SSTI Digest

With increasing pressures from state and local policymakers to show a return on investment, universities and colleges across the country are stepping up their efforts to transform innovative ideas into ready-for-market products and develop a new generation of entrepreneurs that will spur regional and state economic growth. Recently, several universities announced new initiatives to foster innovation and build entrepreneurial capacity including: Auburn breaking ground on a new $28.8 million science center; Harvard's Innovation Lab opening its doors; and, The LaunchPad Ohio announcement at four universities in Northeast Ohio.

Auburn Science Center

As budgets for economic development tighten across all sectors, measuring and reporting impact becomes even more crucial for sustaining support. The Association of University Research Parks points to three impressive impact reports released this year from Indiana's Purdue Research Park, Nebraska Technology Park and North Dakota State University Research and Technology Park.

The Purdue study found the park network is responsible for a $1.3 billion annual impact for the state and more than 4,000 high-quality jobs paying an average annual salary that is 65 percent higher than the state's average. In Nebraska, researchers found the University of Nebraska Technology Park has an estimated $589.6 million annual impact on the state's economy, and North Dakota State University Research and Technology Park generates $10.9 million annually for local and state governments.

SSTI has compiled below recent announcements for development of tech parks from states including Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, South Carolina, and West Virginia.

Governors in several states are bringing lawmakers back into session this fall with a more focused agenda on job creation. During a one-day special session on Friday, lawmakers in Mississippi approved a $175 million incentive package to bring two high-tech manufacturing facilities to the state. Meanwhile, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon will try again to enact the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA) to support science and tech companies and the Compete Missouri Initiative, both which failed to pass during the regular session. In New Mexico, lawmakers will consider legislation clarifying language in the state's high-wage tax credit statute — a measure Gov. Susana Martinez says will make it easier for employers to retain and hire workers.

Governors in Alabama and Connecticut also may bring legislators back into session, but have yet to make an official announcement.

Spending time at a technology or business incubator may be the key to learning about entrepreneurship. Some universities, seeking to ramp up entrepreneurship programs, are turning to incubators as real-world teachers. A recent Washington Post article points to several business schools pairing traditional education, such as courses and lectures, with less-conventional approaches, including incubators and business competitions to prepare students for opportunities outside the classroom. Recent announcements of new and emerging technology incubators from across the U.S. and Canada are included below.

Pamela Goldberg has been appointed as the executive director of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. Currently, Goldberg serves as director of entrepreneurial leadership at Tufts University.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced the appointment of Greg Canfield as the new director of the Alabama Development Office. Current ADO director Seth Hammett is returning to his position with PowerSouth Energy. Canfield is expected to begin his duties on or before Aug. 1.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich announced that Jim Leftwich is resigning as director of the Development Department. Leftwich, former CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition, stepped in as former director Mark Kvamme moved to a different position within the administration.

Recent announcements of new and emerging technology incubators range from Google's selection of Cape Town, South Africa to launch a pilot incubator supporting technology entrepreneurs that it hopes to replicate globally to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley's plan to create a statewide business incubator focusing on workforce training. Select announcements from across the globe are highlighted below.

Google will set up a new technology incubator called Umbono in Cape Town, South Africa, reports Memeburn. Startup companies selected for inclusion will receive six months of free office space and bandwidth, in addition to $25,000 to $50,000 in funding from a panel of angel investors and Google. The goal is to replicate the model in other parts of the globe. The name means "vision," "sight" or "idea" in Zulu, the article states.

The seventh installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The first six installments are available in the Jan. 5, Jan. 12, Jan. 19, Jan. 26, Feb. 9 and Feb. 23 issues of the Digest.

AlabamaGov. Robert Bentley, State of the State Address, March 1, 2011"The Education Budget I present will preserve, protect and bolster areas that should remain a priority for all of Alabama. ... We will protect the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative. ...

Alabama then-Governor-elect Robert Bentley on January 3 named former House Speaker Seth Hammett as director of the Alabama Development Office, replacing Interim Director Linda Swann. He also appointed the president of the Birmingham-based Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Bill Taylor, to lead efforts to grow and retain existing Alabama industries, while at the same time recruiting new businesses to the state.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper nominated Dwayne Romero, president of Related Snowmass, to be the new director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

Florida Governor Rick Scott fired John Adams, the current president of Enterprise Florida, so that he can choose a new leader to help promote his job creation and economic development agenda.

SSTI Board member Phillip Singerman has been named as the Associate Director for Innovation and Industry Services for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He will assume this position on January 31.

Alabama Gov.-elect Robert Bentley named former house speaker Seth Hammett as the director of the Alabama Development Office.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter announced he will become director of the Center for the New Energy Economy at Colorado State University effective Feb. 1.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder named Michael Finney, current president and CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK, as the new Michigan Economic Development Corp. director, replacing Greg Main. Ann Arbor SPARK announced the appointment of Skip Simms as interim president and CEO.

The Tennessee Biotechnology Association has changed their name to Life Science Tennessee.

Ann Arbor SPARK recently added Bill Mayer as director of their business accelerator team.

Fred Mondragón, New Mexico's economic development secretary announced that he is retiring. Gov. Bill Richardson has appointed Allan Oliver, the deputy secretary of economic development, to replace Mondragón during the final weeks of the administration.

Robert Rosenbaum has been appointed president and executive director of the Maryland Technology Development Corporation. John Wasilisin has been serving as acting president and executive director since Renée Winsky stepped down in July 2009 to become CEO of the Tech Council of Maryland. Wasilisin will now shift to a role as executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Often credited with contributing significant revenue to states' economies, research parks also house facilities for workforce training and provide resources for tech-based industries, which is especially important as the nation's employment begins to pick up steam. In West Virginia, officials are building a $15 million advanced technology-training center at the state-owned research and technology park, and in Utah, officials recently broke ground on a building that will house engineers and analysts working on the nation's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) announced the selection of 10 regional economic development and job creation efforts through a new pilot program, Innovative Economies, that supports small business participation in regional economic clusters. SBA's funding is designed to expand the opportunities and the role small businesses play in these regional collaborations. The awardees were selected from among 173 applicants. Awards went to organizations in: Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio and South Carolina. Read the full release