SSTI Digest

Jeff Edwards recently was named interim president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Utah (EDCU). Edwards replaces Christopher Roybal, who will serve as the senior adviser for economic development for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., starting next year.

David Gibson, chief business officer of The Governor's Office of Economic Opportunity in Montana, has accepted a new position as associate commissioner for economic development. Beginning Jan. 3, Gibson will serve under Commissioner of Higher Education Sheila Stearns.

Dr. John Reed, president and CEO of The Burnham Institute, was appointed to the Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee that will govern the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine created last month.

Patrick Tam resigned last month as executive director of the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute.

Chief Executive Officer

Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology

The Oklahoma Science & Technology Research and Development (OSTRaD) Board is accepting applications for the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology and the Oklahoma Institute of Technology. The CEO also serves as the Executive Director of the OSTRaD Board. Candidates are sought who have an education in an appropriate field and substantial managerial experience in developing and managing research and technology development programs. Preference will be given to candidates who have an earned degree, preferably doctorate, in a field of science or engineering. Applications are due by Feb. 28, 2005.

The omnibus appropriations bill approved by Congress over the weekend provides $109 million in fiscal year 2005 funds to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program, according to the American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC). Of the total, $3 million is directed to help small and rural states advance outreach to manufacturers, ASMC states in its most recent legislative update.

MEP, a state-federal partnership under the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology, provides technical assistance, support services, engineering services, and business advice to small manufacturers. The legislation also renames the initiative the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program in honor of Senator Fritz Hollings, the South Carolina legislator who first sponsored MEP and is retiring after 38 years. The more than 300 centers in the MEP network also are renamed the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Centers.

Just as SSTI and other post-election analysts predicted, California’s recent passage of a $3 billion commitment to stem cell research is triggering responses from across the country. Wisconsin is the first to outline a specific, strategic reaction to the California referendum in an effort to retain or regain momentum in the race to encourage bio-based economic growth.

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle announced last week his plans to invest nearly $750 million in state funds to support biotechnology, health sciences and stem cell research. According to Gov. Doyle, the two states are not in competition; rather, he suspects there will be a synergy between them.

"Wisconsin can’t match California dollar for dollar, but California can’t match what Wisconsin already has - including the best scientists in the world and first class research institutions," Gov. Doyle said.

West Virginia University’s plan to develop strong research capabilities in a number of focused areas, creating hundreds of new jobs, may be completed in half the time originally anticipated. Gov. Bob Wise announced last week a $24.4 million funding package to jump-start the implementation of new research facilities and laboratories on the WVU campus.

In addition to building new research infrastructure, funds will allow the university to attract and recruit top researchers, leading to increased federal and private sector funding, said Robert D’Alessandri, vice president of health sciences.

Gov. Jodi Rell recently announced the results of a study of the strengths and weaknesses of Connecticut’s infrastructure for innovation, technology transfer and development of new businesses. A report prepared for the Connecticut Technology Transfer and Commercialization Advisory Board of the governor's Competitiveness Council presents the results.

The report examines successful university-based technology transfer and commercialization initiatives in the U.S. and at the University of Cambridge in England. It notes five factors that could help states position their universities as centers of innovation and business growth: strong academic leadership and research capabilities, availability of early-stage capital, commitment to and support of entrepreneurship programs, and the existence of infrastructure such as innovation centers, incubators and research parks.

Study Suggests Cultural Changes in Universities Could Be Key to Promoting Greater Tech Transfer

Despite legislation, policies and financial incentives, universities still struggle to motivate professors to participate in technology transfer. A few well placed individuals engaged in entrepreneurship could create a culture encouraging others to be involved in technology transfer activities, according to a new study by Janet Bercovitz of Duke University and Maryann Feldman of University of Toronto presented at the Minnesota Cluster-Entrepreneurship Conference in September 2004.

Many minority population groups are historically underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This is particularly true of the country's Latino population, one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S workforce. As a result, several state and regional tech-based economic development programs are looking for ways to broaden participation in STEM fields. A recent evaluation of a Texas program finds encouraging results, perhaps suggesting a model for others to replicate.

Students who attend the Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology Week (HESTEC) have a greater interest in pursuing science and engineering careers, a better perception of the engineering field, and more positive attitudes about graduating high school and enrolling in college than those who do not attend, according to a study from the Center for Border Economic Studies (CBEST) at the University of Texas-Pan American.

Led by the Fort Myers-Cape Coral metro area, a burgeoning retirement and tourist destination on the state’s southwest coast, Florida landed seven of the top 15 metros in Milken Institute’s 2004 Best Performing Cities Index released last week. The others are West Palm Beach-Boca Raton (4th), Daytona Beach (5th), Sarasota-Bradenton (6th), Fort Lauderdale (9th), Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (12th) and Naples (15th).

The Milken index ranks the 200 largest U.S. metropolitan areas based on their ability to create and sustain jobs. It includes four measurements of technology output growth and one- and five-year measurements of employment and salary growth (see "Useful Stats" story below).