focusing their speeches on job creation and business attraction strategies in previous years to primarily focusing on driving downtown development, supporting innovation, and enhancing local art scenes. For those mayors that did discuss job creation, the speeches focused primarily on developing more inclusive strategies that create equitable access to economic opportunities for all members of their respective communities.

The conclusion from the working paper, The Effects of Scientists and Engineers on Productivity and Earnings at the Establishment Where They Work, by Erling Barth, James C. Davis, Richard B. Freeman, and Andrew J. Wang, is pretty clear for manufacturers and policy advocates for improving U.S. manufacturing: firms should hire as many scientists and engineers as possible.  The research finds, Morgan Foy explains in an NBER Digest article, that occupational statistics reveal approximately 80 percent of people trained as scientists and engineers do not work in R&D jobs.  Filling a company’s payroll with as many of these people, regardless of their position, seems to pay off. The authors’ research concluded a 10 percent increase in the proportion of scientist and engineer employment within a manufacturing establishment was associated with a 4 percent increase in total factor productivity for the firm.

A new report from the Department of Energy (DOE) highlights examples of major scientific accomplishments emerging from 40 years of Basic Energy Sciences (BES) research support, including how these discoveries have helped fulfill DOE’s mission and have led to new technologies and industries that contribute to American innovation and prosperity. By examining past successes, “A Remarkable Return on Investment in Fundamental Research,” seeks to illuminate guiding strategies and approaches that will be critical to ensuring future U.S. leadership.

Although the report is not intended to be comprehensive, it provides key examples of major technological, commercial, and national security impacts directly traceable to BES-supported basic science. As it looks forward to the next 40 years of research and the challenges from global competition, the report recommends that BES be bold in choosing new research and facilities to support and experimenting with new funding mechanisms where appropriate.

Over the past few weeks, Delaware, New Jersey, and Tennessee have proposed, announced or expanded investment tax credit programs to spur job creation and innovation. In Delaware, Gov. John Carney signed the Angel Investor Job Creation and Innovation Act, while Tennessee is expanding its Angel Tax Credit criteria, and New Jersey is proposing establishing innovation zones and tax credits for high-tech businesses within those zones.

Although SBIR/STTR matching programs have existed at the state and regional levels for years, Montgomery County, Maryland, recently launched the country’s first county-based match program. The county council overwhelmingly approved the program, which will target Montgomery County-based small businesses receiving Phase I or Phase II SBIR/STTR grants through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), whose main offices are also within the county. Subject to appropriations, Bill 41-17 awards will be valued at up to 25 percent of a Phase I grant ($25,000 cap), or 25 percent of a Phase II grant ($75,000 cap). Grantees under this program may receive one county matching grant each year, up to five total grants.

The Senate Committee on Appropriations this morning advanced a funding bill that includes $25 million for Regional Innovation Strategies — $4 million more than the current funding round. Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Moran (R-KS) spoke to the importance of funding scientific innovation in a statement, and the bill strongly supports many science-related activities. The bill would provide level funding of $140 million for MEP; increase NSF to $8.1 billion (nearly $100 million less than the House bill), with more for research, STEM education and EPSCoR; and, NASA would see a nearly $600 million increase, including $179 million more for science and $10 million more for education.