SSTI Digest

In response to an economic development study calling on the state to diversify its operating system, support regionalism and invest in innovation, Nevada's newly established Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) released a plan of action to align resources and establish partnerships for meeting those goals over the next three years. The statewide plan builds on legislation passed last session to unify economic development efforts through a regional approach and private sector engagement. To this end, lawmakers allocated funds for GOED and the governor appointed an executive director, elevating the position to cabinet-level. During the first half of 2012, GOED will work to establish its organizational structure and designate Regional Development Authorities (RDAs) tasked with developing plans for their regions. RDAs can be local government organizations, private organizations, or a combination of the two. The RDAs will serve as the central point of contact for economic development within the regions focusing their efforts on creation and retention of new businesses, expansion of existing companies, and attracting companies from outside the state.

This week at the second annual White House Science Fair, President Obama announced a new $80 million Department of Education competition to support STEM teacher preparation programs. The investment will support innovative programs, such as those that allow prospective teachers to simultaneously earn a STEM degree and a teaching certificate. Another $22 million from philanthropic and private sources, including the Carnegie Foundation, Google and Dell, will complement the administration's STEM effort. A separate $60 million Department of Education/National Science Foundation initiative also was announced to reform U.S. mathematics education. Read the White House release...

Seventy-five percent of states (38 states) received grades of "C" or lower for their science education curriculum and instructions, according to a new report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. In contrast, only seven states received an "A-" or an "A." California and the District of Columbia were the only "As." Indiana, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Virginia received "A-s" for their excellent state science standards. New York was the only state to receive a "B+." Another six states were able to achieve a "B" — Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Utah. In The State of State Science Standards 2012, researchers reviewed and analyzed the guidelines that inform K-12 science curriculum and instruction in every state and the District of Columbia. States were evaluated on the clarity, content, completeness and scientific correctness of their standards.

In 2008, federal agencies obligated $28.4 billion to 1,316 academic institutions for science and engineering activities, according to data from the National Science Foundation. Although this represents a 0.9% increase in current dollars over 2007 levels, it represents a 1.4% decrease in inflation-adjusted 2005 dollars. The Johns Hopkins University (including its Applied Physics Laboratory) continued to be the leading academic recipient of federal S&E obligations, followed by the University of Washington and the campuses of the University of Michigan. Together, the top 20 institutions received 34.4 percent of all federal S&E obligations in 2008. Read the InfoBrief...

The Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) launched a Global Technology Portal (GTP) — a web-based resource to facilitate networking, partnership and licensing deals among corporations and universities. The portal will allow universities and corporations to match available technologies with emerging market needs. AUTM also hopes that the portal the portal will help to quicken the pace of product development by making it much easier for corporations to identify potential university partners. Only AUTM members may post and update their information on the portal. However, other entities and individuals can search the site for available technologies. AUTM expects quick growth for the portal, predicting its more than 3,000 members will make licensing ready technologies available on the new resource. Read the press release...

Norm Chagnon has been named deputy chief of the Office of Technology Investments (OTI) at the Ohio Department of Development. Chagnon will lead and direct the OTI, which is responsible for the State of Ohio's Edison Technology Centers and Edison Technology Incubators Program, the Ohio Third Frontier, the Technology Investment Tax Credit Program, the Ohio Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and the Ohio Venture Capital Authority. Additionally, Anthony Howard has been named interim assistant deputy chief of the OTI; Lisa Delp has been appointed interim executive director of the Ohio Third Frontier Commission; and, Elizabeth Colbert has been named interim Manufacturing Extension Partnership center director. Claire Leonardi has been selected as the CEO and executive director of Connecticut Innovations. Peter Longo, who was CI's president and executive director, will continue to be a part of CI, reporting to Leonardi, and running the day-to-day operations. As part of his legislative agenda for 2012, Gov. Malloy is proposing to consolidate the Connecticut Development Authority into CI.

