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SSTI Digest
Filling a Gap in the Nation's High-Speed Networks
Summer is road construction season for much of the country. A necessary inconvenience for maintaining our transportation system because connectivity is a fundamental requirement for commerce. For two parties to exchange goods, services or knowledge, they have to be able to find each other. The location and capacity of transportation infrastructures - sea ports, railways and interstate highways - very much determines the opportunity for and extent of economic growth. In a knowledge-based global economy, fiber connectivity is increasingly critical for supporting a regional innovation structure.
Useful Stats: 2003 Federal Obligations per S&E Graduate Student, by State
A new National Science Foundation (NSF) report shows graduate enrollment in S&E increased by 4.2 percent from 2002, reaching a record high of 474,203 students in fall 2003. Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in S&E: Fall 2003 presents the distribution of graduate students in science and engineering (S&E) by academic fields, demographics, institution and state. Data contained in the report represent estimates of S&E enrollment from 12,261 graduate departments at 591 institutions in the U.S. and outlying areas.
Using the report and NSF's data on 2003 federal R&D obligations to academic institutions, SSTI has prepared a table ranking federal R&D obligations per S&E graduate student by state. Results show Vermont led the nation in federal R&D obligations at $137.89 per student in 2003. Maryland ranked second with federal R&D obligations per student at $121.37, followed by Alaska ($97.57), New Hampshire ($96.01) and Washington ($93.93).
Job Corner: SSTI Seeks Policy Analyst
SSTI, a growing nonprofit organization serving the nation's tech-based economic development (TBED) community, seeks a policy analyst to research and prepare reports, articles and papers on TBED and assist with SSTI events. Excellent research abilities, strong writing and verbal skills and solid understanding of government are required. Candidates must have ability to work independently or as part of a committed team and be dedicated to creating a quality product. Those with a passion for economic development and/or government will have an edge. Salary commensurate with experience. Position located in Westerville, OH. Send cover letter, resume, and list of references to: SSTI, Human Resources; 5015 Pine Creek Dr., Westerville, OH 43081 http://www.ssti.org or via e-mail to hr@ssti.org.
People
George Burrell is the new president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia.
Randy Goldsmith, is the new president and CEO of the Mississippi Technology Alliance. Goldsmith formerly was Assistant Vice President for Technology Transfer and Economic Development at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.
Krista Paternostro is the new vice president of operations at the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
People
Randy Goldsmith, is the new president and CEO of the Mississippi Technology Alliance. Goldsmith formerly was Assistant Vice President for Technology Transfer and Economic Development at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio.
People
Krista Paternostro is the new vice president of operations at the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
Digest, Funding Supplement Take Fourth of July Break
This week's Funding Supplement will be sent on Thursday, June 29. With the Fourth of July holiday, neither the SSTI Weekly Digest or Funding Supplement will be published next week.
Legislative Actions & Tech Talkin' Govs 2006, Part V
The fifth installment to Walkin' the Tech Talkin' Gov Walk (see the April 17, May 8, June 5 and June 12 issues of the Digest) covers the outcome of the 2006 Massachusetts legislative sessions. Following is a synopsis of bills passed and budget appropriations relevant to tech-based economic development and the priorities outlined in respective gubernatorial addresses at the beginning of 2006.
Massachusetts
Flush with Cash, States Spend and Cut
Four short years ago, 37 states were in fiscal crisis, many making several rounds of deep spending cuts to cope with the most dramatic reduction in revenues in 20 years. In all, more than $15 billion were shaved from state budgets. Twenty-one states experienced negative revenue growth in FY 2003, forcing even deeper cuts. The fiscal winter of '02-'03 slowed many states' strategies for supporting growth in their knowledge-based economies.
In contrast, the latest June 2006 Fiscal Survey of the States, prepared by the National Association of State Budget Officers and the National Governors Association, reveals only four states were forced to reduce enacted budgets during FY 2006 because of revenues falling short of projections when budgets were enacted. The four were Indiana, Louisiana (post-Katrina), New Jersey and Rhode Island.
EDA Seeds $3M Growth Fund in Washington
A $1.46 million grant from the Economic Development Administration to the Sirti Foundation is making possible a $3 million loan fund to technology companies within a 10-county region of Eastern Washington. The program provides another example of the non-traditional use of EDA funds to support tech-based economic development strategies. In addition, the deal structure may serve as a model to help other public agencies encourage TBED activities typically outside the scope or possibility of many public entities.
Offshore Outsourcing Hurts IT Labor Markets
Despite industry claims to the contrary, the recovery of the U.S. information technology (IT) sector has not created enough new jobs for IT workers, according to a new report from the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers. Information Technology Labor Markets: Rebounding, but Slowly reveals that the recent increase in IT spending has not led to a full recovery in the labor market.
The Alliance worked with the University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Urban Economic Development (CUED) to prepare the report. CUED finds that only 76,300 IT jobs have been created in the U.S. since April 2003. This represents less than a quarter of the 383,100 jobs lost during the 2001-2003 recession. IT employment growth remains sluggish and well below pre-recession levels.