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.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) seeks public comment for two Requests for Information. The first, Supply Chain Gaps and Entrepreneur Assistance, is focused on the future of SBA’s Innovation Network Programs—FAST, GAFC, RICs—and how each program can align entrepreneur support in critical industry areas. These are programs that are relevant to TBED organizations, accelerators, incubators, investors, universities, research institutions, and tech transfer offices.
Venture capital investments so far in 2026 are showing the same trends as 2025, with more funding going to fewer companies. According to PitchBook, quarterly U.S. VC investment totaled $267 billion, with the five largest deals raising a combined $195 billion, or over 73% of all Q1 capital. The heavy bias toward the top deals underscores the importance of narrowing the deal segments to understand what trends are faced by the majority of companies.
Historically, college graduates, recently matriculated or old alums, were more likely to be employed than all workers combined. However, beginning in 2015, as the labor market data released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows in the graph below, unemployment rates for recent college graduates and all workers were in relatively tight competition until October 2018, when new grads began experiencing higher unemployment rates than all workers—a position they have held ever since. Might it have something to do with the degrees students are earning and changes in the job market?
The Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE) recently released a report, Advancing Together: A Unified Strategy for Scaling Midwest Quantum Talent, outlining a regional strategy to expand the quantum workforce. The Illinois-Wisconsin-Indiana region could see as many as 191,000 quantum jobs by 2035, according to a Boston Consulting Group analysis for the CQE. More than 70% of those jobs will be available to people who do not have graduate degrees, and nearly one-third will be open to those with associates degrees or technical training.
NOTE: Moving engineers, scientists, and technologists out of the lab when they have a promising technology is the best way to ensure success for the individuals, the innovation, and the resulting company. This transition is one of the biggest challenges for lab 2 market programs and technology commercialization efforts. Fortunately, some models for assistance toward the path to success are emerging in regional innovation, university tech offices, and the nation’s federal labs. This item in our TBED Works series describes how the public-private partnership for innovation-driven growth may come together to yield positive results ~ Mark Skinner.
New research published in Small Business Economics demonstrates the significant impact of public venture capital investment on startup firm employment and sales growth. The findings also demonstrate that public venture funds can successfully draw significant additional private investment and debt funding, and do not act as a capital replacement. Further, the research suggests that accompanying startup ecosystem resources are contributors to firm success.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the launch of California’s first solar-covered canal, a pilot project that seeks to generate clean electricity, keep water from evaporating before it ever reaches a farm or a faucet, and, if scaled further, help strengthen the state’s water infrastructure to withstand a hotter, drier future.
