SSTI Digest

Legislators in Alaska, Iowa and Oklahoma recently approved funding for several TBED-related initiatives within state operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year.

Highlights from State of the State addresses delivered in Alaska and Hawaii are included in the third installment of the Tech Talkin’ series.

 

Alaska

Gov. Sarah Palin, State of the State Address, Jan. 15, 2008

“I'm appointing an Energy Coordinator, to activate a statewide Energy Plan. We'll use earnings from a $250 million ‘Renewable Energy Fund’ for alternative projects, like hydro, wind, geothermal, and biomass.”



Hawaii

Gov. Linda Lingle, State of the State Address, Jan. 22, 2008

“We are proposing to start Creative Academies, modeled after the successful STEM Academies, to nurture and support the many talents of Hawai‘i’s keiki. These academies would focus on animation, digital media, game development and writing and publishing in elementary through high school.

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.



The Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC), a public/private partnership that serves to foster a healthy and sustainable economic climate in the City and Borough of Juneau and in Southeast Alaska, has openings for two positions. JEDC seeks both an experienced program manager and a technology manager for SpringBoard, its Department of Defense (DoD)-sponsored technology transfer program. The program manager builds relationships with DoD labs nationwide and cultivates partnerships with industry, government and academia. The technology manager works with a portfolio of clients and projects to deliver program metrics, including various contracts, agreements and projects that help transfer technology or commercialize DoD technology.

Complete descriptions of the position openings described below are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.



Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a research associate to assist the company with R&D efforts related to Griffins products. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The research associate will be responsible for exploring new applications for Griffins technology and will report directly to the company's staff of senior research scientists. Applicants should have a bachelor's or master's degree in chemistry and two or more years of applicable experience in instrumentation maintenance and operation.

SSTI has compiled a table of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards in total dollars and state rankings from fiscal years 2000-2004. The states are ranked by percent change over the five-year period. The greatest gains were posted in North Dakota (202.51 percent), Alaska (200.98 percent), Idaho (157.48 percent), Montana (144.72 percent), Virginia (120.85 percent), and Hawaii (107.06 percent). Although award dollar totals in these states more than doubled over the five-year period, they showed some of the lowest increases from FY 2003. Idaho experienced the lowest dollar increase from FY03, $57,634.

The available pool of equity capital grew substantially last Thursday as the board of trustees for the $31.7 billion Alaska Permanent Fund approved the placement of 8 percent of the fund's value into alternative assets, such as venture capital funds and hedge funds. The Associated Press reports the current value of all alternative investments held by the Permanent Fund totals $292 million. With the new authorization target, equity capital could comprise more than $2.5 billion at the fund's present value.

The change will happen gradually, however, as the board increased the mandate to Crestline, the fund’s current absolute return manager, from $250 million to $500 million. The board also increased the allocation for absolute return strategies from 1 percent to 4 percent. The target asset allocation to private equity also is at 4 percent.

Southern Growth Policies Board, a regional public policy think tank, is accepting nominations for its Innovator Awards. These awards are presented annually to recognize innovative southern initiatives that improve the quality of life in the organization's 13-state region - Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia - and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The 2006 Innovator Awards will be chosen in the context of the Southern Innovation Initiative, a year-long series of events that focuses on the importance of innovation to the South’s economy. Each nominated initiative must use technology as an integral component to accomplish goals; be truly unique; be something more than a new product, process or service; and provide a track record or other measures of success. Nominations are due Nov. 23, 2005.

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski appointed Bill Noll as commissioner of the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Noll has been serving as the governor's communications director.

Albert Clough is the new Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, following the resignation of Edgar Blatchford last week.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) data on the top 100 cities for NIH awards in FY 2003 indicates Boston reasserted its leadership over New York for the top spot by increasing its spread by $401 million. Philadelphia and Baltimore remain in third and fourth place for the second year.

The fourth year NIH has made the information available, FY 2003 shows the most shift in rankings for many cities. Seattle moved up to fifth place after three consecutive years at sixth. San Diego continued its three-year fall in the rankings, dropping from third place in FY 2001 to eighth place in the latest available data. (Note: One possible explanation could be the addition of La Jolla as a distinct city in the rankings in FY 2002 and FY 2003. Funding to La Jolla institutions doubled between the two years, pushing the city's ranking from 21st in FY 2002 to 7th in 2003).

The complete four-year stats are available at:

Earlier this week, 22 states and Puerto Rico were named recipients of more than $2.2 million in combined fiscal year 2004 Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST) and Rural Outreach Program (ROP) awards. All but one of the 21 FAST awards distributed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) were worth $95,000 -- they totaled nearly $1.98 million. Five ROP awards of $49,470 also were made by SBA.

FAST, included in December 2000 legislation reauthorizing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, provides matching funds to enable states to augment or expand their tech business assistance and SBIR outreach efforts. FAST winners include:

The Metropolitan Development Association, of Syracuse and Central New York, also recently named a new chairman, John Zawadzki, of its Regional Development Alliance.