Kenneth Alfred will become the first executive director for the new Ohio Fuel Cell Coalition.

The Charleston Gazette reports Ron Hatfield, director of jobs development for the West Virginia University Institute of Technology's Technology Research and Development Corp., will also serve as the new executive director of the Upper Kanawha Economic Development Corp.

The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) honored six top incubation programs, graduates and clients at its 17th International Conference on Incubation, held May 18-21 in Richmond, Va. Award winners are highlighted below:

A Note from the Editor

NorTech is inviting all SSTI conference attendees to an opening reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Tuesday, Oct. 14, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Just like the music it pays homage to, inside and out, the Rock Hall exudes coolness. From the adventurously wide-open architecture and eye-popping displays to the sing-along soundtrack of continuously streaming rock and roll hits, this is one museum experience that really gets your heart pumping.

Summer camps focusing on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields are typically designed to spark youth interest and introduce students to career options in these critical areas. However, a vital component of these programs is exposure to scientific challenges that many classroom settings cannot provide.

Last week, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland signed an executive order that immediately allows all U.S. veterans eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill, their spouses, and their dependents to enroll at in-state tuition rates at Ohio’s public colleges and universities. Titled the Ohio GI Promise, the policy effectively allows all U.S. veterans to attend college for free in Ohio, once the new federal GI bill goes into effect on Aug. 1, 2009.

Steve Bazinet has been hired as executive director of the Maine Center for Enterprise Development.

Rahindra Bose is Ohio University's new vice president for research and creative activity and dean of the graduate college.

Being associated with the premiere professional development event of the year for the nation's technology-based economic development community can yield tremendous returns for your company, organization or program. Exposure and unrivaled networking opportunities are presented through SSTI's annual conference -- broadening the reach and deepening the impact of your marketing dollars. Last year’s sold-out conference included more than 350 representatives from 48 states and four countries.

The full-color, full-conference brochure will hit the streets next week but we wanted to give Digest readers the first peek at what promises to be a very special event for the technology-based economic development (TBED) community. SSTI’s 12th Annual Conference will be held Oct. 14-16, 2008, at the Intercontinental Hotel Cleveland.

Most Digest readers know access to equity capital serves a critical role in encouraging regional innovation. But the stats on venture capital (VC) deals demonstrates all too well that money isn't flowing freely everywhere. The economy also is presenting challenges for equity deals, making exits more scarce. How can underserved areas attract early-, seed and late-stage capital?

Entrepreneurship education courses continue to appear across the country. A large-scale commitment was announced recently, as eight Arkansas two-year colleges will offer degrees and certificates in entrepreneurship this fall. The broad availability is expected to help create a culture of entrepreneurship that extends from regions capitalizing in the emerging fields of bioscience and nanotechnology research to the rural pockets of the state in need of high-paying jobs.
 

Witnessing the success experienced by its neighbor, West Virginia is creating a university R&D matching endowment program similar to Kentucky’s. The legislature approved $50 million for Gov. Joe Manchin’s “Bucks for Brains” initiative to be allocated from lottery surplus funds (see the Jan. 16, 2008 issue of the Digest).

On the heels of SSTI’s successful inaugural year awards program, recognizing exceptional achievements in approaches to improving state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation, we are pleased to invite applications for the 2008 awards cycle.
 
The purpose of the awards program is to showcase best practices across a broad spectrum of categories encompassing several elements that have been found in successful technology-based economies. The categories are:

The secret is out – and it’s fairly simple. All you need is an outstanding TBED initiative with proven success that stands out among the crowd.
 
SSTI often receives news and updates on programs that are improving our nation’s competitiveness through science, technology and innovation. Now, we are calling upon the TBED community to share these success stories – and we’ll reward you for your efforts. All you have to do is put it in writing, and we promise it will be well worth your time. As an award winner, you will:

In a deal ironed out earlier this month by Gov. Ted Strickland and legislative leaders, the state will move forward with an economic stimulus plan that borrows far less than the governor’s original proposal while using existing state revenue such as tobacco settlement funds to supplement the plan – a move that has prompted legislative action to secure control of the tobacco funds.

Many state and regional TBED organizations see federal laboratories as an integral partner in their efforts to promote technology development and commercialization. At least 22 of the leading state TBED organizations across the country have established partnerships with at least one federal laboratory to address a broad range of goals, according to a recent SSTI survey.

John Austin is the newly appointed executive director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan.

Tom Cech announced he will return to the University of Colorado at Boulder next year to pursue laboratory research and teaching after eight years as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

With just about two weeks left to apply for the 2008 Excellence in TBED Awards, applications are already coming in, and while there is no prize for early birds, we’ll gladly accept your entry at any time. No need to worry though; there is no penalty for procrastinators, other than the risk of a too hastily prepared proposal.
 

Excitement already is building for SSTI's 12th annual conference, Encouraging Regional Innovation, and we only published the "save the date" postcards last week! Past participants know SSTI's annual conference is the only event of the year to bring together so many thought leaders and practitioners from all aspects of TBED from every corner of the country and every type of organization, with such varied angles and perspectives on every issue. The Oct.

Edison had Menlo Park. Monet had the gardens at Giverny. Ubiquitous computing had PARC. To what extent were the great things that happened at each of these localities influenced by the places themselves? 

 

Reducing that question to economic development policy terms: Can the places of great creations be created by design?

 

Looking for that perfect professional development opportunity for you or your staff. If so, the SSTI Web calendar of events should prove useful in your search.



By visiting www.ssti.org/calendar.htm, you can view more than 170 technology-based economic development events.



Events include:

More information on these opportunities and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

This Friday, May 16, is the final day to submit your TBED initiative for consideration in SSTI’s premier national competition that showcases best practices and out-of-the-box thinking across six categories focusing on several elements found in successful tech-based economies.
 
An SSTI Excellence in TBED Award distinguishes your initiative as a best practice worthy of emulation in the TBED community through your successful efforts to:

• Expand the Research Infrastructure;

Excitement for SSTI's 12th annual conference is growing. Sponsorship opportunities are available to help build awareness of your TBED program and build beneficial relationships with the nation's top state and regional TBED decision makers at this year's event. Last year’s conference included more than 350 representatives from 48 states and four countries.