Karl Fooks, a past managing director for J.P. Morgan & Co. in Asia, is the new president of the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation. Fooks replaces John Chock who retired last year.

In the midst of a national economic recession contributing to a record number of job losses in traditional industries, forward thinking states are exploring ideas and committing funds to help grow and diversify their economies and strengthen their renewable energy portfolios.

Within the last two weeks, both Kentucky and Michigan announced major developments in their ongoing efforts to build a statewide advanced battery industry. With these initiatives, the states hope to better position themselves for upcoming rounds of advanced battery development grants from the federal government and other future sources of investment.

Tuesday’s Republican victories in the gubernatorial races for New Jersey and Virginia mean a shift in political power for both states. With current fiscal conditions continuing to press state revenues lower and unemployment rolls higher, much of the new governors’ attentions could pass over tech-based economic development policies. Alternately, increased investments in TBED may be exactly what are needed right now to help create high-wage jobs in both states.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell dropped his previous nomination, Robert Sledd, as his secretary for Commerce and Trade and instead nominated businessman James Cheng. Cheng, whose nomination needs to be confirmed by the Democratic-controlled Senate, was sworn in on January 17.

The National Science Foundation is seeking a Senior Analyst in its Science & Engineering Indicators Program, Division of Science Resources Statistics’ (SRS) Directorate for Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arlington, VA. The appointment is under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) for a two-year renewable period

The second installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs’ series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Colorado, Virginia and West Virginia. Our first installment was in the Jan 13 Digest.

Arden Bement, head of the National Science Foundation since his appointment as acting director in early 2004 and permanent director in November of that year, will become director of the new Global Policy Research Institute at Purdue University, effective June 1. Bement served as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology from 2001 to 2004.

NSF directorships are Presidential appointments with six-year terms. Bement's term would have expired in November, 2010. The White House has yet to name Bement's successor.

Nearly all components of a comprehensive legislative package set forth by Gov. Bob McDonnell that would provide tax credits for green jobs, invest in renewable energy R&D, and support the biotechnology and life sciences industries have passed at least one chamber in the legislature at this point. The governor also introduced amendments to the 2010-12 budget proposed by former Gov. Tim Kaine that would provide an additional $50 million for economic development initiatives.

Jeff Blodgett, Vice President of Research, at the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. is retiring.

The University of Virginia has named W. Mark Crowell, vice president for business development at The Scripps Research Institute, to the newly created position of executive director and associate vice president for innovation partnerships and commercialization.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear will host a conference sponsored by the Southern Technology Council exploring changing consumer demands and global competitions in the Southern automotive industry. The conference, titled Driving the Next 20 Years: Creating the New Automotive Industry in the South, will feature speakers from Toyota, Ford, Daimer and Nissan and panel discussions on auto R&D, site location and supporting the industry. The event will be held June 7-8 in Lexington, KY. Read more about the conference ...

Between 2003 and 2007 R&D spending at U.S. small businesses increased by 38.8 percent, according to a recent National Science Foundation InfoBrief. During that period the share of U.S. R&D done by firms with fewer than 500 employees increased from 17.9 percent to 18.7 percent. R&D intensity at small firms also increased from 3.1 percent of company sales revenues to 8.6 percent. Read the NSF InfoBrief "Indicators of U.S.

$11.4 Million in Grants Available for Sustainable Software Communities
The National Science Foundation invites proposals for a new program, Software Infrastructure for Sustained Innovation. The goal is to transform innovations in research and education into sustained software resources that are an integral part of the cyberinfrastructure.
Read more...

Five bills in support of Gov. Bob McDonnell's "Jobs and Opportunity Agenda" were signed into law this week, including a measure to exempt the capital gains tax on investments in science-based or biotech startups, designed to provide a significant incentive for investors in technology start-ups.

Bryan Allinson has joined Ohio University as director of technology transfer.

Silicon Valley, a region often looked to for trends in the technology field, is expected to see a rise in the number of new high-tech incubators and the expansion of existing incubators in the coming months. A recent Wall Street Journal article points to these openings as a sign of revival for technology startup companies amid a relatively slow period last year as startup investment plunged during the recession.

Recent court decisions regarding high-speed Internet competition and net neutrality have put U.S. broadband competitiveness on uncertain terrain. Despite two decades of publically supported high-speed data infrastructure efforts, many rural areas still lack access and even densely populated areas remain underserved.  New statewide efforts in Kentucky, Minnesota and Iowa have been announced to improve broadband services and boost economic competitiveness. In addition, Google has announced that it will expand its ultra-fast fiber services to nine more cities across the country.

Los Angeles County (CA), New York County (NY) and Cook County (IL) topped the list of places where people older than 25 with graduate or professional degrees moved to between 2007 and 2011, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County-to-County Migration Flows Tables. Middlesex County (MA) and Fairfax County (VA) also ranked among the top destinations for highly educated transplants. The Census report provides data on domestic migration at the county level, including data on income and educational attainment.

Now in its 14th year, SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2014 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Idaho, Kentucky, New York, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Angel capital has long played a vital role in state and regional innovation economies, but recent trends in investment capital have pushed angel investment to the fore. As the supply of seed stage venture capital declines in many parts of the country, angels have stepped in to bridge early stage funding gaps for technology startups. Many states have stepped up their efforts to attract and incentivize angel investment. Recent initiatives in Minnesota, Florida, Kentucky and West Virginia seek to book seed and early stage capital by working with angel investors.