SSTI Digest

Foreign-born inventors and entrepreneurs play a vital role in the U.S. innovation economy, yet these individuals face many obstacles if they wish to remain in the country. Last year, more than three-quarters of all patents at the top ten patent-producing universities had at least one foreign-born inventor, according to report from the Partnership for a New American Economy. The report lays out several policy changes that could help the country retain more foreign-born innovators trained at U.S. universities and is the latest in a series of publications that have emphasized the importance of immigrants in the high-tech economy.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) released a report on the significant economic impact of university and nonprofit institution patent licensing on the U.S. economy between 1996 and 2012. According to The Economic Contribution of University/Nonprofit Inventions in the United States: 1996-2010, the economic impact data related to patent licensing from university and nonprofit institutions indicated:

• The impact on U.S. gross industry output is as much as $836 billion;
• The impact on U.S. gross domestic product is as much as $388 billion;
• University and nonprofit licensing supported as many as 3 million jobs; and,
• In 2010 alone, academic and nonprofit research institutions spun out approximately 651 new companies.

Read the report...

Betsy Biemann, who has served as president of the Maine Technology Institute since 2005 has resigned. Joe Migliaccio, manager of MTI's Business Innovation Program, is serving as interim president.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has been named the next president of Purdue University. Daniels will become the 12th president in Purdue's 143-year history in January at the end of his second term as governor.

David Brukardt has been named the associate vice president for economic development for the University of Wisconsin System.

The Missouri Economic Development Council has named Ryan Mooney as its president for the coming year. Mooney is senior vice president for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and will maintain that position while he serves his term with the EDC.

Unlike last year when a wave of new governors pushed sweeping proposals to re-organize economic development activities and grow the economy, the 2012 legislative sessions brought mostly modest changes for tech-based initiatives. While many programs were level funded or received smaller increases than in previous years, a handful of states increased funds or introduced new initiatives to support economic development efforts. Colorado lawmakers provided additional funds to attract new companies, Connecticut lawmakers expanded programs from last year's Jobs Bill, and in Virginia lawmakers accepted the governor's amendments to add funds for research and commercialization initiatives.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) plans to make seven awards to support organizations helping to build strong regional innovation clusters. The awards will support public-private partnerships that bring together businesses, academic institutions, economic development organizations and other local actors to lay the foundations of sustainable growth and economic competitiveness. Three of the awards will go to small businesses that provide cluster-related services. SBA intends to post a request for proposals on or about July 5. Learn more...

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Pilot Challenge, a $6 million pilot initiative to assist economically challenged municipalities in creating long-term economic development plans. Under the SC2 initiative, the EDA will select six pilot communities from across the country. To be eligible for the SC2 initiative, the applicant must be a local government that meet all the economic distress criteria described in the announcement and has a current population of at least 100,000. The six pilot communities then will conduct a challenge in which teams will compete for up to $1 million in awards to provide the city with a comprehensive innovative economic development plan. Applications are due July 23, 2012. Visit the initiative's website...

During the 2012 BIO International Convention, 41 state bioscience organizations announced the formation of the Coalition of State Bioscience Institutes (CSBI), a coordinated national effort to deliver industry-led life science education, workforce development and entrepreneurship programs. The coalition is intended to allow state bioscience organizations to share knowledge with the goal of improving bioscience education and innovation, while maximizing industry support. CSBI's first task is to identify leading state programs for national consideration including:

• Teacher-training initiatives such as iBIO Institute's TalentSparks!;
• Workforce competitiveness programs such as the Oregon Bioscience Association's BioPro; and,
• Resources for entrepreneurs such as BIOCOM Institute's BioCollaborative; and BayBio Institute's Expert Network.

It also is in the process of designing a web-based clearinghouse of all current state-level programs focused on life science education, workforce training and entrepreneurship.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding allowed the U.S. federal government to maintain steady funding of research and development (R&D) during the economic crisis. Now that the vast majority of those funds have been spent, however, the U.S. will have to step up its support of R&D to remain competitive. Earlier this year, the National Science Foundation (NSF) National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics released some illuminating data on how an increase in federal spending helped buoy U.S. R&D as the country's gross domestic product (GDP) declined in 2009 (see the April 4, 2012 issue). Several NSF releases over the past few months have detailed the vital role ARRA funding played in bolstering federal R&D spending as private sector spending fell.

When testing fourth-, eighth- and twelfth-grade students on their ability to conduct science experiments and thoughtfully explain the results, investigators made three key discoveries that policymakers say may be troubling for future workforce needs. The National Center for Education Statistics Science in Action report found that when using limited data sets, students could make straightforward observations on the data. However, most struggled to explain the results and were challenged by parts of investigations that contained more variables to manipulate or involved strategic decisionmaking.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) released the third round of the i6 Challenge to spur high-growth entrepreneurship. EDA and its partners will commit up to $6 million to establish six proof-of-concept centers that promote American innovation, foster entrepreneurship and increase the commercialization of ideas into viable companies. These centers incorporate a range of services from technology and market evaluation, through business planning and mentorship and on to early stage access to capital. Organizations eligible for i6 challenge grants include U.S. states, local governments, institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations. The application deadline is July 20, 2012.

Do you like to plan ahead? Do you have some funds left over you need to spend this fiscal year? Why not register early for SSTI's 16th Annual Conference in Atlanta, Oct. 29-30? Every year, our conference offers engaging conversations and expert opinions from the world of technology-based economic development. Visit our site for more information about this year's conference, including our opening reception at the Georgia Aquarium on Oct. 28. Read more at ssticonference.org... Interested in becoming a sponsor of this year's conference? Many sponsorship opportunities are still available! You can learn more about the benefits of sponsorship at ssticonference.org. Contact Noelle Sheets for additional information at sheets@ssti.org.

Although official results may not be declared until July, a statewide ballot measure that would raise taxes on tobacco products to fund cancer research was losing by a vote of 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent, according to unofficial results reported Wednesday from the California secretary of state.

Proposition 29 would impose an additional $1-per-pack tax on cigarettes and an equivalent tax increase on other tobacco products. If approved, the measure would generate about $735 million a year. Of this amount, $441 million is slated for grants and loans offered on a competitive basis to support research on cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other tobacco-related illnesses. A similar measure was passed in Texas in 2007 where voters approved a $3 billion bond measure to fund cancer research over 10 years (see the Nov. 7, 2007 issue of the Digest).