SSTI Digest

The nation's most significant source of funding for life science research, the National Institutes of Health, announced two sweeping changes last week that could dramatically alter biotechnology commercialization. The first policy change addresses known and potential conflicts of interest by NIH employees, while the second encourages all NIH-funded research to be released publicly within 12 months of final publication.

The latest email from the Reseau Innovation Network's Innovation Newsletter out of Canada and the D.C.-based Public Forum Institute's National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship called to SSTI's attention two websites with online access to more than 60 academic research papers of potential interest and importance to those interested in encouraging economic growth through innovation, technology commercialization, entrepreneurship and public policy.

SSTI will highlight selected papers in Digest articles over the coming weeks, but links to all of the works and brief introductions to the sites are provided below.

In January, Rhode Island's Tech Collective announced the creation of BioGroup, a subsidiary to focus on the needs of the state's life science industry. The new organization will serve as the state affiliate to the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

The San Diego Regional Technology Alliance has become a component of CONNECT at the University of California-San Diego. Under the new name, RTA@CONNECT, the Alliance will focus on delivering training and entrepreneurial assistance services.

By the end of the week, SSTI will be sending Digest subscribers our ninth annual review of the president's federal budget proposal. We will highlight dozens of science and technology programs and initiatives of interest to our readers. Early indications are the 2006 request, released this afternoon, if enacted would result in significant changes for nearly every program of importance for the tech-based economic development (TBED) community. A few leaked headlines over the past few days set an ominous tone: CDBG and Treasury programs merged with the Economic Development Administration and cut by $13 billion; and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership slashed 57 percent.

Grappling with record deficits and a pledge to cut the deficit in half over four years, the Administration's budget proposal, as always, will reveal its priorities for strengthening the country's position as the leader of the global knowledge economy.

Gov. John Huntsman, Jr. named Jack Brittain, dean of the University of Utah Business School, vice president in charge of the new Office of Technology Ventures. Brittain, dubbed the "innovation czar," will continue to lead the business school in addition to his new position.