SSTI Digest

Sen. Patrick Hogan announced he would step down from the Maryland State Senate to become vice chancellor for government relations for the University System of Maryland.

Steve Lehmkuhle was named the first chancellor of the University of Minnesota-Rochester, effective Sept. 7. Lehmkuhle previously was the vice president for academic affairs at the University of Missouri.

Joan Myers resigned as president and chief executive of the North Carolina Technology Association to join the global public policy division at a local software company. Myers' resignation is effective Aug. 21.

The New Mexico SBIR Outreach Center exists again, following a year's hibernation.

The Northern Kentucky E-Zone has become a part of the Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corp. The E-Zone will operate as a program of Tri-ED, with Casey Barach, the former head of E-Zone, leading the program as vice president of entrepreneurship services for Tri-ED.

The Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence is now the Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance.

Elaine Pullen resigned as chairman of Connecticut Innovations to focus on her consulting business.

Colin Scanes is the new vice chancellor for research and economic development at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Scanes formerly was the chief economic development strategist at Mississippi State University.

John Weete, president and executive director of the West Virginia University Research Corp., was named executive director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. Weete starts his new position Sept. 1.

Oregon lawmakers haveagreed to fund nearly all of Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s innovation proposals, including investments in seven new industry initiatives and the creation of two new signature research centers. The innovation plan passed by lawmakers falls $10 million short of the original $38 million proposal introduced by the Oregon Innovation Council and included in Gov. Kulongoski’s fiscal year 2007-09 budget released in December 2006 (see the Dec. 18, 2006 issue of the Digest).   Gov. Kulongoski signed four bills encompassing the initiative, Senate Bills 5508, 579 and 582 and House Bill 5035. SB 5508 includes $9 million over the biennium for Oregon’s first signature research center, the Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI) - $1 million less than the governor’s recommendation - and $2.5 million for a new signature research center, the Bio-Economy and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Center. Research conducted by the BEST Center will focus on clean energy, bio-based products and green building.   Additionally, SB 5508 includes $2.9 million to support manufacturing competitiveness, such as advanced training…

After running on a month-long stopgap budget, North Carolina lawmakers reached a $20.7 billion budget agreement for fiscal year 2007-08 earlier this week that includes funding for major research initiatives, public and higher education, and TBED-related items.   Under the budget agreement signed Tuesday by Gov. Mike Easley, University of North Carolina (UNC)-Chapel Hill is slated to receive $25 million this year, $40 million next year and a recurring $50 million in future years to expand cancer research. Funding for the initiative comes from a 10 percent increase on tobacco products other than cigarettes, $21.2 million in general fund revenue over the biennium, and $8 million from the Tobacco Trust Fund each year.   In keeping with a legislative mandated study enacted last year, the budget appropriates $5 million to establish the North Carolina Biofuels Center. The action plan, Fueling North Carolina’s Future: North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership, outlines nine strategies for the coming decade to strengthen the state’s future in biofuels development and use.   The budget…

A majority of angel investment groups report that the quality and quantity of their deal flow increased last year, according to a recent national survey of angel investors. Roughly 54 percent reported an increase in activity in 2006, and almost 58 percent expect even more investments and higher quality deals throughout 2007.   The Angel Group Confidence Report, conducted by the Angel Capital Association, is a first-of-its-kind overview of the U.S. angel market. The list of respondents includes angel investment groups of all stripes, from Southern California’s 300-member TechCoast Angels to groups with fewer than 10 accredited investors. The average group invested $1.78 million last year (with a median of $1.06 million). Groups invested an average of $240,000 per round.   Much of this newfound optimism appears to be tied to growth within high-tech industries. Almost 60 percent of respondents reported investments in software, biotechnology and medical devices in 2006. Over 75 percent of angel groups expressed an interest in investing in medical devices or software.   The vast majority of these…