Budget Proposals Focus on States' Investment in Research, Workforce Training
TBED People and Organizations
Gov. Jim Douglas plans to merge the Vermont Departments of Economic Development and Housing and Community Affairs.
TBED People and Organizations
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's secretary of Housing and Economic Development, Daniel O'Connell, resigned for personal reasons and was replaced by Greg Bialecki, an undersecretary who has been responsible for business development
Nominations Are Now Open For Southern Growth's Innovator Awards
Each year, Southern Growth Policies Board honors Southern initiatives that are improving economic opportunities and quality of life in the region. The 2010 Innovator Awards will be chosen from creative initiatives in the region that aim to help communities recover from the recession. Innovator Awards are presented annually to one organization in each of Southern Growth's 13 member states, and winners are recognized at Southern Growth's Annual Conference. The deadline for nominations is Nov 6.
SD Gov Asks Lawmakers to Fund Research Priorities in FY11
To keep alive the underground deep science laboratory, a National Science Foundation (NSF) research priority for scientific discovery in geophysics, Gov. Mike Rounds is asking lawmakers to approve $5.4 million in special appropriations for bridge funding through May 2011. During his budget presentation to the legislature last week, Gov. Rounds told lawmakers the $35 million allocated toward the effort in 2004 and 2005 would run out this month and $250 million in anticipated NSF funding would not be available until 2011.
Montana Legislators End Session with Mixed Results for TBED
The Montana Legislature adjourned last week after passing an $8 billion biennial budget for FY10 and FY11. The state Department of Commerce was allocated $74.9 million over the biennium, $1.7 million more than the governor's request. Newly funded initiatives within the department include $3.7 million over the biennium for workforce training grants through the New Worker Training program, $1.6 million for tribal economic development projects, $2 million for high-performance computing and $2.5 million in FY10 for biomedical research grants.
TBED People and Organizations
W. Steven Burke is the new president of Biofuels Center of North Carolina.
Delta Regional Authority Aims to Increase Competitiveness
Region Looks to Broadband Access and IT Usage
The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) lacks the access, awareness and affordability of broadband Internet service – a direct bearing on the region’s ability to participate successfully in the national and global economies, a new report from DRA and the Southern Growth Policies Board finds.
Metros in South and West Top Milken's Cities Index
Drawing on its high-tech cluster, Provo, Utah garnered the highest score in the 2008 Best-Performing Cities Index released today by the Milken Institute and Greenstreet Real Estate Partners.
The rebounding technology sector boosted several newcomers to the top 10 in the annual ranking of where America's jobs are being created and sustained. Metros that are highly dependent on resource extraction and export-intensive industries also showed success.
Southern Growth Launches Two New Online Tools
Southern Growth Policies Board recently announced the launch of two new, searchable web-based tools and the redesign of its website.
People
The Montana SBIR Outreach Program is changing its name to the Montana Technology Innovation Partnership.
South Dakota Joins Industry Partnership for ICT Education
Gov. Mike Rounds recently announced that South Dakota will join a national partnership, led by many of the country's leading information and communication technology (ICT) companies, to improve science and technology education and the skill set of the state's high-tech workforce. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, an ICT advocacy organization, will advise the state on designing curriculum that meets the needs of software, electronics, networking, telecommunications and Internet-based companies.
Tech Talkin’ Govs: Energy, Workforce Initiatives Prominently Featured in Gubernatorial Addresses
SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2015 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses.
Tech Talkin’ Govs: HI, MT Govs Address Innovation Infrastructure, Apprenticeships
SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene the 2015 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses.
NY Approves $950M for Next Round of Regional Awards; SD, WY Approve TBED Spending
Many states across the country already have, or will soon have, signed budgets ready for the 2017 fiscal year. Over the past few months, SSTI has examined gubernatorial addresses and proposed budgets for a preview of technology-based economic development spending in the coming year. This week, we take a look at what initiatives and spending levels survived spending negotiations in New York, South Dakota, Wyoming.
SC, NJ, Others Announce Funding for Industry-Specific Workforce Development
To build 21st century workforces in key S&T sectors, several new public-private initiatives have been launched in South Carolina, New Jersey, Utah, and Montana. These initiatives are intended to better align the educational training of students with the needs of industries that each respective state has identified as a key industry cluster. Target industries include advanced manufacturing, aerospace, biotechnology, chemistry and plastics, and cyber security.
South Carolina
TBED People
Subra Suresh, dean of engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the next director of the National Science Foundation.
Eric Cromwell, president and CEO, and Dan Schmisseur, vice president of operations and strategy, have resigned from the Tennessee Technology Development Corporation.
Western Govs Target Education in FY17 Spending Plans
A number of governors around the U.S. have already begun rolling out budget proposals for the next legislative session. This week, SSTI examines gubernatorial spending recommendations related to research, commercialization, STEM education and entrepreneurship in Alaska, South Dakota and Utah. See our previous article on proposals in Florida and Wyoming.
NGA Launches Pilot Program in Six States to Prepare Teens, Millennials for Middle-Skill, STEM Careers
The National Governors Association’s (NGA) Center for Best Practices launched the 2016 Policy Academy on Scaling Work-Based Learning – a pilot program in six states that blends work experience and applied learning to develop youth and young adults’ foundational and technical skills to expand their education, career and employment opportunities. The goal of the program is to connect 16- to 29-year-olds with middle-skills career opportunities in STEM-intensive industries such as advanced manufacturing, health care, information technology and energy.
CO, MT Budgets Propose Increased Funding for Infrastructure, Workforce Development
Incumbent governors in Colorado and Montana released their budget proposals this month, with both of the proposed budgets including provisions that prioritize infrastructure spending, workforce development programs, and education. Infrastructure and capital projects in particular were popular among the proposed budgets, with Colorado’s budget allocating $281.6 million to improve technology infrastructure and Montana allocating $300 million for infrastructure, including $45 million to Eastern Montana communities impacted by oil and gas development.
Governors Ramp up Skilled Workforce Initiatives
Lawmakers in several states will consider legislation this year aimed at solving the workforce disconnect as states continue to struggle with unemployment and look for ways to attract industries in emerging fields. Many of the recent proposals, including those in Connecticut and Massachusetts, focus on revamping oversight of higher education and workforce training to offer better tools and a quicker path to a degree and skills matched with the needs of businesses.
Tech Talkin' Govs: Part II
The second installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin. Our first installment was in the Jan. 9 Digest.
Budget RoundUp: States Seek Modest investments for S&T
Governors in several states recently unveiled spending proposals for the upcoming fiscal year or biennium. While fiscal conditions in most states remain fragile, new or continuing investments focused on science, technology and innovation were introduced as pro-growth measures to aid in states' recovery efforts. With the exception of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's ambitious economic development plan (see the Jan. 9 issue of the Digest), most of the proposals were on the modest side.
Tech Talkin' Govs: Part IV
NIST Designates New MEP Centers in SD, KY
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded cooperative agreements to organizations in South Dakota and Kentucky to fill absences of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program. After 10 years, South Dakota will again have an MEP center — the South Dakota Manufacturing and Technology Solutions, housed at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.