Washington State Launches Northwest Energy Tech Collaborative
Washington Governor Gary Locke announced the formation of the Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative (NWETC) at a signing ceremony on Wednesday attended by the founding members.
People
H. Day Chapin has been selected as the first Director for the new Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative.
Seattle Demonstrates Models for Digital Divide Success
While Congress debates whether or not it should fund national programs to address the Digital Divide, many communities continue their efforts to ensure all local residents have the technology training and access needed to secure high-quality employment and attain skills through lifelong learning. The City of Seattle, through its Department of Information Technology, may offer one of the more sophisticated and successful models for approaching the issue.
Program Manager Sought for Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative
Washington Technology Center is seeking someone to become the first full-time program manager for the Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative. The Collaborative is a public-private partnership committed to accelerating the emergence of the Pacific Northwest's energy technology industry. The Collaborative seeks to build market-based programs that support businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and policymakers to address challenges facing this emerging industry.
People
Marv Clement, former manager of Entrepreneurial Programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, retired in April 2002.
People
Molly Lambert, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development since 1998, is resigning July 1 to become head of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association. The Agency is comprised of the Departments of Economic Development, Tourism and Marketing, and Housing and Community Affairs.
Northwest's Tri-Cities Has Strong Tech Presence in U.S.
The Tri-Cities (Richland-Kennewick-Pasco) ranks near the top 10 percent nationwide in technology industry growth and offers significant quality-of-life advantages over comparable communities, according to a recent report on local technology business.
People
Tiffany McVeety stepped down from her post as director of the Northwest Women's Business Center to become a business banker for Shoreline Bank. Rebecca Villareal replaces McVeety.
Washington Gov. Proposes $350M Life Science Fund
Gov. Christine Gregoire announced the first stages of her economic development program last Wednesday, highlighted by a proposal to inject $35 million annually starting in 2008 for the next 10 years into life sciences research at the state's universities. Gov. Gregoire also requested legislation be introduced this week that would facilitate the transfer of technology from research institutions to the private sector.
People
Former University of Washington President Lee Huntsman is the first director of Washington's Life Sciences Discovery Fund.
Washington Creates $350M Life Science Fund
Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire last week signed a bill creating the Life Sciences Discovery Fund (see the Feb. 7 issue of the Digest).
People
Jack Faris is the new president of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association.
People & TBED Organizations
Egils Milbergs was appointed director of Washington's newly formed Economic Development Commission.
New Roles in Technology Commercialization Identified for NW States
A call for action for states from the Northwest region was the result of Linking Regional Resources, a conference of approximately 150 business, government, national laboratory, and university representatives held in Seattle.
Position Available
The Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), a non-profit start-up organization, seeks an Executive Director to build and operate a successful manufacturing services organization. The Executive Director will guide AME in its mission of assisting smaller manufacturers to adopt more advanced manufacturing technologies and management techniques.
Position Available
Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Executive Director of the Vermont Technology Council. The Council is a voluntary association of community leaders from the public and private sectors who are concerned with the economic vitality of Vermont and believe that the state's prosperity depends on the successful commercialization within the state of scientific and technological advances and innovations.
Innovation Index Reveals Steady Growth in Washington
Although technology sector employment is down slightly from previous years, Washington firms received twice the aggregate amount of venture capital (VC) funding compared to last year, and the state remains above the national average in educational attainment, according to the sixth annual Washington State Index of Innovation and Technology.
EDA Seeds $3M Growth Fund in Washington
A $1.46 million grant from the Economic Development Administration to the Sirti Foundation is making possible a $3 million loan fund to technology companies within a 10-county region of Eastern Washington. The program provides another example of the non-traditional use of EDA funds to support tech-based economic development strategies. In addition, the deal structure may serve as a model to help other public agencies encourage TBED activities typically outside the scope or possibility of many public entities.
People
WSA (formerly the Washington Software Alliance) announced that Kathy Wilcox will step down as the organization's president and CEO at the end of 2006. Wilcox intends to work with for-profit and nonprofit businesses as an advisor on operations, business development, board structuring and fundraising.
People in S&T
Washington Governor Gary Locke has named Fred Morris as his new advisor for science and technology. Mr. Morris has been working for Battelle Memorial Institute's Northwest Research Center where he has worked at the Science and Government Center
Washington Tech. Center Releases Innovation and Technology Index
The Washington Technology Center has released its first annual Index of Innovation and Technology. The report examines 34 performance indicators in six broad areas: Innovation, Competitiveness, Growth, Financial Capacity, Human Potential, Quality of Life, and Internet Infrastructure. For each indicator, Washington is compared to several other states or to national averages.
People
Lura Powell, former Director of the Advanced Technology Program within the Department of Commerce, has accepted the position as Director of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.
Newest Advanced Technology Education Center Opens
The grand opening on April 9 of a new technology education center in the Seattle area marked a milestone for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program. The new Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET) is the second major ATE center NSF has supported in the fields of information technology and telecommunications.
Positions Available
The Washington Technology Center (WTC) is seeking an Executive Director. WTC is the state of Washington's enterprise for joint industry-university technology development partnerships. The Center supports technologies for industry application for Washington companies in the areas of advanced materials and manufacturing, biotechnology/biomedical devices, computer systems and microelectronics.
People
Dr. Robert Center has retired. Dr. Center was the executive director of the Washington Technology Center.