Ten to forty percent of entrepreneurs launching businesses in high-income countries expect that more than a quarter of their customers will come from outside of their country, according to a new study of trends in global entrepreneurship.

 

Considerable changes are affecting the structure of traditional manufacturing supply chains, and firms that do not adapt to these shifts will suffer economically, according to a recent report from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

Using data from the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, SSTI has prepared a table showing how each state (and the District of Columbia) has ranked in business churning over the past seven years. Business churning is a measure of the creation of new companies and the death of existing companies as a share of total firms (small businesses with employees). Churning increases as the number of new start-ups and existing business failures per year increase.

It is only through the involvement of the each and every one of our more than 185 members that SSTI is able to continue its mission -- to lead, support and strengthen efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation. Together, we’re growing a strong and vibrant tech-based economic development community. New members include:



State Sponsors

Kansas Bioscience Authority

A complete description of this opportunities and others is available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Analysts Say Request Going Nowhere
The last budget request of a lame duck administration rarely musters much attention from Congress as its focus is turned toward the next administration and, for entire the House of Representatives, its own re-election. Not one of the previous seven budgets of the Bush years has been passed on time, so no one in Washington expects this one to be the exception.
 

Four years ago, President Bush launched a nationwide initiative to increase the availability of affordable, high-speed Internet access. The Administration's Broadband Initiative, which included efforts to expand the wireless spectrum available for commercial use and new funding to support broadband research, sought to eliminate the gaps in service that existed in many areas of the country and to improve U.S. competitiveness through its broadband infrastructure.

Gov. Charlie Crist outlined several new alternative and renewable energy initiatives aimed at diversifying the state’s economy and creating high-wage jobs in his fiscal year 2008-09 budget recommendation. Many of the new proposals would be financed by tapping into the state’s budget reserves and relying on casino and lottery revenues.

 

Gov. Brad Henry unveiled the details of his fiscal year 2009 budget recommendation earlier this week, providing a substantial increase in funding to the state’s lead TBED agency and proposing a permanent funding mechanism for cutting-edge research through the EDGE Endowment.

 

Several months of debate leading into a special legislative session late last year was not enough to convince lawmakers to approve funding for two of the governor’s major TBED priorities. With the release of the fiscal year 2008-09 budget recommendation, Gov. Ed Rendell is again asserting the importance of the alternative energy legislation and the Jonas Salk Legacy Fund, urging lawmakers to quickly enact the initiatives.

 

Measuring the strength of a state or region’s economy, particularly the elements related to tech-based economic development, is a tricky but vital tool for developing and updating TBED policies. Several challenges present themselves when deciding what information to present on the elements of the innovation system and assessing the region’s health and performance relative to appropriate surrogates.

 

During the past two months, five reports have highlighted grim news for state budgets in fiscal year 2008, FY 2009 and beyond, brought on by declining revenues, the crisis in the housing market, increased oil prices, a potential national recession, and structure issues with state finances.
 

This is your opportunity to shine in the spotlight! By hosting SSTI’s 14th Annual Conference in 2010, you can increase your national and international visibility by showcasing the success of your state and/or community’s tech-based economic development efforts to thousands of TBED professionals.

Aris Melissaratos is the new special adviser to the president for enterprise development at the Johns Hopkins University. The position was created for Melissaratos following his departure as secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development.

The Center for Economic Growth has selected F. Michael Tucker as its new president and CEO. Tucker replaces Kelly Lovell, who left the position in December to become president and CEO of International Business Development Group.