SSTI Digest

As an SSTI Conference Sponsor, you have the chance to showcase your organization with the decision makers responsible for crafting and implementing local and state-level policies and programs that directly contribute to the nation's competitiveness. Today's marketplace is about belonging and staying connected. No other event brings together so many of the nation's top players in the TBED community.

SSTI believes conference sponsors deserve to stand out to attendees so exhibits are placed prominently in a highly-visible location. Only a select group of sponsors and host partners are provided with the opportunity to exhibit to avoid that trade show feel.

The conference draws on average more than 350 representatives from 46 states and four countries.

As a conference sponsor you gain:

Twenty-six members, spanning university presidents, investors, serial entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders, were appointed to the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship announced yesterday by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke. The group will support President Obama's innovation strategy by helping develop policies that foster entrepreneurship and identifying new ways to take ideas from the lab to the marketplace to drive economic growth and create jobs. Among the TBED practitioners appointed to the Council are Ray Leach, CEO, JumpStart and RoseAnn Rosenthal, CEO, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Several states recently enacted spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year, which started July 1 for most states. In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law the LA GRAD Act, granting universities more flexibility to raise tuition in return for meeting certain performance goals. Lawmakers in Massachusetts allocated $10 million to continue the state's investment in life sciences, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signed a jobs bill providing $8 million for green economy projects, and in Tennessee, an $80 million expansion of TNInvestco, a program that allocates tax credits to create pools of venture capital, was approved.

Louisiana

Via Executive Order, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer established the Arizona Commerce Authority, a quasi-public authority, that eventually will replace the Arizona Department of Commerce. A 34-member board comprised mostly of C-level executives, chaired by the governor, will lead the transition from the old department to the new authority. Gov. Brewer earmarked $10 million in federal stimulus dollars to establish the authority.

Gov. Brewer utilized an Executive Order to create the authority after her plan was unable to obtain approval in the recent legislative session. Even with strong legislative support, the legislature adjourned in mid-May without bringing the bill to a vote. Some details, including the dissolution of the Arizona Department of Commerce, will need legislative approval when the legislature reconvenes in January. However, due to Arizona's poor economic climate, Gov. Brewer believed it was imperative to establish the authority before January.

A new state agency to promote innovation and job creation in New Jersey was established by Gov. Chris Christie earlier this year. Envisioned as a hub for all economic development activity, the New Jersey Partnership for Action consists of three interconnected organizations to promote the state's incentives and resources, develop pro-growth policies, and assist businesses in navigating government programs. The governor's promise of a more effective strategy for economic development activity comes at the same time of severe reductions to the state's technology-based initiatives, however. High-tech business tax credits are reduced by half in the upcoming year, and with no funding allocated for the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, the 25-year-old agency will close its doors this month.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently issued a request for information (RFI) to gain insight from stakeholders in developing the National Nanotechnology Initiative's (NNI) 2010 strategic plan. OSTP is seeking input about the initiative's goals and objectives, research priorities, investments, coordination and partnerships, evaluation, and policies. The NNI will use these responses to develop a federal common vision for the future use of nanotechnology and to advance the goals outlined in the 2007 under the original NNI strategic plan.

The NNI includes 25 federal agencies working together to discover, develop and deploy nanotechnology towards agency missions and broader national interests. Of the 25 agencies, 15 will have budgets for nanotechnology R&D in 2011. This R&D program is managed within the framework of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee coordinates the planning, budgeting, program implementation, and review of the program.

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin became chair of the National Governors Association (NGA) this week and announced a year-long NGA initiative to increase the number of U.S. students who receive college degrees. The initiative was launched with a report on college completion metrics. NGA plans to release another report in the coming weeks that will provide states with a guide to policies that increase graduation rates. Read the announcement ...

In a study released by the Council on Competiveness, the researchers try to answer the complicated question: Why are some regions more successful than others in global competition? The traditional paradigm of regional development focuses the endowment of innovation assets (i.e. people institutions, capital and infrastructure). Regions abundant in these assets were built to succeed in the global knowledge economy. In contrast, less successful regions fail due to a lack of innovation assets. This study, however, argues that the ability to think, plan and act regionally is the real driving force behind developing a successful region.

The NY-BEST Board of Directors released a solicitation to acquire an Executive Director for NY-BEST and an organization to provide operational support.

The Executive Director is expected to work full-time on NY-BEST activities to: accelerate the commercial introduction of energy storage technology in New York, build the human capital and expertise to sustain a vibrant commercial energy storage industry in New York, and leverage seed resources of approximately $25 million to create a sustainable organization that provides value to its members and to New York State. Individuals may apply directly for this position or as part of a broader application with an organization to provide operational support.

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Andre Pettigrew, the director of the Denver Office of Economic Development, will become the first executive director of Climate Prosperity Inc., a Washington, D.C., climate-change think tank. LaCharles Keesee, the city's deputy chief financial officer, will assume an interim role as head of the city's economic development department until a final replacement is named.

The Ohio Development of Department has named Karen Shauri director of the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio.

Terri Shelton, director of the University of North Carolina Greensboro Center for Youth, Family, and Community Partnerships has been named the vice chancellor for research and economic development.

Over the past few months, several states have announced efforts aimed at reducing the nation's dependence on oil. While the importance and urgency of such efforts is perhaps magnified in the wake of one of the worst U.S. environmental disasters, the shift to a renewable energy-focused economy also brings with it the expectation of job creation, new product development, and increased revenue for states struggling in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

Governors in Arizona and Rhode Island recently signed legislation supporting renewable energy R&D and offshore wind development, respectively. In California, a measure requiring electric utilities to generate one-third of the state's power from renewable sources is being floated, and in Utah, Gov. Gary Herbert announced a formal planning process to create a 10-year clean energy initiative for the state.

The $68.2 million FY 11 budget approved last week for the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), allows the foundation to continue to provide 10 percent matching funds for research institutions and businesses in order to attract federal, private and industry funds. The budget allocates $29.5 million in FY11 for a matching grants program started with ARRA stimulus funding and $5.2 million for the state's six Centers of Excellence.

The appropriation is scaled down from Gov. David Paterson's original budget recommendation that would have provided $100 million for the program (see the issue of the Jan. 27, 2010 issue of the Digest). The NYSTAR budget also includes $1.5 million for state matching funds for the Manufacturing Extension Program and $343,000 for the Research Development Program.

A. 9705, providing the budget detail, is available at: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us.