People & Organizations
The Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at Massachusetts Institute of Technology named Leon Sandler as its new executive director.
People & Organizations
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney named Deborah Shufrin as director of the state's Department of Business and Technology. Shufrin replaces Renee Fry, who stepped down to serve as the governor's duputy chief of staff.
People
Cliff Long is the first full-time economic development director for Nampa, Idaho. Long had worked for the Idaho Department of Commerce for the past 14 years.
People
Former Massachusetts State Senator Peter Larkin is the senior vice president and chief operating officer for the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
MTC Index Produces Mixed Results for State's Economy
The challenge for industry, academic leaders and policymakers in Massachusetts over the next few years is to translate the competitive strengths of the state's economy into new companies and new jobs, the ninth annual Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy indicates.
Massachusetts Gov. Returns Stem Cell Bill to Legislature
As expected, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney rejected last week Senate Bill 2039, the bill supporting stem cell research. Exercising a power not enjoyed by all governors, Gov. Romney sent the measure back to the legislature with four amendments for consideration, rather than vetoing the measure.
Recent Reports & Studies: Kortum & Lerner: The Relationship of VC to Innovation
Using patent filing and quality as a measure of innovation, “a dollar of venture capital appears to be about three times more potent in stimulating patenting than a dollar of traditional corporate R&D,” according to a July 2000 paper by Samuel Korton (Boston University) and Josh Lerner (Harvard University).
Recent Research: How "Surrogate Universities" Impacted the High-Tech Growth of the Boise Metro
The presence of "surrogate universities" - that is, nonacademic institutions able to attract a skilled workforce, produce marketable innovations and cultivate local entrepreneurship - have greatly influenced the growth of the tech-based economy of Boise and Idaho's Treasure Valley. Furthermore, distinctions in these surrogates' culture, innovation model and marketable products may help to explain the development of new technology firms in the metro area.
Massachusetts Innovation Index Reports Shrinking High-Tech Labor Pool in Leading Technology States
The gradual aging of the American workforce and the domestic migration of young workers may be at fault for slow economic growth in many states that have historically been successful in promoting high-tech business, according to this year’s Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy.
Innovation Economy Strong, But State Lags in High Tech Job Creation, MTC Index Finds
Massachusetts' innovation indicators may be strong, but the conversion of innovation into new high tech jobs is lagging and the state’s median household income continues to dip, according to the latest Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy.
SBA Changes Rules for SBIR
Friday's issue of the Idaho SBIR Competition Newsletter brought to our attention two announcements from the SBA regarding the SBIR Program. Proposed changes for the program were included in the Dec. 3 online issue of the Federal Register. We reprint an extended excerpt of the text from the Idaho SBIR Competition Newsletter verbatim below, with our great appreciation for the work of Dr.
Job Postings
Chief Executive Officer
Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology
People
Eastern Idaho Economic Development Council has changed its name to Grow Idaho Falls Inc. to better convey its mission.
People
Former Massachusetts House Majority Leader Salvatore DiMasi has replaced Thomas Finneran as Speaker of the House. Finneran recently resigned to run the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
Angel & Venture Capital News
Boise Gains First Angel Investor Network
People
LaMoyne Hyde, director of the Idaho Department of Commerce, also announced he will resign his position by the end of the year.
People
Bill Shipp, president of Bechtel BWXT Idaho and lab director of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, is retiring effective Oct. 25. Paul Divjak will be his replacement.
People
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney appointed Kathy Kottarodis to serve as the state’s first small business advocate. Kottarodis had been director of small business and entrepreneurship within the state’s office of business and technology.
Mass. Governor Lays Out $125M Jobs Bill
Gov. Mitt Romney outlined a legislative package on Monday totaling $125 million designed to create more jobs. Many elements of the package target the science and technology communities.
People & TBED Organizations
Robert Coughlin will replace Thomas Finneran as the new head of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council by October. Coughlin is Gov. Deval Patrick's undersecretary for business development.
People & TBED Organizations
Gov. Patrick has appointed Sharon Gillett to head the newly created Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Cable. Gillett previously served as a principal research associate and chair of the Broadband Working Group for the industry-sponsored Communications Futures Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a member of the Boston Wireless Task Force.
People
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appointed Ranch Kimball to serve as his new economic development secretary.
Nanotech Continues To Emerge In Massachusetts
Although Massachusetts' universities may be at the fore of nanotechnology research and development (R&D), they must continue to win on research for the state to stay competitive for federal funds, suggests a recent report by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) and the Nano Science and Technology Institute (NSTI).
MTC Seeks Manager for John Adams Innovation Institute
The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) announces the creation of the Innovation Systems Division and a unique economic development initiative, the John Adams Innovation Institute, a vehicle for the state to make strategic investments in its knowledge economy.
People
Janice Bourque, president and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, plans to step down once a replacement has been found.