The fourth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Illinois, New Hampshire, Tennessee, and Rhode Island. The first three installments are available in the Jan. 11, Jan. 18 and Jan. 25 editions of the Digest. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, State of the State Address, Feb. 1, 2012 "Today, I'm announcing a $2.3 million dollar investment in '1871,' a new technology center at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to foster and launch digital start-ups. "Today, I'm also announcing a $6 million dollar statewide competition to build ultra-high speed broadband in neighborhoods across Illinois. "Through this challenge, we want our neighborhoods to become Gigabit communities with Internet connections more than 100 times faster than today! Our goal is to build smart communities that will foster the job engines of the future." New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch, State of the State Address, Jan. 31, 2012 "There are tax reductions that can spur job growth here in New Hampshire. Innovative companies create jobs and lay the foundation for a stronger future for our state.

Governors in Kansas and New York unveiled budget proposals for FY13 that would maintain funding for economic development proposals initiated last session. In Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback proposed funding for a new Creative Industries Commission, while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a new round of $200 million in competitive grant funding for the state's regional economic development councils.

On the one-year anniversary of the entrepreneur-focused Startup America Initiative, President Obama issued a new legislative agenda to boost the creation and growth of startup companies. The proposals include tax breaks for small business payrolls and expenses, an expansion of the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program and the elimination of country-specific caps on immigrant visas. The agenda was released in concert with the announcement of a third round of the Economic Development Administration's i6 Challenge, a second round of the Department of Energy's America's Next Top Energy Innovator program and a new Small Business Administration regional mentor network initiative.

A survey of Georgia's 12 regions finds collaboration and leveraging assets to support existing businesses are most critical for enhancing the innovation economy. In support of these efforts, a task force convened by Gov. Nathan Deal recommends increasing funds for the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), extending the state's angel investor tax credit, and marketing the state to promote its research and innovation assets. Gov. Deal unveiled last week the findings of the Georgia Competitiveness Initiative, led by a group of business leaders and government officials tasked with identifying regional and statewide factors affecting the state's competitiveness. The initiative centered on six areas, including Business Climate, Education and Workforce Development, Innovation, Infrastructure, Global Commerce, and Government Efficiency and Effectiveness. Among the strategies for investing in innovation is continued support and expansion of GRA — namely an increase in funds for the Eminent Scholars program, which matches university funds for recruiting world-class researchers to the state. Gov.

The Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced public hearings for the Pure Michigan Venture Match Fund — a new program that will match early stage investments from eligible venture funds in Michigan-based technology businesses. MSF and MEDC intend for the program to attract venture funds, within and outside of Michigan, to consider investments in early stage and pre-revenue technology companies and to mitigate some risk for venture fund investments through the matching MSF funds. The minimum venture investment of $700,000 is required and the maximum eligible investment is $3 million. MSF will match between $350,000 and $500,000 with similar investment terms as the venture investment. To be eligible for funding, a company must have secured a qualified venture investment and face a peer review of its business plan. Eligible investors must fulfill all the requirements of the 21st Century Jobs Fund legislation. After consideration of the comments and information received at the public hearing, the final MVM Fund program guidelines will be presented to the MSF Board for approval and implementation.

The U.S. must increase the access to three elements help small businesses thrive and restore U.S. competiveness, according to a new report from the Center for Public Policy Innovation (CPPI) — Restoring U.S. Competitiveness: Creating Jobs and Unleashing the Potential of Small Businesses through Technology and Innovation. The key elements include: Access to Capital — Gaining access to capital is an obstacle for all small businesses. However, the U.S. must work to connect local startups with regional investors to boost local investments and make the capital gains tax exemption permanent for investors in qualified small businesses. Access to Modern Technology — U.S. small business must have access to cloud computing, mobile technologies and virtual global supply chains to invest more into their products, to collaborate on a global scale and to expand their presence to foreign markets. Access to Global Markets — The U.S. government must make existing programs, that help domestic small business enter foreign markets, easier to find and navigate. The authors contend that it is imperative that the U.S.