SSTI Digest

The winding down of the space shuttle program in Florida’s Space Coast by the Obama administration in 2010 spurred a transition in NASA’s areas of focus, including an increased emphasis on commercializing technologies and industry partnerships. NASA recently announced several new initiatives with tech firms, universities, and state agencies geared toward investing in cutting-edge research and technology and developing an educated workforce. In Northeast Ohio, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to commercializing a steady stream of NASA technologies is underway in partnership with TBED organizations and local industry leaders, reports Crain’s Cleveland Business. Called E4T for Effective Entrepreneurship Education and Economic Development for Technology, the group will recruit students tasked with finding profitable ways to use NASA Glenn technologies, the article states. Students from local colleges or high schools would work with current and retired technical experts at NASA Glenn. Organizers hope to raise enough money from foundations or the federal government to launch the effort by the end of the year. Prominent TBED groups JumpStart and…

Recognizing startup businesses as a powerful force in building stronger local economies, a number of universities across the country have announced significant expansions in their entrepreneurship offerings over the last few weeks. Universities in Missouri and Virginia have announced new and expanded entrepreneurship programs for students, while a nationwide network of top business schools, including Babson College, Stanford University and the University of California, San Francisco, plans to launch an online entrepreneurship program that can be licensed to other schools. The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded $2.5 million in grants through its 2013 University Center Economic Development Program that will be used to support regional entrepreneurship and innovation. Large private donations spurred the increase in entrepreneurship offerings at Virginia’s Old Dominion University (ODU) and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). A $10 million gift to ODU from the Strome Family Foundation will be used to create a new entrepreneurial curriculum for the university, along with an entrepreneurship center, mentoring program and a push for cross…

Amid a national economic recovery, city officials report a recent and persistent skills gap that may signal structural challenges and present serious barriers to sustained growth for metros. Nearly nine in 10 city officials (88 percent) note that workforce alignment has not improved over the past year, according to a recent survey on city fiscal conditions from the National League of Cities (NLC). Meanwhile, new business growth, as represented by indicators of entrepreneurial activity and new business permits, is showing signs of improvement. Unlike most other economic indicators, city officials report that workforce skills are not keeping pace with employer demand and more than half of city officials (53 percent) say that current local workforce skills are posing a problem for the economic health of their communities. Moreover, 82 percent of city officials responded that the percentage of the population with a post-secondary degree has not increased over the past year. Local officials have become deeply involved in discussions on how to better train workers for the jobs likely to emerge within their cities and towns, said Neil Bomberg, program director for Human…

Threats to America's cybersecurity continue to make headlines, underscoring the growing importance of protecting our country's digital infrastructure. As national security experts continue to grapple with how to address the challenge, the federal government is stepping up to coordinate state cybersecurity efforts. In an effort to promote our country's economic security and boost innovation and competitiveness, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working with states and the private sector to develop a framework for national cybersecurity standards. States are capitalizing on the increased coordination to build public-private partnerships that seed industry growth. The impact of cyber crime on innovation is devastating. U.S. industry losses of intellectual property to data theft in 2008 alone amounted to as much as $1 trillion, according to the Department of Commerce. In May 2009, President Obama accepted the recommendations of the Department of Homeland Security's Cyberspace Policy Review, which included the appointment of a Cybersecurity Coordinator who can work with state and local governments as well as the private sector to…

Two universities, the University of New Mexico (Albuquerque, NM) and the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ), are expanding or restructuring their economic development operations to improve commercialization of technology stemming from faculty research and the coordination and business development in their communities. The University of New Mexico's Science and Technology Corporation (STC) will assume economic development responsibilities for the university. The STC is a nonprofit organization that has managed the university's technology commercialization since 1994. In its new role, the STC will coordinate all university-related economic development operations. The STC will function as the innovation door between the academic community and the general public, including businesses, national laboratories like the Sandia National Laboratory and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and public entities. The new scope of the STC is modeled on the Innovation Square in Gainesville, FL, which includes the Florida Innovation Hub, and will bring together university research and technology with private business. STC will interact with local businesses to determine the…

As the 2013 legislative session draws to a close for several states, lawmakers approved measures to create new opportunities for economic growth or expand investments in programs demonstrating positive outcomes. Lawmakers in Georgia increased funding for established university-based research initiatives and set up a state-run venture capital fund to invest in innovative companies. In Virginia, a new cybersecurity accelerator will help propel technology and companies in an emerging sector. GeorgiaDuring this year's legislative session, lawmakers boosted funding for university-based research initiatives, set up a venture capital fund to invest in startups, and passed a bill enabling more students to gain eligibility for scholarships at technical colleges. Funding for the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), a nonprofit organization that receives state funding to build university research, development and commercialization capacity, is increased by $7.7 million over last year for a total $21.5 million. Of this amount, $12.5 million is appropriated in the capital budget as bond funding to purchase equipment and fund R&D infrastructure. In the coming year,…

