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SSTI Digest
Useful Stats: 2003 Federal S&E Obligations to Universities and Colleges, by State
The federal government distributed $26.7 billion to universities in the U.S. in fiscal year 2003 - a 9.4 percent increase from the FY 2002 total of $24.4 billion, a recently released National Science Foundation report reveals. Federal Science and Engineering Support to Universities, Colleges, and Nonprofit Institutions: Fiscal Year 2003 details federal science & engineering (S&E) activities to the nation's institutions of higher education.
The NSF report divides federal S&E obligations to universities into six categories: R&D; R&D plant; facilities and equipment for S&E instruction; fellowships, traineeships and training grants; general support for S&E; and other S&E activities.
Participate in Southern Growth's Manufacturer Information Technology Survey
Southern Growth Policies Board, in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has designed a survey to identify the needs of small and medium-sized manufacturers in the area of information technology. The 20-question survey takes only a few minutes to complete and the results will be used to develop new programs to help small and medium-sized manufacturers. To participate, visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=358482117916. For more information, contact Charity Pennock at cpennock@southern.org.
People
Phil Bond will become president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of America in August. Bond formerly was undersecretary for technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Joni Cobb is the first president of KTEC Pipeline, Kansas's new technology entrepreneurship fellowship program.
John Hanson has joined the staff of the University of Connecticut Office of Technology Commercialization to serve as director for the new Tech-Knowledge Portal.
Rob Jaffe, director of federal funding programs with Innovation Philadelphia, is resigning to become a senior underwriter for Institutional Lending at Commerce Bank.
People
Phil Bond will become president and CEO of the Information Technology Association of America in August. Bond formerly was undersecretary for technology in the U.S. Department of Commerce.
People
Joni Cobb is the first president of KTEC Pipeline, Kansas's new technology entrepreneurship fellowship program.
People
John Hanson has joined the staff of the University of Connecticut Office of Technology Commercialization to serve as director for the new Tech-Knowledge Portal.
People
Rob Jaffe, director of federal funding programs with Innovation Philadelphia, is resigning to become a senior underwriter for Institutional Lending at Commerce Bank.
People
Brian Thompson, formerly a managing director of Wisconsin's TechStar, is now senior advisor for research and strategic initiatives at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Foundation.
Legislative Actions & Tech Talkin' Govs 2006, Part IV
The fourth installment to Walkin' the Tech Talkin' Gov Walk (see the April 17 , May 8 and June 5 issues of the Digest) covers the outcomes of the 2006 legislative sessions within Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota and Vermont. 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.
Colorado
Gov. Bill Owens signed into law a $26.5 million economic development package, which includes investments in bioscience and job creation. While the bulk of the funds are slated for increasing tourism ($19 million), two of the bills include funds aimed at increasing science and technology research and creating better jobs in the state.
College Incubators, Seed Funds OK, IRS Says
Does increasing a university or community college's involvement in tech-based economic development - through technology incubators or early-stage capital programs - detract from the nonprofit, educational purpose of the institution? Fortunately, for many state and regional TBED strategies, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says no. The IRS recently released a ruling affirming the nonprofit status of a college foundation planning to unveil a new high-tech incubator and pre-seed capital fund. The potential benefit of this investment to the college protects the organization's 501(c)(3) status, and the deductibility of its outside contributions, the ruling states.
South Must Shift Values to Accommodate Knowledge Economy, Report Says
Promoting the policies and harnessing the habits that will make innovation central to a Southern way of life requires a fundamental shift in the approach to knowledge itself, says the latest report by the Southern Growth Policies Board.
The report, Innovation with a Southern Accent: The 2006 Report on the Future of the South, offers recommendations for 13 states and Puerto Rico to transition the region into a more knowledgeable, innovative and prosperous South.
In preparing the report, Southern Growth hosted retreats, community forums, policy dialogues and surveys involving about 4,000 southern residents. In a section titled, "Listening to the South", the report provides details on the concerns voiced by participants regarding technology and innovation. According to the report, six major themes emerged from the discussions, including:
Recent Research: Harnessing Geographic Knowledge Spillovers to Fuel Regional Growth
[Editor's Note: SSTI is excited to welcome Phillip Battle to its staff as a policy analyst. The author of this article, Phil recently received his Master in Public Affairs degree from the LBJ School at the University of Texas at Austin. His area of research interest is technology policy and economic development.]
A forthcoming article from Regional Studies suggests that despite the rise of the Internet as a global medium for the distribution of knowledge, location still matters within the innovation community. Proximity and industry networks speed the transmission of new technologies, which in turn accelerates regional growth.