SSTI Digest

Not all of the news coming out of governors' offices is bad for TBED strategies. For example, just in the past week, governors in Missouri, Ohio and Texas proposed increases in state investments for job creation in emerging fields, higher education scholarships, and technology commercialization and research programs. The following overview provides highlights of their recommendations for TBED proposals in the upcoming fiscal year or biennium. Missouri During his first State of the State Address last week, Gov. Jay Nixon outlined his priorities for the upcoming fiscal year, which include a 38 percent increase in funding for job creation and workforce development programs, an expanded college scholarship program, and level funding for a statewide science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiative through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Announced in January, the Show Me JOBS initiative focuses on growing small businesses throughout the state and expands upon the current Quality Jobs Program and the Missouri BUILD program. Last month, the governor signed three executive orders in support of the initiative. Executive Order…

The fifth installment of the Tech Talkin' Govs series includes highlights from state of the state, budget and inaugural addresses from governors in Alabama, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Utah. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, State of the State Address, Feb. 3, 2009 "And let's make Alabama more competitive with other states for higher paying jobs. Our current incentives focus almost entirely on manufacturing, and Alabama will continue to be aggressive in the pursuit of those jobs. But in today's economy we need a more balanced approach. One that makes more industries eligible for our economic incentives: knowledge-based industries that typically pay higher wages like research and development facilities, corporate headquarters and other entrepreneurial ventures. . ". As we seek to lessen our dependence on foreign oil, there are many companies working to create new and cheaper forms of energy right here in America. These companies also create 21st century jobs that are here to stay. But Alabama doesn't provide tax incentives to these companies. So our recovery plan makes sure Alabama will be a leader in the emerging green economy. .…

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell named George Cornelius, the immediate past president and CEO of Arkema Inc., as secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development. Mark Crowell, head of economic development and technology transfer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been appointed vice president for business and technology development at the Scripps Research Institute. Robert De Wit, a former Pfizer Inc. executive, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the business incubator of Western Michigan University's Parkview Campus. Michael Dockter has been hired as the new associate vice chancellor for research and technology transfer and chief research officer at Arkansas State University. David Edgerly, who for the last two years has headed Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development, will resign from his post. Jim Fram, the president and chief executive of the Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Bartlesville Development Corporation, is resigning. He will leave Feb. 2 to become the senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber. Nate…

Since the SSTI Funding Supplement became a members-only publication in 2006 more than 4,250 funding opportunities have been distributed. In 2008 only, there were more than 1,400 different opportunities for your client companies and university research faculties to secure funding -- if you were an SSTI member. Competition for federal research funding is growing, particularly as program budgets have been relatively flat or declining in recent federal budget cycles. But your tech companies and faculty researchers are at the greatest disadvantage if they aren't even aware of all the opportunities available to them! Don't remain in the dark for 2009. Sign up your organization as one of SSTI's members today to begin your subscription to the Funding Supplement. A few of the more than 100 opportunities provided in December include: The Department of Energy released its 2009 Nuclear Energy University R&D Program solicitation. Eligibility is restricted to U.S. institutions of higher education. Research must fall under the following program areas: 1) Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative; 2) Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems Initiative (Next Generation Nuclear…

Due to overwhelming interest, SSTI's first poster session, held at SSTI's 12th Annual Conference in Cleveland mid October, is now available online 24 hours a day - 7 days a week. You can view more than 35 posters celebrating why states, regions, universities and related organizations engage in technology-based economic development (TBED). Each poster profiles a success story providing hard evidence of how TBED investments are sustaining the nation's position as a global leader for innovation and competitiveness -- one local or regional project at a time. The impacts shown are a direct result of the assistance provided by SSTI member organizations. The site provides one-stop access to some of the best examples of why regional, state and national investments in TBED work. Among the posters on the site are submissions highlighting some of the 2007 and 2008 Excellence in TBED award winners, as well as innovative approaches from universities, technology councils, state agencies, incubators, commercialization centers, other local TBED initiatives, and private companies. A complete listing of the poster session sponsors and participants, with links to the…

For several years governors across the country have announced life science and biotech initiatives that are as broad as they are large. The devil is in the details, and in most cases related to bio-based economic development, so are the opportunities. Participants in SSTI's 12th annual conference last week were reminded targeted investments in specialized areas related to merging existing life science and other technological strengths in a region are likely to have the greatest economic impact. Over the past few weeks, two new initiatives were announced - one in Northeast Ohio and one in Wisconsin - highlighting more focused approaches to building research and commercialization capabilities within multiple industries through advances in the life sciences. The partners forming the BioInnovation Institute at Akron have committed in aggregate more than $80 million to create various research, education, and commercialization projects based upon the intersections of materials science and biotechnology. These projects will include the Orthopedic Research Institute of Northeastern Ohio, the Center for Biomaterials and Medicine at the University of Akron, a medical…

