North Carolina Lawmakers Fund Major Research, Education, TBED Initiatives
After running on a month-long stopgap budget, North Carolina lawmakers reached a $20.7 billion budget agreement for fiscal year 2007-08 earlier this week that includes funding for major research initiatives, public and higher education, and TBED-related items.
People & TBED Organizations
Tom Clarkson is the new chief executive officer of Wake Forest University's Babcock Demon incubator. Clarkson replaces Paul Briggs, who retired.
People & TBED Organizations
Joan Myers resigned as president and chief executive of the North Carolina Technology Association to join the global public policy division at a local software company. Myers' resignation is effective Aug. 21.
People & TBED Organizations
George Burrell resigned as president and CEO of Innovation Philadelphia. Kelly Lee, the organization's executive vice president, is running day-to-day operations until Burrell's successor is named.
People & TBED Organizations
The Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory selected David Hiller as its first executive director.
People & TBED Organizations
The Rhode Island Manufacturers Association and the Rhode Island Manufacturing Summit have joined forces to serve as one voice for manufacturing in the state.
People & TBED Organizations
The Idaho communities of Greenleaf, Homedale, Grand View, Marsing, Melba, Parma and Wilder have formed the Western Alliance for Economic Development.
People
Steve Zylstra stepped down as CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council.
People
Beth Gorin stepped down as CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation.
Website Launched along with 2007 Report on the Future of the South
Building on past reports calling for higher levels of educational achievement in the South, the 2007 Southern Growth Polices Board Report outlines a three-pronged strategy to aid the southern region in attaining its goal of building a globally competitive workforce. The annual Report on the Future of the South, released earlier this month, labels its new approach "Convene-Connect-Commit," addressing the process in detail.
TBED People
Catalyst Connection has named Petra Mitchell as its new president.
North Carolina to Start Statewide Micro Angel Fund
North Carolina does not, at first glance, seem to be a venture capital underperformer. In 2006, venture capitalists invested close to $510 million in North Carolina, almost $60 million of which was invested in seed and early-stage businesses, according to the Pricewaterhouse Coopers Moneytree Survey of VC investment. However, while the state ranks 12th in seed/early-stage investment, many in the state perceive the lack of seed funding to be a major obstacle to economic growth.
Pennsylvania Budget Includes Major Investments in Education; TBED Initiatives Pushed to Fall
As part of the budget deal agreed upon earlier this week between Gov. Ed Rendell and Pennsylvania lawmakers, two of the governor’s major TBED priorities - the Jonas Salk Legacy Fund and an alternative energy fund - will be voted on later this year.
People & TBED Organizations
E. Norris Tolson is officially the president and CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, having served as interim CEO since January.
“Recoupling” Manufacturing and Innovation
Between 2000 and 2010, about one-third of U.S. manufacturing employment – approximately five million jobs – were lost as a result of new technologies in the manufacturing process or competition from abroad, according to The Brookings Institution.
Pennsylvania’s Largest Universities Make Investments in Innovation, Entrepreneurship
Pennsylvania’s largest universities by student population, Penn State and Temple University, both announced plans this week to make a concerted investment in their respective innovation ecosystems. Pennsylvania State University (PSU) President Eric Barron announced $30 million in new investments for economic development and student career students, while Temple University and Ben Franklin Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania established a new startup accelerator to assist university ventures.
Tech Talkin' Govs: More Governors Use Addresses to Promote Higher Ed Investments
SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series has returned as governors across the country formally convene 2015 legislative sessions. The series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from governors' State of the State, Budget and Inaugural addresses.
Budget Passes in PA, but Debate Continues; FY17 Spending Approved in AL, FL, ID, NM
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 Alabama, Florida, Idaho and New Mexico, as well as an update on the budget situation in Pennsylvania.
New Developments in Capital: Strong Results Announced, New Funds Created
In the last month, major new developments have occurred in TBED capital programs. Launch Tennessee and Pittsburgh-based Innovation Works both announced positive findings about the growth of their startup investment ecosystems with $1 billion being raised by Tennessee startups from 2012 to early 2016 and over $279 million invested in Pittsburgh startups in 2015. Meanwhile in Ohio, both Youngstown-based and Cincy-based startups will see an influx of capital, while a new $150 million fund focused on stem cell companies and regions has been launched.
TBED People and Organizations
TBED People
Michael Burcham has been named the first president of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. Burcham currently serves as a clinical faculty member at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management.
Legislative Wrap-Up: Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Tennessee Pass Budgets
Several states recently enacted spending plans for the upcoming fiscal year, which started July 1 for most states. In Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed into law the LA GRAD Act, granting universities more flexibility to raise tuition in return for meeting certain performance goals. Lawmakers in Massachusetts allocated $10 million to continue the state's investment in life sciences, Pennsylvania Gov.
TBED People
Andre Pettigrew, the director of the Denver Office of Economic Development, will become the first executive director of Climate Prosperity Inc., a Washington, D.C., climate-change think tank. LaCharles Keesee, the city's deputy chief financial officer, will assume an interim role as head of the city's economic development department until a final replacement is named.
TBED People
Holli Baumunk, vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, has been named president and CEO of the Colorado BioScience Association.
SSTI Looks to the Road Ahead
Crafting a regional TBED strategy is a difficult proposition. First, you figure out where you are. You check the data, conduct surveys and talk to the right people. Then, you figure out where you need to go. You look at other regions, and, again, talk to the right people. Using that information, you try to chart a course from where you are to where you want to be. The path, however, is rarely a straight line.
Senior Administration Officials to Speak at SSTI Conference
Want to know more about the Obama Administration's innovation strategy? SSTI is pleased to welcome two key administration officials to this year's conference. Ginger Lew, Senior Counselor to the White House National Economic Council (NEC) and the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Brian McGowan, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and COO for the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), will discuss the administration's plans to support innovation.