Earlier this month, Gov. Jim Douglas announced a plan to use $8.7 million in federal stimulus funds for job creation programs, including broadband infrastructure, low-interest loans and workforce training. Many of the proposals mirror last year’s SmartVermont plan, a proposal rejected by lawmakers that would have leveraged federal funds to provide $17.2 million for statewide economic development. (see the June 3, 2009 issue of the Digest).

Entering its tenth year covering governors’ State of the State, Budget and Inaugural Addresses, SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series highlights new and expanded TBED proposals from across the nation. The first edition includes excerpts from speeches delivered in the following states:

Arizona
Gov. Janice Brewer, State of the State Address, Jan. 11, 2010

North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell has announced credit services group Credit Suisse will serve as manager of the state's new $230 million innovation fund. The fund, drawn from public pension dollars, will invest in North Carolina-based technology businesses over the next five years. Though full investment guidelines have not yet been developed, investments will be aimed towards high-growth industries, including life sciences, clean energy and other high-tech industries.

Gov. Bev Perdue last week announced a number of proposals designed to grow the state's economy and create jobs by focusing on the small business sector. The JobsNOW Small Business Assistance Package involves three areas of assistance, including tax incentives, statewide support for small businesses, and expanding the N.C. business preference to help small businesses compete for state contracts.

Gov. Jim Douglas last week signed a jobs bill that distributes $8.7 million in federal stimulus funds to help seed high-tech entrepreneurial ventures, increase broadband access across rural areas of the state, train workers for careers in emerging sectors, and provide low-interest rate subsidies on loans approved under the Vermont Jobs Fund.

Patrick Gallagher has been named the 18th chancellor and chief executive officer of the University of Pittsburgh. Gallagher currently serves as acting deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

John Sider has accepted a position with Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes and the PA Senate Democratic Caucus to work on economic development policy and projects, effective April 1. Currently, Sider is the managing director of statewide initiatives at Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

Vic Nole has joined the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, Inc. as director of business development and entrepreneurial activity.

The first of three new manufacturing innovation institutes will be headquartered in Raleigh, NC, and led by a consortium of 18 companies, seven universities and labs, and the state of North Carolina. The announcement was made today by President Obama. Developing wide-bandgap semiconductor devices and industry-relevant processes is the goal of the Next Generation Power Electronics Institute. Such technologies are used to develop smaller, faster, cheaper and more efficient electronics for personal devices, electric vehicles and renewable power interconnection, according to a press release. The selection process is still underway for two other institutes, with awards expected in the coming weeks.

Crowdfunding was poised to make a major splash on startup financing in 2013, aided by the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act, a projected explosion in the number of crowdfunding portals and the adoption of state crowdfunding exemptions. However, the crowdfunding industry did not have the anticipated gamechanging impact on startup financing.

The second installment of SSTI’s Tech Talkin’ Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont and Virginia.

Federal stimulus funds approved earlier this year by Congress are doing more than filling budget gaps in states across the nation. During a year in which it otherwise may be virtually impossible to direct much funding to starting initiatives aimed at growing the economy, many states are using federal stimulus funds to implement new programs.

The sixth installment of SSTI's Tech Talkin' Govs series includes excerpts from speeches delivered in New Hampshire and North Carolina. Our first five installments were in the Jan. 9, Jan. 16, Jan. 23, Jan.

Commissioned by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, a study found North Carolina's biotech industry employees almost 58,000 residents at an average annual wage of $78,000. From 2001 to 2010, employment in the state's biotech industry grew by 23.5 percent (approximately 12,000 new jobs) — 3.5 times faster than the national biotech workforce. In comparison, North Carolina's private-sector workforce declined by 2.8 percent in the same period.

Rebecca Blank, the acting U.S. secretary of Commerce, is expected to be the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The Board of Regents is scheduled to vote on the recommendation April 5.

Georgia Tech has launched a crowdfunding resource for university-based students and faculty. Originally announced in the spring, Georgia Tech joins several other universities that are using crowdfunding to finance commercialization and the development of startups based on university research. The field has become common and relevant enough that an online community has started tracking this growth.

North Carolina is rich in resources to support a thriving innovation ecosystem. But despite its strengths, several factors are preventing the state from reaching its full potential to fuel and sustain strong economic growth. These and other findings are outlined in a recent report tracking the state's performance in 38 measures related to innovation assets, activities and trends. The fourth in a series of indexes produced over the past 13 years, the report benchmarks North Carolina with six key comparison states, the U.S. overall and leading countries.

Amid a national economic recovery, city officials report a recent and persistent skills gap that may signal structural challenges and present serious barriers to sustained growth for metros. Nearly nine in 10 city officials (88 percent) note that workforce alignment has not improved over the past year, according to a recent survey on city fiscal conditions from the National League of Cities (NLC).

As many state legislative sessions wind down, a clearer picture of the current direction of state innovation policies is emerging. This week’s SSTI Weekly Digest presents a few of the major trends in technology-based economic development initiatives approved by state legislatures during their most recent sessions. While this review is not meant to be comprehensive, it should illuminate the shifts states are making to refine their investments in the high-tech economy by providing smarter, more targeted support.