To support data-driven economic and workforce development, the Purdue Center for Regional Development (PCRD), in partnership with the EDA, has released a new Regional Clusters website with compiled data presented across interactive dashboards with maps, tables, and other tools and resources. The dashboards cover industry-based, skills, and knowledge clusters. PCRD’s definitions of each cluster type can be found here or within their respective dashboard.
Tuition-free community college programs have expanded steadily across the country over the past decade. A recent NBER working paper examines one of the earliest examples of a statewide program, asking not just whether free tuition increases enrollment, but also whether it helps more students complete their degrees.
The CEOs of Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) is leading IN AI, an effort to help employers find practical ways to incorporate artificial intelligence to boost productivity and job growth. In cooperation with Gov. Mike Braun’s administration, they are connecting small businesses and large corporations with practical AI applications and technical advice.
Illinois lawmakers passed landmark legislation to regulate America’s leading AI companies. While the recently passed Senate Bill (SB) 315, the Artificial Intelligence Safety Measures Act, mirrors existing provisions in enacted legislation in California and New York, which require frontier AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic to create, publish and annually update plans to address severe or catastrophic risks from their AI models; the new measure would also mandate annual independent third-party audits of such AI companies on safety issues, which would be a first for any AI legislation in the U.S. Gov. JB Pritzker has indicated he intends to sign it.
The bipartisan Build to Scale Reauthorization Act of 2026 was introduced on May 15 by Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11) and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), along with several co-sponsors. Additionally, more than sixty organizations and associations in 25 states endorsed the bill, which is designed to help Americans move new products, technologies, and medical inventions to market faster.
Over the past 25 years, SSTI has seen a successful model emerge for supporting regional innovation-driven economies that deserves more attention from the TBED community. Successful Venture Development Organizations (VDOs) bring the entrepreneurial mindset of an innovation startup to regional economic growth strategies. VDOs simultaneously deliver multiple value propositions to their target service areas.
After several years of not keeping pace with inflation, recently released figures for U.S. federal investment in research and experimental development (R&D) in FY 2025 suggest a potential downturn in both current and constant dollars is looming. The news from the latest Survey of Federal Funds for Research and Development comes on the heels of international coverage of China finally surpassed the US for global leadership in overall R&D investment.
The Tennessee Innovation Exchange (TNIX) is a statewide initiative designed to make it easier for companies, entrepreneurs, and investors to connect with university research expertise across Tennessee. In this recent TBED Community of Practice webinar, speakers Chuck Layne of LaunchTN and Tom Kissane of Halo Sciences explained how they partnered with six research universities to build a shared digital platform that supports university-industry collaboration and commercialization.
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently announced approximately $25 million for a national competition as part of a new AI Upskill Accelerator Pilot Program. The program will support eligible entities in designing and implementing workforce training to develop in-demand AI skills critical to enhancing business outcomes.
EDA encourages applications from eligible entities seeking to implement industry-led workforce programs that use sectoral partnerships to deliver measurable results for American workers and businesses.
Two recent research papers approach entrepreneurship and innovation from very different perspectives but arrive at a similar conclusion about how regional economies grow and change over time. Keeping technology-based economic development (TBED) initiatives proactively thinking about and addressing that evolution is a central aspect of all SSTI TBED-focused programming. Empirical research, like is discussed below, provides external evidence of how needs are changing and programs may want to adapt.
California officials want residents to help shape policies regarding artificial intelligence through a statewide digital democracy initiative called “Engaged California.” Under the initiative, the state will collect feedback on how AI is impacting Californians’ work, the state’s economy, and the future. Residents’ input would help to inform decision-making, policies, and ultimately assist officials in developing a more inclusive and equitable AI action plan for government leaders.
Today, Michigan Congresswoman Haley Stevens (MI-11), along with Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN), introduced the bipartisan Build to Scale Reauthorization Act of 2026, legislation to extend and strengthen the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) successful Build to Scale program through fiscal year 2030. The bill helps startups grow, strengthens regional innovation hubs, and creates good-paying jobs across Michigan and the country.
