The rapid proliferation of accelerators world-wide has raised questions about whether this model is viable and sustainable. Though many accelerators have been founded and funded by private investors, accelerators are now getting a public boost on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Commission and the U.S. Small Business Administration are both becoming involved in the accelerator phenomenon, perhaps representing an expanded role for national (and quasi-national) public support for accelerators.

U.S. research universities have launched several new initiatives to impact international development across Africa by leveraging their institutional knowledge to support tech-based economic growth on the continent. The African Development Bank, a regional multilateral development bank, also announced that it will commit $45 million for the creation of a Pan African University consisting of five thematic institutes focused primarily on science, technology and innovation.

Babson University researchers report that nearly half of all the world's entrepreneurs are between the ages of 25-35 years, according to the 2012 edition of the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Also, in all geographic regions, 25-34 year olds reported the highest rates of entrepreneurship. Babson researchers, however, emphasize that large numbers of entrepreneurs are found at all age ranges. Read more...

Four have made it to the final round of the EU's Future and Emerging Technologies Flagships program in which 26 projects submitted proposals for funding. Each project is set to receive approximately $72 million from the EU's research budget that will be matched by national governments and other sources. If milestones are met within the first 30 months, the awards could total upwards of $1.33 billion each over the next decade.

On her last day, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced several State Department initiatives that aim to have a global impact. A number of those that will be funded focus on technology-based development. The program wPower seeks to advance women's clean energy entrepreneurship around the world by supporting 7,000 women to launch small businesses around energytechnologies that might increase energy access in their area.

The Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) will invest $500M in launching four new technology and innovation facilities this year. Two facilities will be based in Saudi Arabia, and the other two will be built in India and China. SABIC's expansion will bring the organization's number of research facilities around the world to 18.

Following up on an announcement made in September, the Citizen and Immigration Ministry of Canada will launch a new visa program on April 1 to recruit innovators and entrepreneurs to the country. The Start-Up Visa Program will connect immigrant entrepreneurs with organizations who will be able to provide services and expertise to these entrepreneurs to help create startup businesses.

In his first speech as secretary of State, John Kerry declared that U.S. economic competitiveness should be the centerpiece of American foreign policy. In the weeks following his appointment, the U.S. government has signaled a push to work with international partners to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and protect tech innovation at home. Two key elements of this strategy include continued harmonization of global antitrust laws and new efforts to protect American intellectual property from theft.

Recent national strategies for innovation investment have been publicized by the governing parties in Brazil and Australia, highlighting both a growing global focus on national innovation as well as a growing global divide over how public investments are paid for.

Battelle Memorial Institute and R&D Magazine have released their annual Global Funding Forecast, an assessment of global political and economic impacts on worldwide industrial research. The report notes that although global R&D spending by leading countries has remained virtually unchanged since the Great Recession, the flows of innovation research have changed substantially.

In 2011, European startups and other projects raised approximately €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) through crowdfunding, according to a report from Nesta, an innovation focused foundation located in the United Kingdom. In The Venture Crowd, Nesta researchers found that a significant portion of those funds raised were by reward-based crowdfunding, where participants receive non-financial rewards in exchange for donating to a project. However, other crowdfunding models are growing rapidly including donation crowdfunding, crowdfunded lending and equity crowdfunding.

Although the economic ramifications of the recent global recession still remain, countries across the world have remained committed to supporting their innovation economies. Several initiatives across the globe highlight these efforts including the European Union (EU) announcing that it will commit significant funding to three innovation-focused programs and an economic development strategy in British Columbia, Canada, to support the province's technology sector and spur job creation.

As U.S. politicians turn their eyes towards this year's election season, governments around the world continue to focus their efforts on increasing national global competitiveness. Over the past couple months, Australia, China and New Zealand have announced government initiatives to spur innovation, revitalize domestic manufacturing and support R&D.

The U.S. economy is poised to create up to five million new manufacturing jobs by 2020 due to increasing demand for U.S. exports, according to new research from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Since 2006, U.S. exports have risen by 30 percent — far outpacing the growth in gross domestic product (GDP). BCG senior partner, Harold L. Sirkin, projects that the demand for U.S. exports will continue to grow, leading to an American Manufacturing renaissance between 2015 and 2020.

Indian and Chinese immigrant professionals trained in the U.S. are increasingly returning to their home countries with aspirations of becoming entrepreneurs, according to the Grass is Indeed Greener in India and China for Returnee Entrepreneurs — a new report funded by the Kauffman Foundation.