SSTI Digest

International patent filings fell by 4.5 percent in 2009 with sharper than average declines experienced by some industrialized countries and growth in a number of East Asian countries, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization. With 45,790 applications, the U.S. filing rate dropped 11.4 percent in 2009, but maintained its top ranking by filing just under a third of all international applications.

Rounding out the top 10 nations are: Japan (+3.6%, 29,827 applications), Germany (-11.2% or 16,736 applications), Republic of Korea (+2.1%, 8,066 applications), China (29.7%, 7,946 applications), France (+1.6%, 7,166 applications), United Kingdom (-3.5% or 5,320 applications), the Netherlands (+3.0% or 4,471 applications), Switzerland (-1.6% or 3,688 applications) and Sweden (-11.3% or 3,667 applications).

Declines also were experienced in the Australia (-7.5%), Canada (-11.7%), Finland (-2.2%), Israel (-17.2%), Italy (-5.8%). More: http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0003.html

Despite the depth of the economic recession, preliminary estimates by the National Science Foundation indicate that U.S. R&D expenditures totaled $397.6 billion in 2008, up from $372.5 billion in 2007. This increase in overall national R&D performance represented growth in 2008 of 6.7 percent over the 2007 level. It also substantially exceeded the pace of growth in U.S. gross domestic product over the same year, which was 3.3 percent. Read more at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf10312/?WT.mc_id=USNSF_179

On the heels of his State of the Union announcement that the administration would push aggressively to drive clean energy innovation, President Barack Obama unveiled a three-part action plan to accelerate the development of biofuels and clean coal technology. The plan includes new rules concerning the national renewable fuel standard, incentives for biomass production and the creation of an interagency group to devise a federal strategy on carbon capture and storage. Clean coal and corn-based ethanol are at the center of the president's strategy, which is intended to create new jobs, diversify the country's energy portfolio and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

Arden Bement, head of the National Science Foundation since his appointment as acting director in early 2004 and permanent director in November of that year, will become director of the new Global Policy Research Institute at Purdue University, effective June 1. Bement served as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology from 2001 to 2004.

NSF directorships are Presidential appointments with six-year terms. Bement's term would have expired in November, 2010. The White House has yet to name Bement's successor.

Bement returns to Purdue where he was a nuclear engineering professor and department head and retained tenure at Purdue during his stints in senior science policy posts in Washington, D.C. While at Purdue, Bement was the David A. Ross Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and former head of Purdue's School of Nuclear Engineering. He also held appointments in the School of Materials Engineering and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He joined the Purdue faculty in 1992 after a 39-year career in industry, government and academia.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking qualified applicants for the director of the Technology Innovation Program (TIP). The director will serve as the executive responsible for managing and leading this critical program for NIST. The TIP was established as part of the America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) to assist United States businesses and institutions of higher education or other organizations, such as national laboratories and nonprofit research institutions, to support, promote, and accelerate innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need. This position is perfect for you if you are ready for a challenge and are committed to making significant improvements in the operations of one of the world's premier research and science organizations.

Sandy Baruah has been selected to become the president and CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, effective March 15.

John Collar, the chief executive officer and president of the Colorado BioScience Association, resigned this week to pursue other business opportunities. Denise Brown has been selected serve as the organization's interim executive director while a search is conducted for Collar's replacement.

Ruth Cox has been named the executive director of the U.S. Fuel Cell Council.

Josh Lerner has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Global Award for Entrepreneurship Research.

Marc Stanley is retiring as acting deputy director of National Institute of Standards and Technology. Stanley has served as director of the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology since December 31, 2007

As in any budget there are winners and losers, but for the tech-based economic development community, there are far more winners than losers in the Obama Administration's FY11 budget proposal. Percentages referenced in this summary reflect the change from FY10 appropriations.

Download the report in pdf format.

Among the winners:

The third installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs’ series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Delaware, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin. The first and second installments are available in the Jan 13 Digest and Jan. 20 Digest, respectively.

Delaware
Gov. Jack Markell, State of the State Address, Jan. 21, 2010
“We have a proud legacy of technology innovation that we will build on. Together, we will create a Delaware where entrepreneurs and inventors imagine the new products and services that make life better, more productive and more enjoyable for millions, and workers make good livings delivering these wonders to the world.

The New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), the state’s lead tech-based economic development agency, would see a significant boost in funding under a proposal unveiled by Gov. David Paterson to distribute $100 million in new Innovation Economy Matching Grants. Announced during his State of the State Address, the grants would be divided among a new Technology Seed Fund ($25 million), a Small Business Revolving Loan Fund ($25 million) and funding for other economic development initiatives ($45 million).

NYSTAR is slated to receive $142 million in FY11 general fund appropriations, an increase of $101.3 million. Total funding for the High Technology Program is $135.7 million, which includes $100 million for the matching grants and $6.9 million for the state’s six centers of excellence. Additional NYSTAR appropriations include $1.9 million for the Research Development Program (down $4 million), and $1.5 million for state matching funds for the manufacturing extension partnership program, the same as last year.

In his budget presentation to the legislature last week, Gov. Martin O’Malley called for continued support of his 10-year, $1 billion plan to build Maryland's reputation as a global leader in biosciences. To this end, the governor recommends $43 million in FY11 for stem cell research, tax credits for biotech companies, and support for biotechnology commercialization and translational research.

Gov. O’Malley’s budget includes $12.4 million for stem cell research administered by the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), about the same as last year. Although lawmakers approved $15.4 million for the Stem Cell Research Fund last year, budget documents indicate a FY10 appropriation of $12.35 million. TEDCO would receive a total $15.85 million in FY11 under the governor’s proposal, which is $115,000 more than the FY10 appropriation. This includes $3.45 million for technology development, transfer and commercialization activities through TEDCO’s University Development Transfer Fund and the Maryland Technology Transfer and Commercialization Fund. Additional recommendations in support of Bio 2020 include:

Most impact models look at broad measures, sometimes including multiplier estimates for indirect effects. Connecticut Innovations (CI) takes a different approach, but one that might be expected from the venerable equity investment program – the direct capital return to its initial stakeholder, the state.

Bottom line: the program pays for itself, according to recent impact study performed by Connecticut’s Department of Economic and Community Development.. In fact, it has paid nearly $2 for every dollar invested between 1995 and 2008.

The pool of investment capital available to CI originated from the sale of state-issued bonds worth $106 million. During the study period, CI made investments in 84 portfolio companies, investments that resulted in $209 million of net revenue to the state.

In sum, the results of the 14-year study period reveal $1.97 of state revenue for every state dollar invested. Looking at the impact on an annual basis, the study also calculated an average of 1,610 jobs and $256 million in GDP added to the economy each year.

Earlier this month, Gov. Jim Douglas announced a plan to use $8.7 million in federal stimulus funds for job creation programs, including broadband infrastructure, low-interest loans and workforce training. Many of the proposals mirror last year’s SmartVermont plan, a proposal rejected by lawmakers that would have leveraged federal funds to provide $17.2 million for statewide economic development. (see the June 3, 2009 issue of the Digest).