Minnesota Approves Energy Initiative, Funding for TBED
Funding for energy and TBED initiatives were highlighted in the fiscal year 2007-09 biennial budget at the close of the legislative session in Minnesota late last month. Winning nearly unanimous approval from the legislature was Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Next Generation Initiative announced during his State-of-the-State Address (see the Jan.
Study Highlights Successful Programs in Rural Governance
Innovations in public and private institutions could be the key to aligning governance with opportunity, according to the Center for the Study of Rural America's latest annual report.
Minnesota Report Spotlights Concerns of State's Manufacturers
The need for tax cuts, reduced and simplified regulations, a well-trained workforce, lower employee health care costs, and a state-sponsored industry advocate are among the top concerns shared by a core group of Minnesota manufacturers.
Stowers to Double Life Science Center in Kansas City
Arizona taxpayers paid at least $100 million for the TGen Institute. The east coast version of Scripps cost Florida a cool $500-plus million. How much should Kansas City expect to pay the Stowers Institute for Medical Research to double the size of its 600,000 sq. ft. research facility instead of locating a second campus elsewhere?
Not a dime.
People
With Randall Olson's resignation, Pat Dillon has become the executive director for Minnesota Project Innovation.
People
Kelvin Simmons is the new director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, replacing Joe Driskell who held the position for 10 years. Simmons had been serving as chairman of the state's Public Service Commission.
$25M in Kauffman Grants to Spur Entrepreneurship on Eight Campuses
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation awarded on Monday $25 million in grants to eight U.S. universities that pledged to make entrepreneurship education available across campus. The selected universities, shown with their award amounts, are:
People
The University of Minnesota Duluth Center for Economic Development has named Elaine Hansen as its new permanent director.
TBED People and Organizations
President Obama has named Ron Bloom as the administration's senior counselor for manufacturing policy. Since, February, Bloom has been a senior adviser to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and he sits on the president's automotive industry task force.
SSTI Job Corner
Missouri Small Business Technology Development Center invites applications for an associate state specialist (counselor). This position serves as a statewide specialist to provide leadership, expertise, and training to University faculty and staff, and private sector clients with SBIR/STTR.
SSTI Job Corner
Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
Proposal to Attract S&T Companies, Researchers Slated for Missouri Legislative Session
During the upcoming legislative session in Missouri, lawmakers will consider a proposal by Gov. Jay Nixon to create a funding source aimed at attracting top scientists, commercializing research, recruiting and building science infrastructure, and creating capital programs for early-stage technology companies. The Missouri Science and Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA) would dedicate an annual portion of new tax revenues generated by biotechnology companies to a newly-created state fund administered by the Missouri Technology Corporation.
Tech Talkin' Govs, Part III
The third installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs’ series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Delaware, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin. The first and second installments are available in the Jan 13 Digest and Jan. 20 Digest, respectively.
Minnesota S&T Leaders Blast State’s Long Hiatus from TBED
“Minnesota faces a crisis of competitiveness.” It didn’t take Minnesota’s leaders long to recognize the state’s precipitous fall in the standings for many major indicators over the past two decades paralleled the state’s prolonged diinvestment from a proactive TBED strategy.
Research Park Round Up
The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation.
TBED People and Organizations
W. Steven Burke is the new president of Biofuels Center of North Carolina.
As Budgets Tightens, State TBED Investments Grow More Targeted
With less money to spend on risky endeavors, many states are taking more targeted approaches toward economic development, seeking out sectors of the economy they consider most likely to grow and be sustainable beyond current conditions. In Hawaii, for example, lawmakers established an Aerospace Advisory Committee this session seeking long-term growth in aerospace-related industries.
TBED People and Organizations
J. Mike Books is leaving his post with the Indiana Health Industry Forum to become the first economic development director for the city of Columbia, Missouri. He also will serve as president of the Regional Economic Development Inc. Brooks will assume his new responsibilities on July 15.
SSTI Job Corner
The complete description of this opportunity and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
Minnesota Lawmakers Establish Green Jobs Plan; Gov Takes Final Action on Budget
As one of several states working to recruit and retain companies that create green jobs, Minnesota lawmakers passed a measure to create a multiagency authority to promote, market and coordinate state agency collaboration on green enterprise and green economy projects. At the same time, legislators rejected Gov.
Kauffman Analyzes the Ups and Outs of Startup Job Growth and Mortality
Growth is most noticeable in dogs, cats and humans when they are puppies, kittens and infants. A new analysis by the Kauffman Foundation looking at the Census Bureau's Business Dynamics Statistics reveals the same phenomenon in businesses: growth, as measured by net employment, is most significant for younger companies compared to their more mature counterparts. Infant mortality of young firms is very high, though - nearly 20 percent of all jobs at very young startups are lost due to the businesses failing within the first year.
What Are Green Jobs? Working Definitions from Current TBED Research
Though green jobs have become the focus of many TBED initiatives at the federal, state and local levels, it remains difficult to estimate the size of the green workforce. Green jobs are a relatively new focus for economic development, and there is no standard definition of the green economy and green occupations. Several recent reports have taken on the task of defining green jobs, including the industry sectors that should be folded into that definition.
Incubator RoundUp: Top Performing Incubators Named in NBIA Awards
The role of a technology incubator or accelerator for supporting nascent firms generally is regarded with the utmost importance by the tech-based economic development community. Tech incubators provide essential resources for startup companies to develop and commercialize new technologies, leading to the creation of high-quality jobs.
Missouri, Ohio and Texas Governors Seek Increased Support for TBED Efforts
Not all of the news coming out of governors' offices is bad for TBED strategies. For example, just in the past week, governors in Missouri, Ohio and Texas proposed increases in state investments for job creation in emerging fields, higher education scholarships, and technology commercialization and research programs. The following overview provides highlights of their recommendations for TBED proposals in the upcoming fiscal year or biennium.