SSTI Digest

To foster strategic investments and policies in the knowledge and innovation economy, Gov. Bev Perdue recently signed an executive order establishing the North Carolina Innovation Council. The council is responsible for advising the governor on public and private investments and polices to promote innovation, move innovative ideas from the lab to the marketplace more efficiently, and strengthen collaboration among business, academia, and local government. A press release is available from the governor’s office at: http://www.governor.state.nc.us/NewsItems/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?newsItemID=773

Kathy Collins has been appointed as the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Network (WEN) regional director in Madison. Previously, Collins worked as the technology and financial development manager in the Commerce Division of Business Development.

Ron Cox has been appointed as the assistant dean for economic development in the engineering college at Iowa State University. He retains his current position as director of CIRAS, the Center for Industrial Research and Service.

Frank DiBello, a veteran aerospace consultant who’s been Space Florida’s interim president since May, was named as the permanent leader of the aerospace development agency.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert appointed businessman and philanthropist Spencer Eccles to lead the Governor’s Office of Economic Development. Eccles, son of the former First Security chairman and CEO Spencer Eccles, will be joined by Josh Romney, son of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. The younger Romney will serve as the state’s national business recruitment policy advisor.

Federal stimulus funds approved earlier this year by Congress are doing more than filling budget gaps in states across the nation. During a year in which it otherwise may be virtually impossible to direct much funding to starting initiatives aimed at growing the economy, many states are using federal stimulus funds to implement new programs.

In North Carolina, Gov. Bev Perdue recently announced that several green energy programs focusing on job creation and promoting greater use of renewable energy resources will be funded through a portion of the state's share of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds.

In June, Gov. Perdue announced the U.S. Energy Department's approval of $75.9 million in federal stimulus funds with authorization to spend $30.4 million immediately. The state will receive the remaining funds as it shows successful implementation of the plan, according to the governor's office. Two key components of the approved plan include:

The Piedmont Triad Research Park laid off Bill Dean, director of the park, and Nancy Johnson, marketing director. Park officials said that the park's project manager and executive assistant also were laid off.

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter announced that he has tapped Don Elliman, director of the Colorado Office of Economic Development, to serve as the state government's first chief operating officer.

J. Mike Books is leaving his post with the Indiana Health Industry Forum to become the first economic development director for the city of Columbia, Missouri. He also will serve as president of the Regional Economic Development Inc. Brooks will assume his new responsibilities on July 15.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of Judith Canales as Administrator for Rural Business and Cooperative programs in USDA's Rural Development agency.

Donald Cardon, who has been serving as director of the Arizona Department of Housing since March, was named director of the Arizona Department of Commerce.

The technologies developed at the nation's 700 federal laboratories and research centers impact the health, energy, security, and agricultural needs of the country. They have a substantial effect on the economic growth of the U.S., especially as these technologies are commercialized. Improving efforts for commercialization from federal laboratories is a central focus of the Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC), as they are tasked by federal legislation to assist state and local governments and regional organizations with the transfer of technologies.

The State and Local Government Committee of the FLC highlights several productive partnerships with TBED organizations in their Federal Laboratories & State and Local Governments: Partners for Technology Transfer Success publication. Through these kinds of partnerships, organizations with an abundance of federal labs nearby or those lacking proximity to the labs can access the technologies and know-how at the labs.

For many states facing a challenging budget year, level funding for science and technology is welcome news to the tech-based economic development (TBED) community. With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act earlier this year, governors are seeking solutions to stimulate their respective states' economies through new and expanded programs within specific priority areas. The following states recently unveiled budget proposals that would continue or grow TBED investments using a combination of federal stimulus money and state and local funds.

The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation. 

Pennsylvania Gov.

North Carolina is a nationally-recognized center for basic research due to its sustained investment in higher education and TBED-related projects. Many in the state believe, however, that North Carolina is not translating as much of that research throughout its innovation economy as it should be. Advancing Innovation in North Carolina, a new report from the North Carolina Board of Science and Technology, argues that in order to have a truly prosperous high-tech economy, North Carolina will have to increase the adoption of new technologies throughout rural regions of the state and improve its performance in areas not related to its higher education system, including the availability of capital and percentage of R&D workers as a share of the workforce.

North Carolina's $1.2 billion dollar investment in bioscience over the past decade has helped to build a $45 billion dollar a year industry in the state, according to a new study released by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The report finds that North Carolina's bioscience employment numbers have grown 18.5 percent since 2001, the fastest in the nation. Much of this growth has been fueled by increased activity in research, testing and medical labs and in the agricultural feedstock and chemicals subsector. 

Eleven gubernatorial elections were held across the U.S. on Tuesday, resulting in the selection of three new governors - with TBED initiatives spread throughout their campaigns' messages.

Only one of the races resulted in a change of party affiliation in the top state position, Missouri, where Democrat Jay Nixon defeated Republican Congressman Kenny Hulshof after current-Governor Matt Blunt declared he would not seek another term. Democrats now hold twenty-nine governorships, expanding on their significant gains in 2006. Governors retaining their seats include John Hoeven (R-ND), Christine Gregoire (D-WA), Brian Schweitzer (D-MT), Jon Huntsman (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Mitch Daniels (R-IN), John Lynch (D-NH), and Jim Douglas (R-VT).