SSTI Digest

While some state legislatures debate banning public funds for some or all stem cell research, others are using whatever funding tools they have available to advance the controversial science. Some states use tobacco settlement money, others use revenue bonds, and still others use direct appropriations. Some states use voter referenda while most stay within the traditional state legislative process. The newest twist comes from Illinois, where Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is using an executive order to commit $10 million toward stem cell research.

Announcing the initiative in concert with Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes, Gov. Blagojevich says the new Illinois Regenerative Medicine Institute (IRMI) will award grants to medical research facilities for the development of treatments and cures. The program will be administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health and is expected to be operational by the end of the year.

The Illinois Technology Development Alliance (ITDA) is looking for a Venture Development Director for its Chicago office. Duties include management/operations consulting; client’s screening/selection; coordination entrepreneurship mentoring; consulting/technical assistance; technical review of commercial potential of technologies. Qualified applicants must posses an MBA/B.S. in Engineering with at least five years of experience in the fields of business development/consulting. Resumes may be sent to info@itda.biz.

The first four installments of SSTI's annual look at how TBED will play in the 2005 legislative priorities of the governors can be found in the Digest archives on our website: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digest.htm

Kentucky

Gov. Ernie Fletcher, State of the Commonwealth Address, Feb. 1, 2005

"The tax plan I offer tonight includes incentives to help promote education and economic growth...I'm proposing a tuition tax credit of up to 500 dollars for each student going to Kentucky colleges and universities.

Goal is improved service delivery, advocacy for tech community

To produce a more focused and effective effort in the areas of commercialization and advocacy, the Illinois Coalition has divided into two separate public-private organizations.

The coalition’s historical goal of enhancing Illinois’ research structure by advocating for large-scale research and development (R&D) investment will remain the same, while the newly formed entity, the Illinois Technology Development Alliance (IDTA), will work with technology enterprises in accessing capital and establishing growth.

Jay Tieber is the new president of the National Association of Seed and Venture Funds.

The NanoBusiness Alliance has named Sean Murdock to serve as its new executive director.

Hydrogen and fuel cell technologies in Illinois could produce sustainable economic growth and environmental benefits for years to come, suggests a report recently released by the Illinois Coalition. Prepared by the Illinois 2 H2 Partnership, The Hydrogen Highway: Illinois’ Path to a Sustainable Economy and Environment looks to establish the state as an international leader in the fuel cell industry.

A true hydrogen economy for Illinois may be years into the future, the report explains, but incremental steps taken today may accelerate and define that future, specifically the hydrogen highway. An area of approximately 120 miles along interstate 90, the hydrogen highway would be a corridor of hydrogen energy demonstration projects with a fueling station situated about every 20 miles. The highway's purpose is twofold -- stimulate the economy while protecting the environment.

The Chicago based Committee of 200, an organization of leading women in business, has named Diane Graham as its new chair.

The promise of high-wage jobs, increased business competitiveness and wealth creation makes the commercialization of university research a central element in the technology-based economic development strategies of many states, provinces and regions of North America. With figures such as $1.267 billion in aggregate adjusted gross licensing income and more than $1 billion in running royalty income on product sales, the latest and most comprehensive survey released by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) reveals why.

AUTM Licensing Survey: FY 2002 provides information about licensing activities at 222 U.S. and Canadian universities, hospitals and research institutions, a record high for the 12th annual publication. Despite the severity and depth of the national recession, the survey reports marked increases across the board for sponsored research expenditures, invention disclosures, U.S. patent applications, licenses and options, license-related income and new products.

Patrick Rea recently was selected as administrator for the Small Business Administration's six-state region involving Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

In mid-September, Governor Rod R. Blagojevich unveiled a new approach to economic development in Illinois– regionalism. While several other states currently use or have explored a regionalized approach to delivering state economic development services, the concept is new for Illinois. The Governor’s plan divides the state into ten separate economic regions by finding areas with similar economic strengths and similar economic needs, and then creates a separate regional economic development plan for each.

Approximately $350 million in grants recently awarded by one of the nation's leading biodefense research agencies are intended to lessen the effects of any future bioterror attack. Administered by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the funding will be spread over five years for establishing eight Regional Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (RCEs).

Each regional center, receiving between $40-50 million, consists of several partner institutions. The eight leads are Duke University, Harvard Medical School, the New York State Department of Health, the University of Chicago, the University of Maryland, the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, the University of Washington, and Washington University in St. Louis.