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. The Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR) is in search of an individual to serve as industrial programs manager under the supervision of our Industrial Outreach Director. The manager will focus specifically on NY state industry and will assist in all aspects of the industrial outreach program at CCMR. The manager will be primarily responsible for all activities related to NY state Small business program including marketing of the program to NY state companies, facilitating research and technical collaborations between small businesses and CCMR faculty, promoting the use of the CCMR facilities, maintaining and broadening the CCMR network of state partners and providing advice for external funding and referrals to the CCMR network of services providers. A strong scientific background in physics, engineering, or chemistry, excellent communication and presentation skills and a sound business mind The Ohio Department of Development is seeking a biomedical program administrator. The selected candidate will oversee and administer project grants in…

Only 12 days remain for you to register before Encouraging Regional Innovation kicks off on October 14 in Cleveland with four pre-conference sessions. With the economy seemingly changing every hour, there's never been a more important time to join your colleagues at the nation's premier conference on tech-based economic development. This year's conference, we think, has a great mix of sessions to help you plan for what the future may hold: thought-provoking policy sessions with an underlying theme of "where do we go from here?," best practice sessions to give you new ideas, and sessions to give you tools to operate your programs more effectively. More than 330 people have already registered for the conference. Join them by registering on-line at: https://www.ssti.org/Conf08/registration.htm To further your educational opportunities, sign up for one of four intensive pre-conference sessions:          Full-day pre-conference sessions (9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Oct 14) Secrets for Successful Biocommercialization Support This intensive full-day workshop developed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic…

States are increasingly seeking new approaches to maintaining a pipeline of skilled workers, qualified to fill the gaps left by baby boomers retiring in the coming years and college graduates pursuing career options elsewhere. Over the past several years, state economic development agencies, nonprofit organizations, and industry-led groups have not only stepped up their efforts to recruit and retain high-tech workers, but also are examining the key factors involved in attracting high-tech workers to a region. Recently, a privately-owned manufacturing contractor in Idaho announced a new initiative to build the skills of workers in rural areas of the state, which in turn will make the region more likely to attract new industries. Several partners have signed on to take part in the program, called Rural Idaho Outreach Partners, including the Idaho Department of Labor, the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Salmon Valley Business and Innovation Center. While the program is very much in its infancy, early plans include outreach at area high schools to expose students to opportunities in various technical fields and a forum for organizers to further refine the…

Following several weeks of deliberation over the past summer months, a panel of highly qualified TBED practitioners has selected recipients demonstrating exceptional achievement in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies to receive SSTI's Excellence in TBED Award for 2008. The recipients will be announced at SSTI's 12th Annual Conference, to be held Oct. 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland. Be there to witness the highly anticipated unveiling of recipients, Wednesday, Oct. 15 at 1:10 p.m. in the elegant Founder's Ballroom. Then, join the award winners during dedicated breakout sessions later in the conference to hear best practice overviews and lessons learned told directly from those involved in development and implementation of the winning initiatives. No matter what stage of development your organization fits into, you are certain to benefit from the stories conveyed by the Excellence in TBED Award winners. Find out how these leaders in the TBED community responded to a critical need in their region by applying innovative approaches, leveraging resources of government, industry and academia and…

With a blockbuster agenda, the first block of hotel rooms already sold out and a second block in the nearby Intercontinental Suites filling rapidly, SSTI's 12th Annual Conference in Cleveland, Oct. 14-16, is on pace to be a very special event for those TBED practitioners and policymakers who wisely register soon! Registrations for the premiere professional development event of the year for state, local and academic tech-based economic development professionals are streaming in faster than they did for last year's great conference in Baltimore. SSTI closed attendance last year at 375 to ensure the highest quality professional development experience possible for conferees. Easily the TBED community's most complete conference ever, Encouraging Regional Innovation, SSTI's 12th annual conference, is already drawing participation from more than 40 states and several countries. The early registration discounts for expire on Monday, Sept. 23, 2008 less than two short weeks away! Registrations may be made by phone (614.901.1690), fax or online through the conference website, which is packed with more details about what the buzz is all about! See for yourself at…

We've been keeping you focused on SSTI's 12th annual conference, coming up Oct 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland, but believe it or not, we're already working to ensure the 2009 and 2010 are as good or even better! On Feb. 13, we announced the 2009 conference will be hosted by KTEC, one of the oldest and most successful TBED models in the country. The event will be held in Overland Park, KS on Oct. 20-22, 2009. Today we are pleased to let our readers know 2010 will mark a first for SSTI conferences: we will be returning to the city  which hosted one of our earliest and most exciting conferences. For SSTI's 14th Annual Conference, we will be returning to Pittsburgh and the wonderfully elegant and historic Omni William Penn.  Pennsylvania's TBED community, led by the visionary and ever-creative Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development,  will be our hosts once again in 2010. Pioneers in technology-based economic development (TBED), Pennsylvania's TBED initiatives continue to thrive; the city of Pittsburgh highlights some of the best of the best. Innovation Works, the Technology Collaborative, multiple Keystone…