SSTI Digest

John Hindman announced his resignation as secretary of the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.

Elias Zerhouni, the director of the National Institutes of Health, announced his plans to step down at the end of October 2008.

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

In an effort to keep science, innovation and entrepreneurship on the mind of our next President, several groups are releasing comparisons of the Presidential candidates' positions on a number of issues affecting state, local and university tech-based economic development strategies. Here is a sampling from this week:

Whether it's symptomatic of a tough job market or increased recognition of the economic rewards for obtaining an advanced degree, the number of doctoral degrees awarded and graduate enrollment in the U.S. rose sharply in 2007. Most trends for the past ten years also are positive; suggesting at first glance that a commitment to advanced education is permeating more of the population, particularly among women and minority groups.

Enrollment and awards of masters degrees are seeing much lower growth rates, and in some critical cases like engineering, experienced a decline. Consequently, rises in the number of engineering doctorates may be short-lived trends.

States are increasingly seeking new approaches to maintaining a pipeline of skilled workers, qualified to fill the gaps left by baby boomers retiring in the coming years and college graduates pursuing career options elsewhere. Over the past several years, state economic development agencies, nonprofit organizations, and industry-led groups have not only stepped up their efforts to recruit and retain high-tech workers, but also are examining the key factors involved in attracting high-tech workers to a region.

Recently, a privately-owned manufacturing contractor in Idaho announced a new initiative to build the skills of workers in rural areas of the state, which in turn will make the region more likely to attract new industries. Several partners have signed on to take part in the program, called Rural Idaho Outreach Partners, including the Idaho Department of Labor, the Idaho National Laboratory, and the Salmon Valley Business and Innovation Center.

Cluster strategies show proximity is seen as an important requirement for tacit knowledge flows and the resulting economic development benefits of innovation and entrepreneurship. Research by Barak Aharonson, Joel Baum, and Maryann Feldman showed spillover benefits of agglomeration for businesses are strongest within 500 meters of a site.

The benefits faded rapidly over distance - so is the reverse true? What happens when you put aspiring young entrepreneurs in the same dorm?

As news on the economy turns darker shades of bleak, communities across the country are looking for alternative ways to finance their innovation strategies. Some of their approaches will be the topic of two breakout sessions at SSTI's upcoming conference, Encouraging Regional Innovation. This story looks at one example. For more information on the conference, visit: http://ssticonference.org/

Following several weeks of deliberation over the past summer months, a panel of highly qualified TBED practitioners has selected recipients demonstrating exceptional achievement in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies to receive SSTI's Excellence in TBED Award for 2008.

The recipients will be announced at SSTI's 12th Annual Conference, to be held Oct. 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland.

With a blockbuster agenda, the first block of hotel rooms already sold out and a second block in the nearby Intercontinental Suites filling rapidly, SSTI's 12th Annual Conference in Cleveland, Oct. 14-16, is on pace to be a very special event for those TBED practitioners and policymakers who wisely register soon!

Registrations for the premiere professional development event of the year for state, local and academic tech-based economic development professionals are streaming in faster than they did for last year's great conference in Baltimore. SSTI closed attendance last year at 375 to ensure the highest quality professional development experience possible for conferees.

Easily the TBED community's most complete conference ever, Encouraging Regional Innovation, SSTI's 12th annual conference, is already drawing participation from more than 40 states and several countries.

The early registration discounts for expire on Monday, Sept. 23, 2008 less than two short weeks away!

The most pressing question in the debate about the United States international economic competitiveness is if the U.S. is successfully pushing to maintain its competitive lead well into the future, not only the question if the U.S. is currently ahead, according to a report released today by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). The latter concern, as related to comparative international science and technology prowess, and its implications for national security was the subject of a June 2008 report prepared by the RAND Corporation for the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense.

We've been keeping you focused on SSTI's 12th annual conference, coming up Oct 14-16 at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland, but believe it or not, we're already working to ensure the 2009 and 2010 are as good or even better!

On Feb. 13, we announced the 2009 conference will be hosted by KTEC, one of the oldest and most successful TBED models in the country. The event will be held in Overland Park, KS on Oct. 20-22, 2009.

Today we are pleased to let our readers know 2010 will mark a first for SSTI conferences: we will be returning to the city  which hosted one of our earliest and most exciting conferences. For SSTI's 14th Annual Conference, we will be returning to Pittsburgh and the wonderfully elegant and historic Omni William Penn.  Pennsylvania's TBED community, led by the visionary and ever-creative Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development,  will be our hosts once again in 2010.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have announced a four-year plan to invest approximately $70 million a year in a nationwide network of life science research centers. The Molecular Libraries Probe Production Centers Network will employ high-tech screening methods to identify molecules that can be used as probes to explore the functions of cells. This research is intended to help increase the pace of discovery in the field of chemical probes, which have become a key resource in fighting disease.

The network is the second phase of the Molecular Libraries and Imaging Initiative and is part of NIH's Roadmap for Medical Research program. The Roadmap program was launched in 2004 to support initiatives that address fundamental gaps in U.S. medical research. Funding for the network will be made available through the roadmap initiative for the initial four years, and then transition to other funding sources in years five and six.