SSTI Digest

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded a five-year, $10 million grant to the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) to create a national center for entrepreneurship engineering. STVP will partner with the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) to develop resources for undergraduate entrepreneurship programs at engineering schools across the country. Read the announcement...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a five-year strategic plan for the agency, focused on education and research impact. Under the goals set in the report, NSF would weigh intellectual merit and the broader impacts of research more heavily when evaluating research proposals. The agency also would increase its use of resources, such as the STAR METRICS project, which provide a clearer assessment of the impact of science investments. Read the plan...

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland is seeking a dynamic and innovative biomedical/biotechnology expert to provide strategic leadership as the director of the newly created Office of Translational Alliances and Coordination (OTAC). The OTAC is charged with accelerating the translation of basic discoveries and innovations into new diagnostics, devices, and therapeutics, and facilitating the development of new technologies via SBIR initiatives. The job announcement will be posted on www.usajobs.gov in late March/early April for 10 days and open to all U.S. citizens. Applicants must possess a Ph.D.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich named James Leftwich as the director of the Ohio Department of Development, effective March 25. Leftwich has worked at the Dayton Development Coalition for six years, including three years as president and CEO. Leftwich will take the post previously held by Mark Kvamme, a California venture capitalist named the state's development director in January. Kvamme was appointed director of Job Creation within the governor's office, effective immediately.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour announced that Jackson businessman Leland Speed will return as executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority for the remainder of the governor's term that ends at the end of this year. Speed, who served as executive director from 2004 to 2006, will succeed Gray Swoope. Swoope recently announced his resignation at MDA to lead Enterprise Florida, that state's economic development organization.

Lawmakers approved many of Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposals aimed at growing Virginia's technology and life sciences industries by dedicating about half of the funding requested by the governor to support R&D, commercialization, SBIR matching grants, and funding for early stage equity investments. To help reach a goal of adding 100,000 college graduates to the state over the next 15 years, lawmakers also passed the Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011, providing enrollment-based funding to increase access to higher education and enhancing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields of study.

The legislation and amendments to the 2010-12 budget approved by the General Assembly for attracting tech companies closely mirror components of the governor's economic development agenda presented to lawmakers earlier this year (see the Jan. 5, 2011 issue of the Digest). Specifically, lawmakers approved $10 million for an Economic Development Incentive payment, which includes:

The second installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs' series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Arkansas, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Our first installment was in the Jan. 5 Digest.

ArkansasGov. Mike Beebe, State of the State Address, Jan. 11, 2011"I want to tie funding for higher-education institutions more closely to coursework completion and graduation rates, not simply to enrollment. These tax dollars must produce college graduates, not just fill up seats. We can and must double the number of college graduates in Arkansas by 2025 if we are to stay competitive. This is a lofty goal aimed at the future, but we must begin implementing it today."

A $25 million fund providing grants for tech commercialization, matching funds for research, and funding to attract "star" researchers to Virginia's universities is a key component of Gov. Bob McDonnell's $54 million Opportunity at Work agenda presented to lawmakers as part of his amendments to the 2010-12 budget. The governor's budget also includes $5 million for a refundable R&D tax credit and an extra $50 million for higher education directed toward increasing college access and economic development opportunities.

The $25 million Virginia Research and Technology Innovation Fund would be governed by a board of technology industry experts, legislators and administration representatives with funding directed toward targeted sectors including information technology, biotechnology, life sciences, alternative energy, advanced electronics, polymers, composites and aerospace propulsion. Grants or loans would be distributed among three funds:

The Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2), Community Innovation Services, is seeking a group manager for research. The EI2 Community Innovation Services team supports communities with economic and community development research, analysis and planning. Projects range from strategic planning to workforce analysis, from fiscal impact analysis of new or expanding firms to sustainable development strategies for communities of all sizes. The group manager is responsible for the successful completion of all funded projects, for overseeing and advising a team of high-performing project managers, and assigning projects to individual team members within CIS.

TBED People Walter Bumphus has been named the next president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges. Bumphus currently serves as a professor in the Community College Leadership Program and chair of the Educational Administration Department at the University of Texas at Austin. Bumphus will begin his tenure with AACC in January.

Deborah Clayton resigned as the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Commercialization and Innovation. She has accepted a position at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. Warren Nash, deputy commissioner of the same department, also has resigned.

Kansas Governor-elect Sam Brownback appointed State Rep. Pat George to his cabinet as secretary of the Department of Commerce. George is expected to start after Brownback is sworn in on Jan. 10 and the Senate confirms his appointment.

TBED People Anne Barth has been named the executive director of TechConnect West Virginia.

Joann Rockwell MacMaster has been appointed site director for the Arizona Center for Innovation at the UA Tech Park.

Catherine Renault resigned from her position as director of the Maine Office of Innovation effective December 3.

Sandra Watson, COO of the Arizona Commerce Authority, received the Chairman's Award during the 2010 Governor's Celebration of Innovation awards. The award is given by the Arizona Technology Council and Arizona Commerce Authority.

Renée Winsky, CEO of the Tech Council of Maryland, received the Technology Advocacy Award at the Howard Technology Council's 2010 Annual Technology Awards dinner. The award is presented to an individual who has made a significant difference in the technology business community in Maryland.

With the end of federal stimulus funding for higher education on the horizon, states are considering proposals to retool current funding formulas for colleges and universities and looking to alternative funding sources to sustain their programs and services in the coming years. Ahead of the 2011 legislative session, groups commissioned by governors in Colorado and Virginia recommended a voter-approved tax and more stable funding streams from the state, respectively. In Texas, the Higher Education Coordinating Board endorsed a method in which a percentage of university funding would be based on student outcomes. The proposals were submitted to Gov. Rick Perry and the legislature last week, reports the Austin American-Statesman.

Colorado

Often credited with contributing significant revenue to states' economies, research parks also house facilities for workforce training and provide resources for tech-based industries, which is especially important as the nation's employment begins to pick up steam. In West Virginia, officials are building a $15 million advanced technology-training center at the state-owned research and technology park, and in Utah, officials recently broke ground on a building that will house engineers and analysts working on the nation's Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program.