SSTI Digest

The answer may not be clear, but both sides can agree the U.S. skills gap will continue to deepen if changes do not occur. In the U.S. manufacturing sector, the skills gap may be less pervasive than many believe, according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). BCG researchers estimate the U.S. is short 80,000 to 100,000 highly skilled manufacturing workers. That shortage represents less than 1 percent of the nation's 11.5 million manufacturing workers and less than 8 percent of its 1.4 million highly skilled manufacturing workers. The researchers also found only seven states — six of which are in the bottom quartile of U.S. state manufacturing output — show significant or severe skills gaps. They conclude shortages are local, not nationwide, in nature and reflect imbalances driven by both location and job classes.

Ahead of the 2013 legislative sessions, groups in Florida and Wisconsin unveiled reports on revamping higher education to better fulfill workforce needs and strengthening sectors most likely to produce jobs. In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Higher Education urged differentiated tuition making it more affordable for students to pursue in-demand careers. Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Technology Council identified four strategies to help strengthen the state's technology-based economy — including passage of an early stage capital bill similar to one that stalled in the legislature last year. Both groups hope their recommendations will gain traction in the upcoming sessions.

Recommendations from the seven-member task force created by Gov. Scott earlier this year to assess progress and evaluate challenges in Florida's university system mirror many of the governor's own goals, particularly prioritizing STEM education and increasing the number of STEM graduates in the state.

Maryland's Innovation Initiative (MII), launched earlier this year, unveiled two inaugural programs on Monday aimed at commercializing technologies at the state's universities. The new Innovation Discovery Program will help universities identify promising technologies and potential collaborations by reimbursing them for the costs of employing on-site, part-time "site miners." The Innovation Commercialization Program will provide cash awards to support research, commercialization planning and product development. The programs are part of an ongoing effort in the state to coordinate commercialization activities at the five qualifying universities.

As evidenced in the recent presidential debates and on the campaign trails, STEM teaching and learning is a national priority for maintaining global competiveness. Several universities and foundations have taken the lead, working with partners to design innovative learning tools and create research-based, professional development support for new math and science teachers. Recent examples of these initiatives include a partnership between Arizona State University and Battelle to develop new technologies to educate students, a $2 million grant to the University of Florida to establish better teaching methods, and an education initiative from the Verizon Foundation to accelerate the use of mobile technology in the classroom.

In an era of tightening fiscal constraints, states have to make tough decisions, establish clear economic development funding priorities and transform their economic development models to take advantage of immediate opportunities and position their state for long-term economic growth. Mississippi, Oklahoma and Washington have released state-specific strategic plans that make those tough decisions by focusing their resources on key science & technology (S&T) areas to address the economic impacts of the Great Recession and position the state for future prosperity. Each strategic plan also calls for state government to engage the private sector to build partnerships that will help reduce costs and increase impacts.

Online registration for SSTI's 16th Annual Conference in Atlanta ends Friday, October 26, at 5:00 PM EDT. But even if you miss the deadline, you can still attend by registering on-site. On-site registration will open at 8:00 AM on Monday, October 29, in the Grand Foyer of the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. Let your colleagues in the Southeast know they can still join us in Atlanta! See our registration page for fee details...

Discounts are available for university students, state legislators and attendees associated with SSTI member organizations. Learn more...

Building on a previous statewide initiative to boost technology entrepreneurship, a group of Rhode Island organizations have combined resources to launch a new effort called the Founders League. The idea is to assemble a treasure trove of support from universities, a mentorship-driven accelerator, and the Chamber of Commerce to provide resources and connections for established and aspiring entrepreneurs. The group is the promoting power of collaboration with guiding principles that include: the importance of physical space, co-working communities and transitioning to a self-sustaining business model. The Founders League officially launches in December and will offer community co-working space, programming and support for entrepreneurs at all stages of development. Read the announcement...

Clean Tech venture investments declined in the third quarter of 2012, according to the MoneyTree report released on Friday by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA). The numbers reinforce the current trend of decreasing investment in clean tech companies and projects and the inherent challenges of VC backing in the sector. However, many are attributing this drop to a shift in the focus of clean tech investment by private and public entities rather than complete disenchantment in the promising sector.

The U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) debenture program provided $2.95 billion in financing to small businesses in FY12, according to a recent SBA release. SBICs around the country help small businesses to expand by providing them with access to long-term capital. For the third year in a row, SBIC activity reached an all-time high, growing 14 percent over FY11 and 85 percent over FY10. Read the announcement...

Want to learn more about federal capital resources for expanding businesses? Join us next week in Atlanta as we explore the intersection of technology-based economic development and community finance in our session on Funding the Next Step: Helping Companies Expand. Learn more...

As the rate of foreign students earning doctorates from American universities increases — from 17 percent of the total science, engineering, and health doctoral degrees in the 1960s to nearly 40 percent in 2010 — the question is where do these foreign nationals seek work? Do they remain in the United States post-graduation or do they return to their country of origin or do they go elsewhere?

Using information from a 2008 Survey of Doctorate Recipients and 2010 Survey of Earned Doctorates, an NSF report this month suggests that a total of 85.7 percent of recent doctoral graduates continued to live in the United States after graduation, including 67.5 percent of foreign-born graduates. However, 20.4 percent of foreign-born doctoral graduates return to their country of origin. Students from South Korea, Taiwan, and Central and South America have more than 40 percent of their U.S. doctoral students return to their home country, while China, India, and Soviet Union countries have lower repatriation levels.

While election night's main focus was on the presidential race, the importance of ballot measures for states and metros is growing as public services and budgets are being severely trimmed. A recent article in The New Republic reports on a new trend where states are embracing ballot measures as a potential source of dedicated funds for targeted investments in regional economic growth and development.

Aside from California Gov. Jerry Brown's victory in raising taxes on top earners to help fund education and balance the budget, most state measures to increase taxes were defeated by voters. This includes extending a one-cent sales tax increase in Arizona, a cigarette tax increase in Missouri and implementing a 1 percent sales tax increase in South Dakota — all of which were slated to fund education.

The Obama administration announced winners of the Advanced Manufacturing Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge on Tuesday. The challenge — publicized earlier this year — is one of the key initiatives of the interagency Taskforce for the Advancement of Regional Innovation Clusters and is sponsored by a partnership between the U.S. Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Departments of Energy and Labor, and the Small Business Administration. Winners include programs in AZ, CA, MI, OK, TN, NY, PA, and a WA and OR bi-state partnership, each receiving approximately $2 million in grants. See the complete list of challenge winners and their reward amounts here. This is the third in a series of multiagency Jobs and Innovation Accelerator challenges administered since 2011. Learn more...