Proposals to cut taxes in order to generate job creation and to raise taxes to generate new state revenue are dominating the polls in several of the 36 states across the country where ballot measures appear. Voters also will be asked to decide on issues surrounding budgets, elections, environment, and education, among others. Missing from this year's slate of proposals is major bond funding for science and technology initiatives or R&D efforts.

Gov. Jan Brewer is directing $10 million in federal stimulus funds to Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) to support research and education initiatives. The bulk of the money ($6.5 million) will go toward research initiatives and the remaining $3.5 million will be directed toward education programs. SFAz was created in 2006 as a public-private organization to strengthen the state's economy through investments in science and technology. Arizona's neighbor to the north, Utah, also directed a portion of federal stimulus funds to enhance its technology-based economy.

The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) recently announced the winners of its tenth annual Innovation in Economic Development Awards. The awards highlight some of the nation's best practices for promoting economic development through collaborative initiatives. Winners include San Diego's CONNECT, Lexington, KY's Bluegrass Business Development Partnership, the Pennsylvania Center for Trade Development Envoy Program and the University of Arizona Tech Park's Solar Zone.

Proposals that promise job creation and economic growth have taken center stage in several state legislatures. Lawmakers who recognize the importance of R&D, tech commercialization, access to risk capital, and investment in higher education are fighting for passage of TBED-focused bills in the final months of their states' 2011 legislative sessions.

SSTI is introducing a new category in our awards program to recognize the Most Promising TBED Initiative. Through strategic partnerships, leveraged resources, and diversified funding, these initiatives have "all the pieces of the puzzle," they just haven't been around long enough to demonstrate the impact SSTI generally seeks in an Excellence in TBED award winner. Proposals submitted in this category should address a specific need in a community geared toward improving overall economic conditions.

Steven Chu, the Secretary of Energy, announced nearly $170 million in available funding over the next three years to support the advancement of Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technologies in four areas:

Governor Jay Nixon has released the final report from a year-long effort to design a five-year economic strategy for Missouri. The report identifies seven target clusters for development, including advanced manufacturing, energy solutions, biosciences, health sciences and services, information technology, financial and professional services, and transportation and logistics. Recommendations include a new science and technology/innovation fund, an R&D tax credit, an angel investment tax credit and cluster-based career training.

Federal Grants are almost twice as effective as tax credits in spurring clean energy innovation, according to Reassessing Renewable Energy Subsidies — a recent report by the Bipartisan Policy Center. From 2005 to 2008, the federal government incurred a liability of almost $10.3 billion due to tax credits given to wind projects totaling almost 19 gigawatts of new generation capacity. However, researchers calculated that direct grants issued at the time of commission could have achieved similar gigawatt production at a cost of only $5 billion.

Manufacturers face a growing talent deficit due to an outdated education system based on 19th and 20th century principles, according to the Roadmap to Education Reform for Manufacturing. The report, coauthored by the Manufacturing institute and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), is a compilation of books and research related to education reform and manufacturing topics available on NAM's website.

Using figures provided by the 12 participating federal agencies of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, SSTI has prepared a table showing FY09 Phase II award data for all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. Statistics include award data and state rankings based on total awards. SSTI finds the top 10 states receiving Phase II SBIR awards in FY09 are: California (423), Massachusetts (291), New York (138), Virginia (128), Colorado (115), Maryland (112), Texas (87), Ohio (77), Pennsylvania (72), and New Jersey (66).

The Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development is looking for an executive director who is an ambitious, successful professional that will provide leadership in Kentucky's efforts to develop a knowledge-based economy. The executive director will work in partnership with all levels of government, academia, and the private sector to help create a supportive high-technology environment.

Steve Biggers, deputy director, Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology has retired after 31 years of service to the state. He has served at OCAST for the last 19 years.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) — a $30 million initiative to support up to 10 research and development (R&D) projects focused on advanced biofuels, bioenergy and high-value biobased products. Projects should propose integrated science and engineering research in three technical areas of interest:

On April 19, 2011, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the National Council of Entrepreneurial Tech Transfer (NCET2) held a webinar on the upcoming i6 Green competition. The competition will support regional economic development projects with a focus on energy-related industries and efforts that expand local networks. Unlike the first i6 Challenge, applicants do not have to represent new initiatives. The complete webinar, with slides, is available online at:

Last week, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley released the results of 18 months of work by the Maryland Economic Development Commission (MEDC), laying out the state's strategy for economic growth over the next five years. MEDC's five-year plan provides many economic development policy recommendations, but lists innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship as the first three foundations for growth. Part of this strategy includes the implementation of InvestMaryland, a recently passed initiative that would generate more than $70 million for seed and growth stage companies.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released their annual State and Local Governments' Fiscal Outlook and long-term projections paint a bleak picture. Even though both state and local government near-term fiscal outlooks have improved slightly since 2010, these sectors face long-term revenue declines that will necessitate "substantial policy changes" to stimulate revenue growth.

Canada's innovation economy is at a critical junction, one that will require policymakers to choose what they want out of their science and technology (S&T) investments, according to a new study. The Toronto Region Research Alliance recently published a report that provides an analysis of S&T strategies in 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, Israel, the Netherlands, India, various African initiatives, Germany and Finland.

International collaboration in science and technology (S&T) research has risen over the past 15 years from approximately 25 percent to over 35 percent, according to Knowledge, Networks and Nations: Global Scientific Collaboration in the 21st Century — a new report from the Royal Society Science Policy Center.

Though U.S. venture capital (VC) investment grew in 2010 after a disastrous 2009, overall venture activity remains well below 2006-2008 levels. Last year, U.S. venture firms invested $21.8 billion in American companies, 27 percent less than in 2007 (the last peak year before the current economic downturn). Most U.S. states experienced a similar pattern over the past five years, peaking in 2007, hitting a decade low in 2009, and recovering a bit last year.

The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission is seeking a highly talented and experienced individual for the position of Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer for the West Virginia Regional Technology Park located in South Charleston. The selected individual will have the opportunity to help refine and implement the vision for this property and its role in technology development, economic development, education, research and innovation in West Virginia and the surrounding region.

Tom Thornton, president and CEO of the Kansas Bioscience Authority, submitted his letter of resignation to the board effective immediately. David Vranicar, president of the authority's Heartland BioVentures division, was named interim president and CEO.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) in partnership with 15 other federal agencies and bureaus intends to commit $33 million in direct federal funding and provide technical assistance resources for the Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge — a new public-private initiative focused on supporting and accelerating the growth of regional innovation clusters that exhibit high-growth development potential. Approximately 20 industry clusters will be selected through a nationwide competitive process that includes all industry sectors.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu announced that DOE intends to commit up to $130 million to support advanced research projects on rare earth alternatives and breakthroughs in biofuels, thermal storage, grid controls and solar power electronics. The five new program areas supported through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy's (ARPA-E) fourth round of funding include:

Generous individuals and foundations are stepping up to support university-based initiatives designed to expand research and encourage young people to create high-growth jobs at a time when operating budgets for higher education are facing drastic funding cuts across the U.S. Colleges in Michigan and Ontario will establish endowed chairs in medical research and entrepreneurship with funding from individual donors, and a 23-year-old former student of the University of Waterloo is launching a $1 million seed fund for student startups.

Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a measure expanding the scope of the state's 21st Century Jobs Fund allowing more industries involved in research and advanced technology to compete for funds through the program. Although many tech-focused industries such as life sciences and alternative energy companies can already apply for funding under the program, the new legislation expands eligibility to include an even wider range of companies — information technology and agricultural processing.