SSTI Digest

Last week, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development (DCED) released what they are describing as the Commonwealth’s first comprehensive Statewide Economic Development Strategy in nearly 20 Years. Seeking to build a more competitive, inclusive, and innovative economy that positions Pennsylvania for the technologies of the future, the administration identified five sectors (Agriculture, Energy, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, and Robotics and Technology) for focus and resource investment. While some of those sectors already are foundational to the state, taken all together, the administration believes they will make Pennsylvania competitive in research and development, entrepreneurship, attraction and retention of businesses and workforce, and economic growth. The identified five goals of the plan are: Invest in economic growth to compete and prioritize economic development investments that capitalize on Pennsylvania’s strengths. Continue to make government work at the speed of business and ensure all companies find an attractive business environment. Open doors of opportunity for all Pennsylvanians…

In this week’s continuing coverage of gubernatorial addresses as they impact the innovation economy, the common themes from Oklahoma and Tennessee were focused on economic and educational opportunities through tax cuts and education reforms. In contrast, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey focused her address on furthering her state’s recent successes and competitiveness in workforce development and announced that her top priority this legislative session was focused on continued educational reforms, including the implementation of an education savings account program. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out his economic and educational plans for making Pennsylvania competitive in the technologies and industries of the future.  The following highlights have been excerpted from State of the States or budget addresses given between Jan. 31, 2024, and Feb. 6, 2024. Additional addresses and states will be covered in future Digest issues. With the start of the new year, governors have begun to deliver their State of the State addresses, laying out proposals for new programs and discussing the conditions of their states. As states’ revenue levels return to more typical levels…

Editor’s note: SSTI is committed to helping its members create economies that are equitable and inclusive. The following article is part of a series highlighting how different organizations ensure all people within their communities can benefit from today’s economy and lessons learned in their work. When the City of Brunswick and Glynn County, Georgia needed to improve water quality and address environmental disparities, they joined forces with Georgia Tech, Rebuilding Together Glynn County, the Glynn County School System, Georgia Southern University to co-develop solutions through the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation’s (PIN’s) community research project, “Safe Water Together for Brunswick Initiative.” The collaborators used advanced water quality technology to target microbial and chemical contamination that had been made worse by sea-level rise. PIN took a community-based approach to this project, focusing on identifying community needs by inclusively obtaining the community’s input. The collaboration of local government, higher education, and community is a hallmark of PIN’s approach to its many community research projects. The purpose of their projects,…

The National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship voted today to accept proposed recommendations for a national competitiveness strategy. One recommendation is establishing a National Innovation Council to coordinate entrepreneurship-related federal government activities nationwide. This council would prioritize efforts related to critical technologies through various actions, including “requiring mandatory reporting of demographics of venture capital (VC) investments” and “supporting the development of best practices and standards for evaluating the effectiveness of entrepreneur support programs.” Another recommendation is to make national investments to make “innovation moonshots” possible. Recommended actions toward this end include increasing federal R&D funding as a percentage of U.S. GDP to 2% by 2030. They suggest immediate appropriations to start addressing the current shortfall. In addition, they recommend that Congress fully fund the EDA Tech Hubs Program at $9.5 billion. A third recommendation is to launch a National Innovation Accelerator Network (NIAN). NIAN would be "a virtual ‘network of networks’ of accelerator, mentoring, and…

This month, 65 Fellows will begin their two-and-a-half-year field placements with host organizations nationwide as part of the Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) funded by the Economic Development Administration. Fellows will spearhead projects that, according to according to an International Economic Development Council (IEDC) press release, "advance new ways of doing economic development to build more resilient, inclusive, and equitable economies." The 65 selected projects are located across 44 states and territories. Of the 65 host sites, 62% are rural, 23% are mixed (urban, suburban, and rural), and 15% are urban. Nine of the 65 projects are led by tribes or involve a tribal organization as a primary partner. Each project receives a dedicated, fully funded Fellow for 2.5 years. IEDC received over 500 applications from potential host organizations and over 1,400 Fellow applications from June through August. Sixty-nine percent of the selected Fellows are women, and 54% identify as people of color. Fellows come with professional experience (6-15+ years) in planning, entrepreneurship, community and economic development, public administration, marketing, rural development,…

The number of graduate students in science, engineering, and health has grown from approximately 328,000 to 760,000 from 1975 to 2021, a 132% increase, according to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Survey of Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering (GSS). When compared to a 60% increase (from 9.7 to 15.4 million) in total undergraduate enrollment across all fields of study over the same time period, the scale of growth can be better seen. However, while the number of graduate students in science has seen an upward trend over the 46-year period, the number of graduate students in engineering has stagnated since 2014. This edition of Useful Stats uses the full range of NSF GSS data to explore trends in graduate students and postdoctoral appointees (postdocs) in science, engineering, and health. Some notes about the data: 2007, 2010, 2014, and 2017 data include re-imputations, expansions, or other changes to the data collection process of the survey; other years, such as 1978, include estimated data. The specific level of graduate study (Masters, PhD) was not made available until 2017. Other methodological nuances and changes can be found on…

