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SSTI Digest
Michigan Evaluates Its Competitiveness
Earlier this week, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Michigan Business Roundtable released a benchmarking study that used 140 indicators across seven areas to compare the state's competitiveness with 17 other states.
Entitled Benchmarks for the Next Michigan: Measuring Our Competitiveness, the study reveals Michigan ranks 2nd among Midwest/northern states and 9th in terms of overall competitiveness. Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Virginia and California are the top five states overall. Using a Competitiveness Foundations Web Model developed by SRI International, the study reveals that high business costs continue to be Michigan's greatest competitive weakness, ranking 42nd of all 50 states.
According to the report, the states included in the analysis were selected by the following criteria:
State and Local Tech-based ED RoundUp
Savannah, Georgia
CyberGeorgia, a pilot effort of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism (GDITT) and the Business and Education Technology Alliance of Southeast Georgia to create more tech-based companies outside the Atlanta metro region, was launched last month in Savannah. According to the April 17 issue of the Augusta Chronicle, the program will include an incubator, investment matching services, intellectual property assistance, and a connection between the area
universities and new tech businesses. If successful, GDITT anticipates creating similar centers in other regions of the state, the paper reports.
Program Manager Sought for Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative
Washington Technology Center is seeking someone to become the first full-time program manager for the Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative. The Collaborative is a public-private partnership committed to accelerating the emergence of the Pacific Northwest's energy technology industry. The Collaborative seeks to build market-based programs that support businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and policymakers to address challenges facing this emerging industry. The successful candidate will have demonstrated his/her effectiveness in building high-impact, effective partnerships and will bring exceptional communication skills, energy and business understanding to the position. Responsibilities will include raising additional funds to make the position permanent. The full job description can be found at: http://www.watechcenter.org/wtc/employment.html
People
Marv Clement, former manager of Entrepreneurial Programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, retired in April 2002.
Bob Filka, vice president of strategic initiatives for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is leaving to become chief operating officer of the Michigan Broadband Authority Board. William Rosenberg will become the new board's first director.
Alex Fisher, chief of staff for Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, is leaving to become the director of technology transfer and economic development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
People
Marv Clement, former manager of Entrepreneurial Programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, retired in April 2002.
People
Bob Filka, vice president of strategic initiatives for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is leaving to become chief operating officer of the Michigan Broadband Authority Board. William Rosenberg will become the new board's first director.
People
Alex Fisher, chief of staff for Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, is leaving to become the director of technology transfer and economic development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
People
Molly Lambert, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development since 1998, is resigning July 1 to become head of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association. The Agency is comprised of the Departments of Economic Development, Tourism and Marketing, and Housing and Community Affairs.
Strong R&D Spending Supports U.S. Economic Growth, NSF Report Shows
Dramatic increases in research and development (R&D) investments during the past decade, largely from industry, have contributed to U.S. standing as a global economic power, according to Science and Engineering Indicators 2002, a biennial report of the National Science Board. The U.S. had $244.1 billion in R&D investments in 1999, an increase of nearly $33 billion from 1997, the report shows. In addition, the U.S. accounts for 44 percent of the total worldwide investment in R&D — an amount equal to the combined total of Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Italy.
R&D investments by U.S. industry, S&E Indicators reports, have contributed to a steady stream of innovations and spurred economic growth, increasing per-capita income. The report adds that changes in the conduct of research and development also have led to transformations in other areas, including a growth in science-based patents and an increased level of high-tech exports.
Defense Restores SBIR Funds...and other SBIR News
Defense Concedes: Will Honor 2.5% Set Aside
Mid-April letters from the Department of Defense to Senator John Kerry (D-MA) and Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO), respectively chair and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, marked the end of a four-month standoff and a $75 million win for small tech firms across the country. At issue was whether an eleventh-hour insertion in the 2002 Defense Appropriations, which effectively halved the SBIR obligation of the Missile Defense Agency (see the 1/11/02 SSTI Weekly Digest for the original story), also reduced the entire Defense Department's requirement to award 2.5 percent of its extramural R&D to small companies through the SBIR program.
Comprehensive Internet Studies Issued in Maryland, Maine
Two recent studies on Internet usage in Maryland and Maine offer detailed maps of broadband infrastructure. The studies offer some insights on how businesses and, in the case of Maryland, private citizens are accessing the Internet. Specific findings are not presented below; however, each of the studies are available in their entirety via the links that follow the respective summaries.
eReadiness Maryland
The first-ever, comprehensive statewide study on Internet usage, access and infrastructure among Maryland's businesses and households became available April 18. eReadiness Maryland: Assessing our Digital Opportunities includes the survey results of 1,422 households and 1,126 businesses, real-time dial-up connection speeds from 24 locations and previously unavailable maps of fiber infrastructure, DSL service and cable modems.
Doctorates in Physics and Engineering Plummet during Late 1990s
The National Science Foundation reports the number of doctorate awards from U.S. universities in physics, after hitting a record high in 1994, fell 22 percent by the year 2000. Doctorates in engineering declined 15 percent by the year 2000 from the 1996 peak.
The declines were a result of a decrease of awards made to non-U.S. citizens, according to the April InfoBrief "Declines in U.S. Doctorate Awards in Physics and Engineering." Specifically, 59 percent of the decline in physics awards and 74 percent of engineering doctorates are accounted for by non-U.S. citizens, especially from several East Asian countries. Drops in students from China represented half of the total decline for doctorates in physics. The percentage of doctorates in physics awarded to U.S. citizens remained relatively flat during the period, accounting for 50.97 percent in 1994 and 51.62 percent in 2000. Actual values for doctorates to U.S. citizens were 789 in 1994 and 622 in 2000.