People
President Bush has nominated Los Angeles resident Hector Barretto to serve as Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
San Diego Examines the Digital Divide
Even tech hot spots like San Diego are finding they are not immune from the Digital Divide. In fact, a new report from the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance (SDRTA) finds that the region suffers a wider Internet access divide between Caucasians and Hispanics than the nation as a whole. With Hispanics representing 25 percent of the area’s population, the issue will have future economic repercussions in tech-based entrepreneurship and increasing shortages of workers with tech skills.
SF: Addressing the Digital Divide on the Metro Level
Organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area will spend more than $20 million this year to bridge the digital divide, according to Who's Funding the Digital Connect?, a report released this month by the San Francisco Foundation. More than 54 organizations will provide computer access and/or training to more than 75,000 low income and underserved individuals in one of the most technology-savvy regions in the country, according to the study.
Silicon Valley Index Paints Complex Picture for Region's Economy
As a percentage, Silicon Valley has lost more jobs over the past four years than any U.S. metropolitan area since 1939, but evidence shows the region is stabilizing with a return to levels reminiscent of the late 1990s. Funding for venture capital is up, per capita income is increasing, and research and development funding has reached new highs. Yet, the region's most striking feature of late is, perhaps, the way it is growing, according to the 2005 Index of Silicon Valley.
People
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has selected Brian McGowan to replace Yoland Benson as deputy secretary for economic development in California's Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. McGowan, San Bernardino County's economic development administrator, will start his new position in January. Gov. Schwarzenegger also has appointed Teresa Takai as the state's first Cabinet-level chief information officer.
Not All Is Rosy for Middle Class, Silicon Valley Index Shows
According to the latest index from JointVenture Silicon Valley, 2007 looks like a pretty good year compared to 2006 when you look at many standard measures of economic performance. There were 28,000 new jobs created, a 1.5 percent increase in population, and 21 percent growth in solar and wind energy installations. Water use also dropped 6 percent, venture capital investments were up 11 percent, median household income rose, and city revenues were up 37 percent.
Three VC Firms Picked to Extract Green Tech from Federal Labs
Last week, three venture capital firms were chosen by the Department of Energy (DOE) to participate in its new Entrepreneurship in Residence (EIR) program, a pilot initiative designed to get advanced energy technologies out of the federal labs and into the marketplace. In the program’s design, an entrepreneur affiliated with each venture capital firm will work with the selected DOE laboratory staff in order to identify and evaluate marketable technologies.
Cities Pursue Innovative Strategies to Grow Clean Technology Businesses
As renewable energy and environmental technologies emerge as some of the promising industries for high-tech economic development, more cities are seeking new ways to boost clean technology research and businesses. Austin, San Jose, Berkeley, Pasadena and Boston have been singled out for their efforts to promote cleantech industries by SustainLane Government, a nonprofit Internet-based organization that provides current practices and news about municipal sustainability.
People
Frank Dinucci announced he will step down in April 2007 as president of Connecticut Innovations.
People
Oleg Kaganovich will resign as CEO of the Sacramento Area Regional Technology Alliance (SARTA) in June 2007, but remain a member of SARTA's board of directors.
People
Peter Scott was named the director of Kettering University's new Fuel Cell and Advanced Technology Incubator.
Index, White Paper Offer Foray into Silicon Valley
While Silicon Valley lost jobs last year — the first decline since 1992 — value added per employee, a measure of productivity, increased 4.6 percent to $170,000 compared to $56,000 nationally, according to the Index of Silicon Valley 2002 released in January by Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network.
California Doubles Number of RTAs
Last week, Governor Gray Davis announced the award of three grants to support the creation of new Regional Technology Alliances (RTA) for the Inland Empire, San Joaquin Valley, and Sacramento/Capital regions. The three new non-profit organizations join existing RTAs in Los Angeles, San Diego and the San Francisco Bay area to provide decentralized business support services for innovative, California-based technology firms.
Strategic Plans Target Workforce in San Diego Region
The San Diego Work Force Partnership recently released four strategic plans as a blueprint to prepare San Diego's workforce to compete in the changing global economy. Initiated as part of a broader Regional Workforce Development Strategic Planning Initiative, the plans reflect the concerns of area businesses for developing and maintaining skilled workers.
Tech-talkin' Govs: State of the State and Budget Addresses
This is the fifth installment in the "Tech-talkin' Govs" series which provides highlights of programs, policies, and issues included in the Governors' addresses related to tech-based economic development.
Connecticut
John G. Rowland, Budget Address, February 6, 2002
Tech-talkin' Govs: State of the State Addresses and Budget Requests
The third part in a series, "Tech-talkin Govs" highlights programs, policies and issues in tech-based economic development that were considered in the following governors' State of the State and Budget addresses.
California
Gray Davis, 2002-2003 Budget proposal, January 2002
http://www.dof.ca.gov/HTML/Budget02-03/00_toc.htm
People
After seven years of serving as the first president of the Connecticut Technology Council, Laura Kent is resigning her position at the end of June. The Council now boasts over 400 members.
R&D Remains Concentrated in Few States, but Intensity Changes
The latest Issue Brief from the National Science Foundation (NSF) shows research and development (R&D) expenditures remain heavily concentrated in a few states. Ten states -- California, New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Maryland -- account for nearly two-thirds of national R&D investments.
Ag-based Economic Development for the New Economy
Few economic sectors have experienced the combined economic, technological, social, biological, and – now with threats of mad cow and foot-and-mouth diseases – medical pressures that confront American agriculture. Adding the challenges of competing in the knowledge-based economy presents a formidable task for rural regions.
Additional California Funding Offered for Rural Telecom Efforts
Complementing California’s support for New Valley Connexion, described above, is the state’s $2 million Rural E-Commerce program. Administered by the Division of Science, Technology and Innovation within the California Technology, Trade & Commerce Agency, Rural E-Commerce provides grants to non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and local governments for innovative, community-driven solutions to the telecommunications challenges faced by rural residents.
Connecticut Releases Draft Plan for IT Workforce Development
With 26 percent more of its workforce involved in information technology (IT) than the national average and with IT-producing industries growing faster in the state than the national average, Connecticut has possibly felt the pinch of the IT worker shortage more than other parts of the country. Add to that the fact that the number of IT-related graduates from the state’s universities and community colleges declined during the late 1990s.
Transferring University Technologies: Challenging Bayh-Dole
Does patenting encourage or speed the transfer of technology from universities? Does the prospect of receiving royalties and licensing fees increase motivation among university researchers to work with businesses to commercialize technology? A recent paper suggests the answers to both questions is "no," but that more empirical and statistical research is needed to determine whether or not increased emphasis on intellectual property rights is achieving the desired results.
People
The following were named recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Technology:
People
Victor Hwang, the immediate past president of Larta Institute, has co-founded T2 Venture Capital.
Legislative Updates: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Ohio
In keeping with the July 1 fiscal year deadlines, several states passed their budgets last month. The following states passed budgets that include funding for alternative energy, R&D tax credits, and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) initiatives.
Connecticut