Through a combination of new funding in the current budget and legislative measures aimed at coordinating state efforts and measuring progress, Gov. Bob McDonnell hopes to showcase Virginia as the premier destination for entrepreneurs to start or relocate a business. New funding, to the tune of nearly $10 million, would be used to establish a regional accelerator grant program, cybersecurity accelerator, and career pathways development program, among others. Building on the last year's science and technology investments (see the June 20, 2012 issue of the Digest), the governor hopes his agenda will add new tools and resources to encourage startup growth and more closely align education and job creation. The additional funding requested by Gov. McDonnell is part of the amendments to the current 2012-14 budget and is targeted toward the following initiatives: $2.5 million for a cybersecurity accelerator created by the Center for Innovative Technology. The CIT accelerator would focus solely on cybersecurity company creation and initially produce up to 20 new companies per year. $1.75 million for State and Regional Pathways Development, including funding for…

SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned for its 13th annual edition. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses across the nation. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, and Virginia. North DakotaGov. Jack Dalrymple, State of the State Address, Jan. 8, 2013“A year ago we set out on a state visioning process called 2020 and Beyond. We partnered with the North Dakota Chamber of Commerce and held meetings throughout the state to hear people's own ideas about how to create a better future for our state. ... “... We also heard that people in North Dakota are looking for more diversity in their career opportunities. This led us to recommend a new streamlined approach to the concept of public-private joint ventures that are based on ideas coming out of our research universities. We propose calling it Research ND, leveraging our universities to partner in ventures that create interesting, high-paying jobs.” New HampshireGov. Maggie Hassan, Inaugural…

Amid the economic uncertainty surrounding fiscal cliff negotiations, and what it means for states, some governors are erring on the side of caution when it comes to funding recommendations for the upcoming year. At the same time, several state budget officers are projecting significant revenue shortfalls in the current fiscal year or biennium as a result of lower than expected tax collections. States could lose an estimated $7.5 billion in federal funding if the automatic spending cuts take effect for 161 grant programs, according to a recent analysis by the Associated Press. States with heavy defense spending, such as California, Texas and Virginia could also take a hit with $33.6 billion in cuts slated for military and defense contractors. In the coming months, governors from across the nation will present their State of the State addresses — a key time to unveil new and expanded TBED programs. But for some states, shoring up budgets and preparing for worst case scenarios is the top priority. Following is a synopsis of recent news announcing budget deficits throughout the states and possible short- and long-term solutions from state officials.…

While election night's main focus was on the presidential race, the importance of ballot measures for states and metros is growing as public services and budgets are being severely trimmed. A recent article in The New Republic reports on a new trend where states are embracing ballot measures as a potential source of dedicated funds for targeted investments in regional economic growth and development. Aside from California Gov. Jerry Brown's victory in raising taxes on top earners to help fund education and balance the budget, most state measures to increase taxes were defeated by voters. This includes extending a one-cent sales tax increase in Arizona, a cigarette tax increase in Missouri and implementing a 1 percent sales tax increase in South Dakota — all of which were slated to fund education. Voters were more supportive of borrowing to invest in higher education infrastructure, but rejected measures to improve teacher standards and build new revenue streams for universities. The only energy issue on the ballot appeared in Michigan and failed to garner enough voter support. Measures to provide more state authority for providing economic…

Unlike last year when a wave of new governors pushed sweeping proposals to re-organize economic development activities and grow the economy, the 2012 legislative sessions brought mostly modest changes for tech-based initiatives. While many programs were level funded or received smaller increases than in previous years, a handful of states increased funds or introduced new initiatives to support economic development efforts. Colorado lawmakers provided additional funds to attract new companies, Connecticut lawmakers expanded programs from last year's Jobs Bill, and in Virginia lawmakers accepted the governor's amendments to add funds for research and commercialization initiatives. ColoradoAfter several weeks of negotiations, lawmakers ultimately approved a $4 million funding boost for economic development incentives requested by Gov. John Hickenlooper last year to help the state attract high-wage jobs. The governor asked for $6 million for the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), which is typically funded at $1 million per year (see the Nov. 16, 2011 issue of the Digest). The budget signed by the governor included a total…

Tom Walker is departing i2E to join TechColumbus as CEO. Walker, a founding member of i2E, has served the private nonprofit for 14 years. Walker replaces Tim Haynes, who has been serving as interim CEO. Mark Herzog will step down as executive director of the Virginia Biotechnology Association on June 1. Herzog will serve as senior vice president for corporate and government affairs at Health Diagnostic Laboratory, a Richmond-based company that conducts clinical tests. Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant named Brent Christensen executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority. For the past 10 years, he has served as president and CEO of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce in Florida. James Grunke has been named the president and CEO of the Missoula Economic Partnership. Grunke has been the interim director for the past six months. Steve VanNurden has been named president and CEO of Fitzsimons Redevelopment Authority, beginning in late May. VanNurden currently is chair of Mayo Clinic Ventures.