SSTI Digest

Regional and industry cries of a highly skilled worker shortage, particularly for scientists and engineers appear well grounded based on a recent InfoBrief from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Foundation reports in 2006, the unemployment rate for scientists and engineers in the U.S. fell to 2.5 percent. Decreasing from 3.2 percent in 2003, the figure is the lowest unemployment rate measured since the early 1990s using the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System, NSF reports.
 
The findings are quite sobering when paired with this week’s release of the widely covered report by America’s Promise Alliance that reveals more than 1.1 million children in the U.S. drop out of high school each year.

This week's issue of Southern Compass, the electronic newsletter published by the Southern Growth Policies Board, suggested its readers check out the March 27, 2008, edition of Education Week, which is dedicated to examining what states are doing to improve science, technology, engineering and math education (STEM). STEM education is considered one of the highest priorities by many groups for the U.S. to maintain its global leadership in innovation and competitiveness.

Lexington, Ky., Mayor Jim Newberry announced last week a college scholarship plan targeting students pursing degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields as a means to transform the local economy into a globally competitive community by investing in the city’s youth.
 
The proposed Lexington First Fund would provide full tuition to every Fayette County high school graduate for up to four years at any institution of higher education located within an hour’s drive of Lexington. The only requirement is that students must pursue an associate or bachelor’s degree in a STEM field or a teaching degree in one of these fields. The idea is that by encouraging residents to pursue STEM fields, the local economy will reap the benefits of a highly skilled workforce. The plan also aims to promote attendance at local institutes of higher education and attract high-tech industries to the city.
 

A growing number of academic researchers and TBED practitioners are taking interest in the emerging subject of open innovation. Like all new concepts and business practices, open innovation is not well understood by broader audiences and under-researched in the academic community. Tobias Fredberg, Maria Elmquist and Susanne Ollila from Chamlers University of Technology in Sweden attempt to address both needs in a recent paper, Managing Open Innovation – Present Findings and Future Directions.

The secret is out – and it’s fairly simple. All you need is an outstanding TBED initiative with proven success that stands out among the crowd.
 
SSTI often receives news and updates on programs that are improving our nation’s competitiveness through science, technology and innovation. Now, we are calling upon the TBED community to share these success stories – and we’ll reward you for your efforts. All you have to do is put it in writing, and we promise it will be well worth your time. As an award winner, you will:

• Receive accolades and honors on SSTI's website and in the SSTI Weekly Digest;
• Bask in the glory of being a featured presenter during SSTI’s annual conference in Cleveland, Oct. 15-16, 2008; and,
• Take home an elegant vase embossed with your organization’s name – more a work of art than a trophy!

Send us your story by May 16!

The Beaver County (Pa.) CO-OP announced it will change its name to StartingGate. The incubator will continue to assist entrepreneurs and new business start-ups and help expand existing businesses.

Joe Dedman was chosen as the first executive director of the Southeast Indiana WIRED.

Brian DuBoff was named the director of Maryland's southern region Small Business Development Center, which is hosted by the College of Southern Maryland.

Barbara Goodman has joined the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization as its executive director.

Mark Long has stepped down as the CEO of the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp.

Last week, SSTI reported the draft SBIR Reauthorization bill circulated by the House Small Business Committee in mid-March included language that would reauthorize the Federal & State Technology Partnership (FAST) for two years at its current $10 million level. FAST was created with the 2000 SBIR reauthorization and received appropriations through the Small Business Administration (SBA) for three of the next four years.
 
In its first iteration between 2000-2004, FAST received mixed reviews. It could be made better through the present reauthorization process. Before that, however, an important and often overlooked point must be made: there is little to no criticism with the underlying concept or mission of FAST to provide financial support to state and local efforts to promote the federal SBIR program and improve the quality of small business participation in SBIR across the country.
 

On March 25, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Thomas Dorr announced that Open Range Communications, headquartered in Denver, Colo., will receive a $267 million loan from USDA Rural Development to provide broadband service to 518 rural communities in 17 states. The commitment represents one of the largest public-private investments for broadband service by the federal government, the USDA reports. It is also the first USDA Rural Development investment to support Wi-Max technology.
 
The Open Range project is intended to cover more than six million people and serve more than 447,000 households within five years. In addition, the services are expected to help create jobs and business opportunities in the project's 17 states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin.
 

Adjourning from the 2008 legislative session on March 13, Virginia legislators passed the fiscal year 2008-10 biennial budget but immediately called for a special session to resolve differences in the proposed capital outlay plan that supports university R&D and commercialization efforts. 
 
Gov. Tim Kaine unveiled the bond package in December, which includes funding to upgrade university research buildings and laboratories and purchase new research equipment. The bond package also targets construction projects focused on developing a skilled workforce (see the Dec. 19, 2007 issue of the Digest). Lawmakers will reconvene April 23 to act on the bond package and to consider the governor’s amendments and vetoes to the state budget.
 
Faced with a projected budget shortfall of $339 million for the remaining fiscal year and more than $1 billion in FY09-10, Gov. Kaine announced last month a revised budget revenue proposal to his original recommendations unveiled late last year.
 

Idaho’s entrepreneurial support centers managed to survive the legislative session with half of their annual appropriation intact in the fiscal year 2009 state budget, despite being zeroed out in Gov. Butch Otter’s budget recommendation earlier this year.
 
Lawmakers allocated $150,000 for the TechConnect Centers within the Department of Commerce – down $150,000 from the previous two years. The legislation requires TechConnect to report to the Joint Finance Appropriations Committee at the interim spring meeting on all activity dating back to FY06, including detailed information on all interactions with businesses, the amount of time and money invested, and the outcome of the investments.
 
The Department of Commerce will receive $33.9 million, down from the estimated $54.9 million in FY08 expenditures. This includes $600,000 for the Business and Jobs Development Fund, $100,000 for the Rural Initiative Program and $100,000 for Small Business Assistance Grants. No funding was included for the Entrepreneurial Fund.
 

Three of the major thrusts for the research investments of many states –  hydrogen energy technologies, nanomanufacturing, and intelligent and integrated manufacturing – are the focus of a new report by a federal Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing R&D. Manufacturing the Future: Federal Priorities for Manufacturing R&D describes the significance of each of the three critical manufacturing R&D areas, details the challenges essential for progress, discusses existing interagency collaborations and provides recommendations for future research.
 
The report provides academic and state policymakers the opportunity to compare how well their research investments in the critical sectors match the needs identified by the federal agencies. As the Interagency Working Group was comprised of 15 departments, agencies and organizations in the federal government, future federal research funding opportunities could be influenced by the report. The group worked under the auspices of the National Science and Technology Council’s Committee on Technology.
 

By now, you've probably seen many of the articles covering the record number of earmarks academic institutions secured in the federal FY 2008 budget. The Chronicle of Higher Education identified more than 2,300 individual projects distributed across 920 institutions - mostly for research. The figure is 25 percent higher than the previous record and totals at least $2.25 billion. The wealth, though, is also more distributed this year than previously. The Chronicle released a table of the top 843 institutions at: http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i29/4529nonshared_earmarks.htm

As a service to the public, the esteemed publication has made available a free searchable database of all of the earmarks it identified. Records, searchable by state and agency, include the institution's name, the federal agency involved, the specific dollar amount of the noncompetitive award, a description of the project, and the congressional sponsors.

The database is available at http://chronicle.com/stats/pork/.