Last week the South Carolina Higher Education Study Committee, formed by the General Assembly in 2007, released its action plan to improve postsecondary education and economic opportunity within the state.

Karl Fooks, a past managing director for J.P. Morgan & Co. in Asia, is the new president of the Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation. Fooks replaces John Chock who retired last year.

Legislators in New York rejected Gov. David Paterson's proposal to consolidate the state's primary organization for supporting and enhancing technology-based economic development into the state's traditional economic development organization (see the Dec. 17, 2008 issue of the Digest).

Venture capitalists increasingly turn their attention to investment opportunities outside of the U.S., according to several recent industry reports. Though the U.S. continues to dominate the global venture industry, the current economic crisis has negatively affected national fundraising, investment and exits. At the same time, venture investment outside the U.S. reached a record $13.8 billion in 2008, a five percent increase over the previous year. China, India and Israel in particular have made strides in building thriving VC markets.

While there is no question that the economic recession has taken a toll on states' fiscal conditions, the degree by which states are affected can vary widely from one state to another, as evidenced most recently in Arkansas and Georgia. In Arkansas, legislators wrapped up their 2009 session with a plan to distribute a $300 million surplus, while the budget agreement made in Georgia would cut spending by $1.6 billion in the coming year.

Funding for the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology, which administers the state's stem cell research program, would be cut nearly in half under Gov. Jon Corzine's FY10 budget recommendation. The commission is slated to receive $10.4 million, a decrease of $9.9 million from the FY09 adjusted appropriation, to administer grant programs focused on commercializing new technologies, develop early-stage growth companies and business incubators, and enhance New Jersey's stem cell research capability.

South Dakota shows a $3 million TBED investment in strategic research areas can yield impressive results for a state strengthening its position in an innovation-based economy. 

The expansion of undergraduate science programs within foreign countries positively affects the number of students from these same countries seeking advanced degrees at U.S. academic institutions. However, as foreign countries experience the maturation and growth of their doctoral-level programs, combined with growing employment opportunities in their economies, the flow of students to the U.S. changes.

Useful stats columns in recent issues of the Digest have characterized academic R&D expenditures from two different angles: those expenditures made from industrial sources of funding (April 1) and total academic R&D expenditures (Mar 25). The primary source for the data was the National Science Foundation's Academic R&D Expenditures series, the compilation of an annual survey NSF conducts of the 680 largest academic institutions in the country.

The  complete description of this opportunity and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

In honor of Earth Day, SSTI has prepared a special edition of the SSTI Weekly Digest focused almost exclusively on green issues, ranging from a round-up of recent developments to encourage the creation and growth of alternative energy companies to a profile of Toledo's solar success story. Enjoy the news, and pass this issue along to others you think would be interested-but do it electronically, please.

Though green jobs have become the focus of many TBED initiatives at the federal, state and local levels, it remains difficult to estimate the size of the green workforce. Green jobs are a relatively new focus for economic development, and there is no standard definition of the green economy and green occupations. Several recent reports have taken on the task of defining green jobs, including the industry sectors that should be folded into that definition.

Green stimulus investments have the potential to yield a greater number of jobs and greater long-term prosperity than traditional stimulus investments, according to a new study presented at the recent G20 summit. The report examines the stimulus packages passed in the G20 countries, particularly their relative emphasis on spending related to sustainability.

In the midst of a national economic recession contributing to a record number of job losses in traditional industries, forward thinking states are exploring ideas and committing funds to help grow and diversify their economies and strengthen their renewable energy portfolios.

On April 14, the National Science Board NSB released for public comment a draft report, Building a Sustainable Energy Future, which calls on the nation to lead the fundamental transformation of the current energy economy from one that is dependent on fossil fuel to one that thrives on sustainable and clean energy. The draft NSB report outlines key findings and makes recommendations for the federal government, with specific priority guidance for the National Science Foundation. 

Within the last two weeks, both Kentucky and Michigan announced major developments in their ongoing efforts to build a statewide advanced battery industry. With these initiatives, the states hope to better position themselves for upcoming rounds of advanced battery development grants from the federal government and other future sources of investment.

Last week, the Board of Trustees at the University of Toledo approved the creation of a School of Solar and Advanced Renewable Energy. The School will integrate faculty from multiple science, engineering, and business disciplines to offer its own degrees and perform collaborative research, often with industrial partners associated with the region's established solar energy and photovoltaics cluster.

One of the biggest challenges for green technologies and products is breaking into the market. Achieving the critical mass that allows production volume to drive down prices is difficult, particularly when the commodity being sold is, at least initially, more expensive to make because more of the actual cost of production is captured in the green company's business model.

Seize the opportunity for recognition of outstanding achievement in tech-based economic development.

SSTI is pleased to invite applications for the 2009 awards cycle, a program recognizing exceptional achievements in approaches to improving state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation.

The Ohio Department of Development invites bids for two Requests for Proposals (RFP) to provide evaluation services and other forms of technical assistance for the state's fiscal years 2010 and 2011.  Proposals for either opportunity are due by May 29. Specifically, Development is seeking contractors for the following:

Complete descriptions of these opportunities and others are available at: http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Tuesday’s Republican victories in the gubernatorial races for New Jersey and Virginia mean a shift in political power for both states. With current fiscal conditions continuing to press state revenues lower and unemployment rolls higher, much of the new governors’ attentions could pass over tech-based economic development policies. Alternately, increased investments in TBED may be exactly what are needed right now to help create high-wage jobs in both states.

Marking the first decline in a decade and despite a then-healthy economy, federal R&D for the Department of Energy (DOE) declined from FY05 to FY06. The percentage of total federal R&D obligations dedicated to DOE R&D also declined from FY05 to FY06.

Complete descriptions of this opportunity and others are available at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

Capturing national attention for initiating successful programs to sustain the nation’s position as a global leader for innovation and competitiveness, six organizations were named recipients of SSTI’s 2009 Excellence in TBED Award. The third annual awards follow a nationwide competition recognizing outstanding achievements in tech-based economic development (TBED) emphasizing impact, strategic value and replicability.