SSTI Digest

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell named George Cornelius, the immediate past president and CEO of Arkema Inc., as secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development. Mark Crowell, head of economic development and technology transfer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been appointed vice president for business and technology development at the Scripps Research Institute. Robert De Wit, a former Pfizer Inc. executive, has been appointed president and chief executive officer of the business incubator of Western Michigan University's Parkview Campus. Michael Dockter has been hired as the new associate vice chancellor for research and technology transfer and chief research officer at Arkansas State University. David Edgerly, who for the last two years has headed Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development, will resign from his post. Jim Fram, the president and chief executive of the Bartlesville Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Bartlesville Development Corporation, is resigning. He will leave Feb. 2 to become the senior vice president of economic development for the Tulsa Metro Chamber. Nate…

During his presentation of the fiscal year 2009-11 budget last week, Gov. Mitch Daniels said the state's weakening economy will require the suspension of funds for some initiatives supported by his administration. For the TBED community, the governor's proposal delays funds for research aimed at building the state's life sciences portfolio, including elimination of a $20 million Life Sciences Fund at the Indiana School of Medicine and Purdue University and $3 million for the High Growth Business Incentive Fund to encourage high-wage companies to locate or expand in the state. Less than two years ago, Indiana's General Assembly passed a biennial budget that invested more than $100 million in TBED-related programs, capturing national attention for its commitment to programs grounded in science and technology (see the May 7, 2007 issue of the Digest). Today, Indiana's fiscal condition appears quite robust compared with most other states - officials project a $1.3 billion surplus for the current fiscal year. However, the state's budget analysts say anticipated revenue fell more than $33 million below December's forecast and expect sales and individual income tax to…

Tony Armstrong, Indiana University executive director for engagement, has been chosen as the Indiana University Research and Technology Corporations new president and CEO. Jeff Costantine will retire this fiscal year as president of the Nashville Technology Council. The board of directors has begun the search for a new president. Joseph G. Danek stepped down as executive director of the EPSCoR/IDeA Foundation. He will continue work at the foundation as its senior advisor and will also remain senior vice president of the Implementation Group, a Washington consulting firm. James B. Hoehn, a senior associate at the foundation, became its executive director.  Monica Doss, the longtime president of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development who stepped down earlier this year, has been named director of the Kauffman Foundation FastTrac program. Mike Edwards, former assistant vice president and director of the Office of Research at the University of Notre Dame, has been named associate vice president for research in the Office of Research and Technology Management at Case Western Reserve University. Liam E. Leightley has been tapped as the new executive director of the…

Offering customized workspace such as wet laboratories and specialized research equipment is one of the many benefits provided by technology-focused incubators. Access to university research, business mentoring and administrative support services often accompany the reduced rent facilities with the goal of growing technology companies into successful, self-sustaining enterprises. Following are select announcements of recently launched incubators and partnerships from across the nation.    GateWay Community College recently received a recommendation from the Phoenix Parks, Education, Bioscience and Sustainability subcommittee of the Phoenix City Council to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the college to build a bioscience incubator laboratory with wet lab space, the Arizona Republic reports. The wet lab would be a minimum of 5,000 sq. ft. and located near the Phoenix Biomedical Campus.   Colorado’s first aerospace business incubator will provide services, less the office space, for companies involved in space technology and resource development. The 8th Continent Project at the Colorado School of Mines announced a $150…

The Beaver County (Pa.) CO-OP announced it will change its name to StartingGate. The incubator will continue to assist entrepreneurs and new business start-ups and help expand existing businesses. Joe Dedman was chosen as the first executive director of the Southeast Indiana WIRED. Brian DuBoff was named the director of Maryland's southern region Small Business Development Center, which is hosted by the College of Southern Maryland. Barbara Goodman has joined the Illinois Biotechnology Industry Organization as its executive director. Mark Long has stepped down as the CEO of the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp. Robert McMahan Jr., the North Carolina governor's senior adviser for science and technology and executive director of the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology, has left those posts to become dean of Western Carolina University's Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology. The Oklahoma Bioscience Association announced its launch. Tracey van Niekerk has been selected as the new life sciences coordinator for the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County, Indiana. Van…

Publisher's Note: SSTI notes with much sadness the March 5 passing of Indiana State Sen. David Ford, following a battle with pancreatic cancer. David was a good friend not only of SSTI's, but also of the tech-based economic development community across the nation. In addition to being a tireless and cheerful advocate for investing in science and technology, he was also a gentleman in the true sense of the word, and we miss him greatly. David Abbott, executive director of the George Gund Foundation, was elected the new chairman of the Northeast Ohio-based Fund for Our Economic Future. Abbott replaces Robert Briggs of the GAR Foundation, who had served as chairman since the Fund was formed in 2004. Birgitte Ahring has joined Washington State University as the director of the Center for Bioproducts and Bioenergy and as the Battelle Distinguished Professor, based at WSU Tri-Cities. Eddie Ashworth, president of Research Park Corp., the managing entity of the Louisiana Technology Park, is resigning to become undersecretary of the state Department of Social Services. The Tucson-based BioIndustry Organization of Southern Arizona, known as Bio-SA, has…

The Illinois Technology Development Alliance (ITDA) this week promoted John Noel to become ITDA's permanent president. Noel had been serving as interim president over the past 15 months.

Bill Bradley is the new executive director of the Jay County Development Corp. Bradley fills the vacancy left by the late Bob Quadrozzi.

Ron Gifford is the new president and CEO of the Indy Partnership. Gifford replaces Gordon Hendry, who left to take an executive position with CB Richard Ellis.

John Hertig was appointed executive director of the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Development at Purdue University.

Kenneth Kahn will be the Avrum and Joyce Gray Director of the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship at Purdue University, effective Jan. 1. In addition to directing the center, Kahn will be a professor in the university's Department of Industrial Technology.

A complete description of this opportunity and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm. Griffin Analytical Technologies, a high-tech, high-growth chemical detection company focused on identifying chemical warfare agents and explosives and environmental monitoring applications, is seeking someone for the position of research scientist. This position is responsible, in part, for performing R&D in the chemical, explosives and bio detection areas and helping to identify funding opportunities. A Ph.D. or M.S. degree in chemistry is preferred; a B.S. degree with five-plus years of experience will be considered.