SSTI Digest

The following were named recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Technology: Alfred Cho, adjunct vice president of semiconductor research at Alcatel-Lucent’s Bell Labs in Murray Hill, N.J. Dean Sicking, professor of civil engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Team in Madison, N.J. Genzyme Corporation in Cambridge, Mass. Semiconductor Research Corporation in Durham, N.C. Xerox Corporation in Stamford, Conn.

Gary Carter is stepping down as the executive director of the Tax Increment Financing Commission in Kansas City to become a senior vice president of Davenport One, a regional economic development agency in Davenport, Iowa.

Augustine Cheng was appointed managing director of Arizona Technology Enterprises.

Steve Gage announced he will retire as president of MAGNET, the Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network, effective July 13. Fatima Weathers will serve as acting president for the manufacturing advocate in Northeast Ohio, beginning July 16.

Craig Heim was named licensing manager for start-up companies at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

Victor Hwang, the immediate past president of Larta Institute, has co-founded T2 Venture Capital.

Nick Sacia is the new executive director of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce in St. Augustine, Fla.

Paul Tonko was elected as president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Tonko replaces Peter Smith, whose resignation is effective at the end of June.

Randy Weiss will serve as an entrepreneur-in-residence within the University of Iowa Research Foundation.

Over the past few months, Congress has been at work on a package of measures to address the competitiveness of the U.S. economy. Two similar, yet distinct, competitiveness bills are currently being reconciled in conference between the House and the Senate. President Bush has voiced several objections to both the Senate and House bills and may even be prepared to veto the legislation if a compromise cannot be reached. Limiting that option for the president is the overwhelming bipartisan support both measures received in both chambers of Congress.   The Senate version of the legislation, also known as the America COMPETES Act (S 761), passed overwhelmingly by an 88-8 margin earlier this year (see the May 23, 2007 issue of the Digest). A few weeks later, the House passed its own measure, HR 2272 by voice vote, which combined five separate bills that were previously approved. Titled the 21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007, HR 2272 packaged together the bills as a necessary step in order to move to conference with the Senate.   The unified House bill prescribes a major increase in federal funding for R&D and STEM education…

As July 1 approaches, the beginning of the 2008 fiscal year for most states, several state legislatures are still working to wrap up their appropriation bills. Maine and Tennessee are two of the most recent to close their books on next year’s budgets, and each has included increased funds to support TBED initiatives. Highlights for both states are provided below. MaineIn light of the $50 million R&D bond referendum passed by the legislature earlier this year, additional funds were included in the FY 2008-09 biennial budget for the Maine Technology Institute (MTI). MTI will receive $750,000 each year of the biennium to administer the bond that will be voted on in November (see the April 9, 2007 issue of the Digest). In addition, $2.5 million was appropriated for a new Cluster Enhancement Fund. Lawmakers cut $55,000 from MTI’s Applied Technology Development Centers, and no new funds were included for the Maine Economic Improvement Fund, which supports university research. The much-larger bond, if passed, will provide competitive awards to continue to fund university R&D activities. Manufacturing…

State Also Begins Work on $150M Stem Cell Research Center An agreement between Gov. Jon Corzine and state legislative leaders will result in a $450 million bond referendum being put before New Jersey voters this fall. If approved, the money will be used to augment support for the state’s stem cell research initiative over the next 10 years. New Jersey already has committed to spending $270 million on stem cell research (see the Jan 8, 2007 issue of the Digest)   On the same day the bond issue agreement was announced, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJ EDA) approved $9.2 million in preconstruction costs for the planned Stem Cell Institute facilities in New Brunswick. The New Brunswick Development Corporation will oversee the development of the new research facilities. Major construction is slated to begin next year and is expected to conclude sometime in 2011.   In the meantime, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey will continue their collaboration through the institute, a portion of which is…