SSTI Digest

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) and the Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) recently presented the first part of a two-phase study by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies entitled The Genealogy of Maryland Entrepreneurs.



Phillip Singerman, executive director of TEDCO, and David S. Iannucci, Maryland Secretary of DBED, provided the information Feb. 4 during the fifth annual State of Technology in Maryland Summit in Annapolis.



Highlights of the first phase of the study reveal the following about the history of Maryland businesses:

Leaders of Central Indiana's top research, academic and economic development organizations announced on Wednesday an effort to develop the region as a world-class center for the life sciences industry.



The Central Indiana Life Sciences Initiative — led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP), the City of Indianapolis, Indiana University, Purdue University and the Indiana Health Industry Forum — will seek to increase the number of jobs, businesses, and research opportunities in the life sciences industry in Central Indiana through four goals:

This is the fifth installment in the "Tech-talkin' Govs" series which provides highlights of programs, policies, and issues included in the Governors' addresses related to tech-based economic development.



Connecticut

John G. Rowland, Budget Address, February 6, 2002

http://www.state.ct.us/governor/news/budget2002.htm

Two independent surveys of venture capital investments made during the fourth quarter of FY 2001 suggest an end to downward trends in the flow of money and number of VC placements.



MoneyTree™ Survey

The fourth quarter 2001 results of the MoneyTree™ survey measuring venture capital activity across the country are now available online. This is the first survey conducted since the merger of the two most widely known quarterly investment surveys, the PricewaterhouseCoopers/Venture Economics MoneyTree™ Survey and the quarterly survey conducted by the National Venture Capital Association.



With total investments of $7.1 billion, the fourth quarter data provides evidence that the VC community's reluctance to invest, which started in the third quarter of 2000, was finally reversing itself. Figures for both the total number of deals and total investments were higher than the third quarter.

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA), formerly known as the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, may have cut the amount of research funding it is required to award small tech companies, but the Department of Defense still must meet its full 2.5 percent set-aside obligations, points out Senators John Kerry of Massachusetts and Christopher "Kit" Bond of Missouri in a strongly worded, bipartisan letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The Senators are the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship, respectively.



An eleventh hour insertion in the 2002 Defense Appropriations Act reduced MDA's set aside requirement for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program from $148.8 million to only $75 million [see the 1/11/02 SSTI Weekly Digest for more information].

With the goal of supporting partnerships that unite the efforts of local school districts with science, mathematics, engineering and education faculties of colleges and universities, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the first request for proposals (RFP) for the $160 million Math & Science Partnerships (MSP) initiative. Involvement of additional stakeholders, especially states, is highly encouraged, according to the RFP.



The program seeks to improve student outcomes in high-quality mathematics and science at all levels, from pre-K to 12. By stressing partnerships, MSP emphasizes that mathematicians, scientists and engineers participate in the effort to impact the teacher workforce and to work with teachers and administrators to substantially improve student achievement. NSF expects teachers and higher education faculty, as well as administrators and school guidance counselors, to be significantly involved in proposal development and program implementation.

The first-ever Mississippi Innovation Index was released Wednesday by the Mississippi Technology Alliance.



Targeting technology-based economic development in Mississippi, the Index groups baseline data into eight categories and establishes a data collection process for 24 science- and technology-related indicators. Initial analyses suggest:

Kansas, Inc., a nonpartisan public-private organization, recently released the findings and recommendations of its team of economic development consultants and more than 1,100 Kansans as a comprehensive update to Kansas' economic development strategic plan.



Making the Knowledge Economy Work for All Kansans emphasizes commitment to a cooperative environment by both public and private sectors in Kansas. Considered the state's most ambitious look at economic development in nearly 15 years, the report highlights five strategic objectives, including 47 policy recommendations, that address the challenges facing Kansas:

Again, "Tech-talkin Govs" highlights programs, policies and issues in tech-based economic development that were considered in the following governors' State of the State addresses.



Utah

Michael Leavitt, State of the State, January 28, 2002

http://www.utah.gov/governor/stateofstate.html

Dallas

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Education at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) has created an external advisory council to provide insight into research trends, entrepreneurial activities, government liaison and global outreach. The council, which is composed of members of academia and both the commercial and defense industries, is being asked to help administrators plan the future of the university's research, assist in maintaining a sense of direction and focus in present work research, and interact closely with UTD's internal research council. UTD has a legislatively mandated emphasis in the natural sciences and engineering and management sciences.



Greenville, South Carolina

Rick Kovar, executive director of the Rhode Island Technology Council for the past two years, resigned from his position. The 242-member Council is beginning the search for a new director.



John Anderson, CEO for Enterprise Florida since 1996, has announced his retirement effective in June. The nonprofit organization that handles economic development for the state has been accused in recent months for negative audit findings by the state, overstating its impact figures, and for Anderson's comment that the organization is not in the job creation business.



The North Carolina Technological Development Authority is going through staff cuts and reorganization after a critical audit caused the state to pull its funding. Five management and staff positions, comprising 40 percent of the organization's workforce, have been eliminated to regain the state's support and public confidence.



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To give environmental technology entrepreneurs the chance to have their business plans analyzed by experts and win money for it, the National Environmental Technology (NET) Incubator in Wilberforce, Ohio, is hosting the first annual National Business Plan Competition.



Prizes including $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second place and $2,500 for third place will be awarded. The company deemed "Most Likely to be Funded" will have the opportunity to present its plan before a panel of investors at the Energy and Environmental Network's Early Stage Capital Forum in Boston on May 8. In addition, two years of free rent in the NET Incubator will be granted to the finalist with the business plan deemed most likely to succeed, yet not ready for equity funding.