SSTI Digest

SSTI welcomes Rhiannon Mehring to its staff as a research associate.

The Fund for Our Economic Future, a new collaboration of Northeast Ohio private, community and corporate foundations to support regional economic development, has secured more than $22 million in commitments and is expected to grow to $30 million. Launched last week, the fund is believed to be the largest and most comprehensive philanthropic collaboration of its kind in the U.S.

Numerous participants are collectively providing the fund's initial $22 million. A select number of Northeast Ohio nonprofit organizations capable of strengthening the regional economy figure to benefit from the fund. By concentrating its resources on a small number of programs and pursuing them as part of an overall plan, the fund is expected to impact Northeast Ohio's economic revitalization more significantly than any other organized philanthropic grantmaking initiative to date.

Tony Brown, director of the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund at the U.S. Treasury Department, announced his resignation effective Feb. 27, to become chief executive officer of the Uptown Consortium in Cincinnati.

Ohio State University has appointed Vicki Butland to serve as interim president and chief executive officer for the Science and Technology Campus Corp.

Ohio’s IT Alliance (OITA) invites applications and nominations for the position of President and Chief Executive Officer. OITA's mission as a statewide public/private partnership is to drive the growth and improve the competitiveness of Ohio through the development and support of its information technology industry. The new President will enhance OITA’s role as the key public/private catalyst for industry growth and success. The successful candidate must: demonstrate a strong public presence with the ability to lead through influence; have compelling analytic and strategic problem solving and planning abilities; evidence successful leadership in an IT enterprise or function in both strategy and operating roles; demonstrate a successful track record in sales/marketing, business development, operations, and fund raising in technology based companies or related organization; and possess familiarity/experience with technology based economic development.

Diffusion of effort can be a great thing in fostering local or regional economic development because there are so many fronts on which the battle must be fought: workforce; business retention and recruitment; entrepreneurship; infrastructure; investing; and, science and technology addressing the needs of different sectors such as manufacturing, retail, service, financial or information technology. Each organization or office can focus its resources exclusively on one or two specific goals head-on for greatest impact.

It can work well when resources are plentiful and when the various economic development organizations recognize and respect the boundaries. Collaboration and constant coordination is key so the individual pieces work as a well oiled, virtual machine. The ability to rise above partisan politics to address the common goal of building a local or regional economy is of utmost importance.

In what may be the first gift of its kind, a $5 million cash donation has been made to a technology transfer office to endow the commercialization of new health technologies. The Cleveland Clinic announced receipt of the donation from John Ferchill, a Northeast Ohio real estate developer, in mid-December.

CCF Innovations, the commercialization arm of the Clinic, will administer programs funded through the endowment. The gift will be used to support the center’s leadership and partner grants to underwrite programs between companies moving to Cleveland and the Clinic, and early-stage companies located in Cleveland seeking to collaborate with the Cleveland Clinic. A Plain Dealer article reports the donation will support an endowed chair and professorship as well as generate approximately $150,000 for grants to biomedical firms.

The SSTI Weekly Digest will resume publication on January 9. We hope all our readers have a safe, prosperous, and happy 2004.

240 events already posted on SSTI's web calendar

Although only a few events remain for 2003, SSTI's web calendar of science and technology (S&T) items has brief descriptions and contact links for 240 regional or national conferences, meetings and workshops planned for 2004.

The first and foremost one to put on your schedule will be SSTI's 8th annual conference, which will be held Oct. 13-15, 2004, in Philadelphia.

Case Western Reserve University is seeking an executive director of The Power Partnership for Ohio, one of the new Wright Centers of Innovation funded in part by a $18 million grant from the State of Ohio. Headquartered at Case Western Reserve University, with satellites at Cleveland State University, Ohio State University, Stark State College of Technology and the University of Toledo, The Power Partnership was created to establish Ohio as a leader in the fuel cell industry, stimulating economic development and creating Ohio jobs in this emerging industry. The executive director will oversee all activities of the partnership, including research, development and commercialization, and will oversee the planning and implementation of programs. The successful candidate will have a degree in science or engineering and 15-plus years of progressive responsibility in management, preferably in a high-growth business or start-up environment, advanced power research and nonprofit collaborations.

By a narrow margin, Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment that would have permitted the state to issue up to $500 million in bonds over 10 years to fund technology-based economic development projects. Defeated 51 percent to 49 percent, Issue 1 would have made up the final component of Gov. Bob Taft's proposed 10-year, $1.6 billion Third Frontier project. The remaining $1.1 billion is unaffected by Tuesday's vote.

Bond proceeds could have been used for research and development purposes, new product development and commercialization, capital formation, operating costs, and support for public and private institutions of higher education, research organizations and private companies. It would have permitted direct investment in companies by state government.

Looking to launch a biotech initiative? Getting into commercializing university research? Are tight budgets leading to more rigorous program evaluation?

Even if you are simply wanting to help your community understand the importance of technology, any of these efforts should get easier with the 12 new titles added to Resources for Building Tech-based Economies, SSTI's publications catalog. A three-page supplement of the new titles is now available on the SSTI website and, combined with the full catalog, more than 125 great resources can help make your programs more effective and your job more rewarding.