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SSTI Digest
Geography: Pennsylvania
People
Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for the past five-and-a-half years, Sam McCullough is resigning effective October 25.
GPF, Science Center Team Up to Help Entrepreneurs
Greater Philadelphia First (GPF) and the Science Center, a consortium of 34 regional academic and scientific institutions, have established a major new joint initiative designed to make it easier for science and technology entrepreneurs to start, grow and expand their businesses. Modeled on UCSD CONNECT in San Diego, CONNECT Greater Philadelphia will assist entrepreneurs by linking them with needed business, academic and other resources.
GPF, the region's business and civic leadership organization, is an association of chief executives of Philadelphia-area companies and nonprofit organizations. The new initiative will be housed within the Science Center.
TBED People News
Jeanne B. Berdik has announced her retirement as Vice President of Workforce Education and Development at the Pittsburgh Technology Council and Catalyst Connection. See next article for job posting.
PTC Seeks VP for Workforce Development
SSTI Affiliate, the Pittsburgh Technology Council (PTC) seeks candidates to become the organization's Vice President for Workforce Education and Development. The senior-level position is responsible for the management of all Catalyst Connection and Pittsburgh Technology Council education programs and services and IT workforce development and recruitment strategies. PTC is looking for a senior professional with 10-15 years experience in workforce development, education, the development of business-education partnerships, federal and state-related workforce initiatives, and in working in or with industry, particularly at the smaller company level. The deadline for submission of resumes is August 31. A more detailed description of the position, including contact information is available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm
TBED People
Barbara Schilberg and Gary Kurtzman have been named co-managing directors of the Biotechnology Greenhouse Corp. in Philadelphia. The organization is one of three "greenhouses" established as part of Pennsylvania's $100 million biotech initiative.
Organizational Updates
The Lehigh Valley Technology Network was launched mid-April in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Organizing efforts were led by the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corp. One of the Network's potential roles, according to The Morning Call, may be to serve as a liaison between high-tech entrepreneurs and a new angel capital group, the Northeast Pennsylvania Angel Network.
Pennsylvania Governor Announces $100 Million to Seed Biotech Initiatives
On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Governor Mark Schweiker officially launched Pennsylvania's Life Sciences Greenhouse, an historic initiative to be spread among three regions of the state — Southeast, Southwest and Central Pennsylvania.
The Governor announced $100 million will seed the program, including $33.8 million for the Southeast region, $33.3 million for the Southwest region, and $32.8 million for Central Pennsylvania. The state's financial support, which will come from surplus tobacco settlement funds, is the largest single technology-related, economic development investment in Pennsylvania history, according to a press release issued by the Governor's office.
Pennsylvania's Life Sciences Greenhouse is designed to build on the biotechnology research at Pennsylvania's top universities. The initiative is expected to create 4,400 new jobs, attract or create 100 new biotechnology companies, and leverage more than $150 million in private capital over the next five years.
Biotech Plan for Southwestern Pennsylvania Released
To shed light on the strengths and weaknesses of the region's biotechnology cluster, Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Economic Development (CED) has published A Biotechnology Action Plan for Southwestern Pennsylvania. The CED report says the Pittsburgh biotechnology cluster largely depends on the amount of available venture capital and the development of new technologies and that total funding levels must be increased to continue biotech development.
Dividing the biotechnology/biomedical cluster into three sub-clusters — pharmaceuticals, instruments and devices, and tissue engineering — the report draws a comparison with other regions, including Boston, Philadelphia, San Jose and Chicago, and observes that Pittsburgh ranked 165th nationally in 1998 in biotechnology patents per biotechnology employee.
People
Don Smith has been appointed Vice President for Economic Development at the new Mellon Pitt Carnegie Corporation. MPC, a joint venture of the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, is intended to coordinate the economic development and tech commercialization activities of both schools.
People
Telecommunications entrepreneur R. Chadwick Paul Jr. has been hired as chief executive officer of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
State and Local Tech-based ED RoundUp
Dallas
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has created an external advisory council to provide insight into research trends, entrepreneurial activities, government liaison and global outreach. The council, which is composed of members of academia and both the commercial and defense industries, is being asked to help administrators plan the future of the university's research, assist in maintaining a sense of direction and focus in present work research, and interact closely with UTD's internal research council. UTD has a legislatively mandated emphasis in the natural sciences and engineering and management sciences.
Greenville, South Carolina
Technology Sector is Strong, Pittsburgh Tech Council Report Shows
The Pittsburgh Technology Council's State of the Industry Report shows the region's technology sector, while continuing its growth, has become a significant driver of southwestern Pennsylvania's overall economy.
Conducted by Carnegie Mellon University's Center for Economic Development, the report measures the six-county Metropolitan Statistical Area that encompasses Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties. The report also includes separate data for the entire 13-county southwestern Pennsylvania region.
Examining the economic impact that has been created by the region's core technology clusters – information technology, biomedical and biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, advanced materials, and environmental technology – the report assesses the overall sector, considering indicators such as venture capital investment and research and development activities.
Key findings in the report include: