People
Jeffrey Skolnick has been named executive director of the new Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics based at the University of Buffalo. In introducing Skolnick, Governor Pataki confirmed the new state budget includes $50 million for the center, according to the May 10 issue of the Buffalo News.
NBIA Teams with LocalFund to Help Match Start-ups with Angels
To help business incubator managers match start-up businesses with private investors through an Internet-based network, the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) has partnered with LocalFund, Inc., a network service provider based in Billings, Mont.
SSTI Weekly Digest Takes Spring Break
The SSTI Weekly Digest will be taking a brief spring break and will resume publication on Friday, May 3.
NY Governor Announces $304M Redevelopment Plan for Campus
New York Governor George Pataki recently announced a multimillion plan to transform the aging 300-acre W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus in Albany, N.Y., into a world-class research and development technology park.
Great Titles Added to SSTI Bookstore
Want to expand broadband in your state or community? Looking to launch a biotech initiative? Getting into commercializing university research? Are tight budgets leading to more rigorous program evaluation? Or do you simply want to help your community understand the importance of technology?
Small Firms in New York Face Big Challenges, Survey Reveals
Small businesses bearing a critical role to the regional economies of upstate New York must overcome several barriers to growth if they are to enjoy future success, suggests a report by the Buffalo Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Ohio Department of Development Seeks Grants Administration Manager
The Ohio Department of Development, which works collaboratively with businesses, communities and the Ohio Legislature to develop financial and technical programs, seeks to fill the position, Grants Administration Manager. The position's duties include managing the outside Grant Administration Team, assessing project results and progress, and performing other duties assigned by the Deputy Director of the Technology Division.
Publisher's Note to this Issue
At almost every turn, the important roles played by universities and colleges in a knowledge-based economy seem to be validated. Industry and political leaders across the country are talking of the need for strong institutions of higher education, particularly public research universities, to improve national, state, and local competitiveness.
People
James Hayward, CEO of a biotech materials supply company, has been named the first chairman of the Long Island Life Sciences Initiative. Joseph Scaduto is serving part-time as the new executive director for the group.
Incubators Offer Proven Tool for Tech Business Growth
State and local strategies to assist start-up business formation often focus on three elements to help nascent firms: securing much-needed funding or capital (either private or public), lowering the overall cost of doing business, or gaining the skill set or access to intellectual resources to succeed.
NYC, Tech-based ED and September 11
With disaster comes opportunity for dramatic changes to occur through the healing and rebuilding processes. Floods, hurricanes and tornados have helped to energize devastated areas into becoming more vibrant communities. The deep recession of the late 80s and restructuring of many key industrial sectors ushered in many state tech-based economic development programs, the benefits of which are being felt more than a decade later.
People
Bruce Johnson is the new Director of the Ohio Department of Development. Mr. Johnson formerly served in the Ohio Senate.
Butler County Lays Out $100 Million Tech Strategy
In an effort to create a high tech center, officials in Ohio's Butler County anticipate spending more than $100 million during the next five years to increase telecommunications, biomedical innovations, electronic commerce, and other research. Funding for the measure would come from as much as a half-penny sales tax hike, according to a story published August 1 by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Web Site of Tech Resources for Nonprofits Launched
Declaring September “Nonprofits & Technology Month,” the Foundation Center has launched a website presenting myriad financial and technical assistance resources to support the acquisition and use of information technology in nonprofit organizations.
Creating Tomorrow’s Workforce: An Evaluation of School-to-Work
With the 1994 School-to-Work Opportunities Act sunsetting this year and the increasing importance of developing a skilled workforce for a tech-based economy, many are asking if the initiatives launched or expanded by the Act have been successful.
Industry Commits $45 Million to NY Photonics Center
In what could be the largest private sector commitment yet to a single industry/university research center, Corning, Kodak ,and Xerox have combined to pledge a staggering $45 million toward establishing a Center of Excellence in Photonics and Optoelectronics in Rochester, N.Y. The three corporate giants also committed to help raise another $30 million from other private sector companies for the new partnership involving New York State, higher education, and private enterprise.
University R&D, Tech Big Winners in Competing NY Proposals
Whether it is proposal A, proposal B, or some combination of A and B, university research and development efforts in New York stand to gain an additional $40-50 million per year for the next five years. The new funding would be in addition to the $135 million injection of state funding directed toward university research excellence through the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR).
2001 S&T Calendar Filling Up
On the SSTI Calendar of Events webpage, we present brief descriptions and contact links for more than 100 regional or national conferences, meetings, and workshops planned for the coming year. The list ranges from workshops on how to secure federal technology funding for programs such as the Advanced Technology Program to venture capital forums to annual meetings for most of the associations involved with tech-based economic development.
People
SSTI welcomes Alan Aldinger to our staff in the new position of Communications Director. Alan comes to SSTI from the office of public relations for Wittenburg University.
SSTI Receives EDA Award to Support Digest
The SSTI Weekly Digest has a new sponsor, making the publication free to any and all parties interested in tech-based economic development. The Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, selected SSTI as one of three awardees in a competitive solicitation for national information dissemination projects. SSTI proposed dramatically expanding the content and distribution of the Digest and establishing a web-based resource center.
SSTI Brought 1,400+ Funding Opportunities to Subscribers in 2007
So far this year, SSTI's Funding Supplement has made its subscribers aware of more than 1,400 different opportunities to secure funding. If you aren't a subscriber, your client companies, academic researchers, and state and local TBED efforts are at a significant disadvantage!
SSTI Job Corner
Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.
People
Linda Hartsock was hired by Empire State Development to serve as regional director for Central New York.
People
Marilyn Higgins joined Syracuse University as vice president for community engagement and economic impact.
New TBED Ideas Surfacing: Will They Endure?
Policymakers and practitioners continually seek new ideas to integrate into their overall TBED strategies in order to capitalize on innovative approaches and remain a competitive force in the global marketplace. Over the last few months, two new concepts in TBED aimed at supporting higher education have surfaced in New York and Wisconsin with two distinct goals: achieving the status of a world-renowned research capital and increasing college graduates to raise per capita income.