SSTI Digest

The two position opportunities described below were recently posted on the SSTI Job Corner. More information, including complete details on responsibilities, qualifications and application deadlines (when available), is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. Purdue University seeks an individual with vision and demonstrated leadership skills to serve as the Avrum and Joyce Gray Director of Purdue University's Burton D. Morgan Center of Entrepreneurship (BDMCE). The mission of the BDMCE is to facilitate the commercialization of promising Purdue University and Discovery Park intellectual property and technology, to involve and familiarize Purdue undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students with all aspects of entrepreneurship, and to enhance entrepreneurial activities throughout the state of Indiana. The director should hold a doctorate degree, and/or an MBA or its equivalent, and must have demonstrated success in entrepreneurial activities.

The venture capital fund investing in biotechnology companies that locate to the North Carolina Research Campus is doubling its holdings to $200 million. This substantial increase is a result of a donation provided by David Murdock, the billionaire businessman and owner of Castle and Cooke Inc. who also provided the initial $100 million to start the fund. The venture capital fund is an integral component of the $1.5 billion biotechnology hub being constructed in Kannapolis, N.C.    Located between Charlotte and the Research Triangle, Kannapolis is a city of 39,000 residents that was heavily impacted by the bankruptcy of the Pillowtex textile corporation in 2003. The subsequent closing of the local manufacturing facility laid off 4,300 employees in Kannapolis, alone, part of the largest permanent layoff in the history of North Carolina.  

In a time of tightening budgets and funding shortfalls, many institutions are searching for innovative sources of capital to finance their investment needs. Financial Innovations for Accelerating Medical Solutions, a recent report from the Milken Institute, provides some insight on inventive ways to raise capital for the biotechnology industry.    Milken convened two workshops in the fall of 2005, one in Santa Monica and one in New York City, of various stakeholders in the drug development process. These workshops included patent brokers and intellectual property lawyers, private equity investors and analysts, insurance consultants, biotechnology entrepreneurs, academics, and members of foundations. The report decries the lack of venture capital for early-stage product investments, especially between the preclinical and clinical stages of development.   Six main recommendations are provided to reduce credit risk, attract investors, and accelerate commercialization in a broad range of disease areas:

On Oct. 31, SSTI will offer four exciting options as pre-conference activities. Registration is separate from the full conference fee. Transforming a Regional Economy: Moving Forward Together How does a medium-sized city in a small state accomplish big things? How was a down-at-the-heels tract of urban landscape transformed into a 27-acre research park featuring a seven-building complex with 600,000 sq. ft. of Class A wet lab space and a 97 percent occupancy rate? How did the city convince its citizens to support one of the largest capital improvement projects in the country one that has already yielded more than $2.4 billion in public and private investment? This full-day session will provide answers and insights from the key players in the initiatives that have radically transformed the face of the community.

Starting next year, every Rhode Island high school student will be able to participate in the Vex Challenge, an international robotics competition that gives students firsthand experience with project management and engineering. A coalition of education and science and technology advocates, led by the nonprofit Business Innovation Factory, will cover the costs to schools and funding for an annual statewide tournament beginning in 2007. Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri has endorsed the program, which he calls an important part of our plan for educating Rhode Islands next generation of science, technology, and engineering leaders.  

FSU hopes new hires will enhance reputation The competition for the superstars of the research world is heating up, as more and more universities create programs to attract research faculty to their campuses. One of the most ambitious in the country is Florida State University's Pathways to Excellence program. FSU intends to hire 200 tenured or tenured-track professors within a five-year period, with the intention of transforming the quality of its Ph.D. programs.  

Southern Growth Policies Board, a regional public policy think tank, is accepting nominations for its 2007 Innovator Awards. These awards are presented annually to recognize innovative southern initiatives that improve the quality of life in the organization's 13-state region - Ala., Ark., Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia - and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The 2007 Innovator Awards will be chosen from initiatives that address workforce development challenges. Each nominated initiative must use technology as an integral component to accomplish goals; be truly unique; be something more than a new product, process or service; and provide a track record or other measures of success. In addition, nominated programs must be unique and have a proven track record or other reliable measures of future success.

While politicians across the nation are worrying about where their paycheck will come from in January, TBED programs are determining the best investments elected officials should make for transforming regional economies to be more competitive in a knowledge economy. Join SSTI in Oklahoma City Nov. 1-2 to learn about some of the most successful TBED strategies around the country and trends that should influence future directions. More information is available at http://www.ssti.org/conference06.htm.

The Illinois Technology Development Alliance (ITDA) is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation providing entrepreneur training, commercialization, and technology transition services for government, major research institutions, and corporations. ITDA is looking for a president who will work closely with the organization's board to establish a work plan and priorities to fulfill the mission of the ITDA and will have operating responsibility for the successful implementation of the plan. He or she also will serve as a key public leader in the state and region advocating for the technology sector. The presidents position requires a leader with exceptional experience and capability. More information on this opportunity is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. return to the top of the page

Wes Blakeslee is the new acting director of the Office of Licensing and Technology Development at Johns Hopkins University. Blakeslee replaces Jill Sorensen, who resigned last month. William Carney is the new president and CEO of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, a private, nonprofit regional economic development organization in southern California. Carney replaces Paul Hiller, who left earlier this month to take a similar job in Boise, Idaho. Ramiro Cavazos is resigning as economic development director for the City of San Antonio to become director of research and economic development for the University of Texas Health Science Center, effective Nov. 3. The Northeast Iowa Business Accelerator named Brian Dalziel as its first regional director.

Wes Blakeslee is the new acting director of the Office of Licensing and Technology Development at Johns Hopkins University. Blakeslee replaces Jill Sorensen, who resigned last month.

William Carney is the new president and CEO of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership, a private, nonprofit regional economic development organization in southern California. Carney replaces Paul Hiller, who left earlier this month to take a similar job in Boise, Idaho.