NSF has announced 10 projects as the first cohort of Regional Innovation Engines. The 10 project teams span 18 states. Each of the 10 teams will receive $15 million for the first two years of the awards and could receive $160 million over the full ten years dependent on availability of funding and successful performance. The 10 inaugural NSF Engines are: Central Florida Semiconductor Innovation Engine Colorado–Wyoming Climate Resilience Engine Great Lakes Water Innovation Engine Louisiana Energy Transition Engine North Carolina Textile Innovation and Sustainability Engine North Dakota Advanced Agriculture Technology Engine Paso del Norte Defense and Aerospace Innovation Engine Piedmont Triad Regenerative Medicine Engine Southwest Sustainability Innovation Engine Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine The White House statement on the awards states, “In addition to investing in the 10 NSF Regional Innovation Engines, NSF is also inviting 15 other teams to pursue NSF Regional Innovation Engine Development Awards…” From NSF’s awardee dashboard and previous announcements, six of the 15 groups were Engines finalists, six were semifinalists, and three were…

In this week’s continuing coverage of gubernatorial addresses as they impact the innovation economy, the common themes from Alaska, Michigan, and Maine were issues of opportunity, affordability and housing. Michigan and South Carolina governors proposed initiatives and programs that seek to assist in providing access to post-secondary education, their states’ economic competiveness, and securing jobs of the future for their residents. The following highlights have been excerpted from State of the States or budget addresses given between Jan. 24, 2023 and Jan. 30, 2024. Additional addresses and states will be covered in future Digest issues. With the start of the new year, governors have begun to deliver their State of the State addresses, laying out proposals for new programs and discussing the conditions of their states. As states’ revenue levels return to more typical levels, lawmakers, with a few exceptions, are taking a more cautious, or constrained, view of their funding priorities and proposed initiatives. Many governors also appear to be more restrained in their addresses this year, speaking more to the previous year’s successes, suggesting lawmakers tighten…

South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), a public, non-profit corporation chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina , had over a $1.19 billion impact on the state’s economy in 2023. Their recently published annual report shows what’s included in the billion-plus-dollar impact, determined by a study conducted at the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business. SCRA provides funding and support to accelerate the growth of academic startups; lab and administrative workspaces; facilitation and funding for partnerships between and among industry, startups, and academic institutions; assistance and funding for the relocation of technology-based companies to South Carolina; and coaching and funding for startups that may also receive investments from its affiliate, SC Launch Inc. The report indicates that in 2023, SCRA and its investment affiliate, SC Launch Inc.: Supported 5,825 South Carolina-based jobs. The average salary for SCRA Member Companies and SC Launch Inc. Portfolio Companies was $91,209, 70% higher than the state’s average of $53,618. Generated $330 million in additional investment capital for its supported startups to grow their…

The White House recently published a data tool, accompanied by a downloadable excel file housing two datasets, with recent investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The tool and data provide a view of the spending that is occurring across the United States from the two acts. In addition to a categorical breakdown of awards, agency, department, project name, funding source, and more are available for each award. The first dataset reflects a subset of BIL and IRA funding, including projects with at least state-level geodata (some include more specific geodata such as county and/or city) announced as of November 22, 2023 (BIL and IRA) and awarded as of September 30, 2023 (BIL). The set, however, excludes private investments and funding from other sources like the American Rescue Plan. The data spans 11 categories, including key investment areas such as broadband, clean energy, transportation, and environmental remediation, and represents awards totaling over $160 billion. The second dataset is dedicated solely to BIL-funded projects. It encompasses formula funding allocated to states and territories and…

A spate of super-sized donations has recently benefited various organizations and higher education institutions. They include what is reported as the largest single contribution to a historically Black college or university (HBCU), $100 million to UNCF, and $350 million from the Lilly Endowment, Inc. for projects in Indiana. Businesswoman and philanthropist Ronda Stryker and her husband, William Johnston, Chairman of Greenleaf Trust, gave $100 million to Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college. The donation is the largest single contribution ever made to a historically Black college or university (HBCU). Lilly Endowment Inc., awarded $100 million of unrestricted grant money to the UNCF (United Negro College Fund) to support UNCF’s capital campaign. UNCF is undertaking a $1 billion capital campaign that includes five components: student scholarships, unrestricted funds to enhance the endowments for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), capacity-building programs for member HBCUs (such as technology, training, and research), cash reserves and endowed funds for UNCF and support for UNCF’s annual campaign. Additionally, Lilly…

The United States has one of the most diversified economies of any nation, yet also the most dynamic; over the past five years, from 2018 through 2022, the U.S.’ agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting industry has grown 53%, while other industries such as manufacturing and construction have grown at a slower pace—17% and 23% respectively—compared to a 25% increase in overall gross domestic product. Economies differ greatly from state to state, in terms of size and composition. This edition of Useful Stats uses U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data[1] to explore a breakdown of changes in industry gross domestic product (GDP) for each state and Washington, D.C. over the 5 years from 2018 to 2022, which provides a snapshot of state’s economies prior to and after the pandemic.   State industry GDP profiles Over the five years from 2018 through 2022, the U.S.’ largest industry by GDP has remained finance, insurance, real estate, rental, and leasing, with a 2022 value of $5.3 trillion, followed by professional and business services ($3.3 trillion), manufacturing ($2.6 trillion), and educational services, health care, and social assistance ($2.…