SSTI Digest

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 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced the recipient universities to conduct security research through five new Centers of Excellence. These centers will develop new technologies to prevent natural and man-made disasters, improve government response to such crises and monitor the nation's shores and borders. The Department's Office of University Programs, under its Science and Technology Directorate, will manage the five new centers, which will each receive multi-years grants of up to $2 million per year for 4-6 years. The five centers include: Center of Excellence for Border Security and Immigration, co-lead by the University of Arizona and the University of Texas at El Paso; Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response, co-led by Northeastern University and the University of Rhode Island; Center of Excellence for Maritime, Island and Port Security, co-led by the University of Hawaii and Stevens Institute of Technology; Center of Excellence for Natural Disasters, Coast Infrastructure and emergency Management, co-led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Jackson…

With a budget management plan for the current fiscal year making its way through the state legislature, Gov. Janet Napolitano announced increased funding and borrowing for university programs and research initiatives in her fiscal year 2009 budget recommendation. Universities would receive a net funding increase of $25.4 million over the FY08 appropriation under the governor’s recommendation, including $7 million to recruit, teach and retain teachers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics areas. Gov. Napolitano recommends $3 million in FY09 to the University of Arizona (UA) and $2 million each to Arizona State University-Tempe and Northern Arizona University to expand on a student loan program for math, science and special education teachers approved by lawmakers last year (see the June 27, 2007 issue of the Digest). Additionally, UA’s budget includes $1.5 million to expand and implement programs for teacher training, entrepreneurship and commerce- and defense security-related disciplines that will meet the workforce needs of the southern parts of the state. Lawmakers will be asked to approve a $470 million bond…

The second installment of the Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes highlights from state-of-the-state, budget and inaugural addresses from Arizona, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Vermont, and West Virginia. ArizonaGov. Janet Napolitano, State-of-the-State Address, Jan. 14, 2008“Higher standards for students mean we must sustain a higher-quality corps of math and science teachers by expanding teacher loan forgiveness, scholarships, and incentives. Last year, you took a big step in this direction by providing initial funding for these incentives, and by funding more math and science teachers; I ask you to do the same this year. … “… The eighth graders of today are the high school class of 2012 – Arizona’s centennial class. I say, let’s make a contract with these Centennial Scholars, and with all the classes that follow. Let’s agree that any eighth grader who pledges to stay out of trouble and maintains at least a “B” average in high school will be guaranteed free tuition at any of our community colleges or state universities. … “… I propose…

Steven Zylstra is the new president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council.

Listen or read the business news media and the dreaded “R” word, recession, is back in common parlance. State revenue cycles seem to feel it first. Already, with more than a dozen states projecting budget deficits for both current and coming fiscal years, it seems certain: Spending cuts in programs and services and/or tax increases are imminent. The nationwide housing market slump, the rising cost of energy and health care, and increased state spending are cited as a just a few of the reasons for shortfalls in state budgets. The lack of a fiscal year 2008 federal budget, now nearly one-quarter over, does not help state fiscal planning.   In June, the Government Accountability Office released State and Local Governments: Persistent Fiscal Challenges Will Likely Emerge within the Next Decade, which found that an unexpected explosion in health-related expenditures combined with no new policy changes will result in fiscal challenges for state and local governments over at least the next 10 years (see the Aug. 8, 2007 issue of the Digest).   Then, last week, the U.S. Conference of Mayors released a report forecasting a…

In an effort to streamline economic development strategies and market the state as a globally competitive place to pursue new business ventures, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano recently announced the creation of a new model for economic development last month.   A year-long study on the overall economic health of the state resulted in the creation of the Arizona Economic Resource Organization (AERO) and a newly expanded Arizona Global Network (AGN). AERO will serve as an umbrella organization for all economic development activity in the state to coordinate and leverage assets, set workforce strategies, and provide policy leadership and branding.    The partnership will operate as a nonprofit board, combining the efforts of government agencies, private businesses and universities. Gov. Napolitano will serve as AERO chair, which includes the integration of the following entities: Commerce and Economic Development Commission, Greater Arizona Development Authority, the Arizona Department of Commerce, Science Foundation Arizona, and a formalized Arizona Global Network. Directors and board members were announced last…

Gov. Rick Perry appointed Bill Morrow as the new chairman of the Texas Emerging Technology Advisory Committee. Morrow replaces David Spencer, who remains a member on the committee.

Earlier this year, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and the Arizona State Legislature committed $100 million over four years to support Science Foundation Arizona, a nonprofit public-private partnership to coordinate the state’s R&D investments in science and technology. The catch? The law required a dollar-to-dollar match of non-government funding of the annual $25 million allotment before the state could release its funding to Science Foundation Arizona.   The initial $35 million appropriation for 2007 did not come with the restriction. Science Foundation Arizona allocated $30 million of that funding to 55 recipients for projects ranging from improving science and math education to commercializing new research discoveries.   The first funds to be affected by the tight purse strings are for fiscal year 2008, which potentially created a sizable hurdle for developing and sustaining a long-term S&T investment strategy for the organization and state.   In steps the Stardust Charitable Fund with a $25 million check to cover the FY 2008 obligation. The Stardust Charitable Fund, a foundation…

Over the past few months, several new research park announcements have been made, including a $2.5 billion public-private investment in Kentucky. Gov. Ernie Fletcher last month announced plans for the expansion of the Louisville Health Sciences Campus. The project will encompass the 30-block radius that houses the Louisville health sciences campus. A current U of L parking lot, known as the Haymarket property, will be converted into a 700,000-square-foot state-of-the-art laboratory and office space.   The project is being financed through a proposed tax increment finance (TIF) in which a portion of the tax revenue generated by the 20-year capital investment – about $300 million – is captured for reinvestment in the development. The TIF increment is expected to be enough to complete construction of the research park and many components of the U of L Health Sciences Master Plan, according to the governor’s office. Officials hope to begin initial investment and construction soon after the anticipated approval by the state’s TIF Commission.   New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Arrowhead Center recently struck a deal with a…

Arizona Technology Enterprises, the organization responsible for overseeing licensing and commercialization activities at Arizona State University, has selected Augustine Cheng as its new managing director.