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THE IEN WEEKLY CONNECTION
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January 29, 2007
In Today's Weekly Connection:
- IEN Job Openings at NORBIC
- Homeland Security Innovative Product Grant
- Innovation Challenge Program
- The Democratization of R&D
- Next Steps in Federal Contracting
- Innovation in Rural America
- Innovation Policy and the Economy
- Managing the Effects of Nanotechnology
- EntreprenerushipWeek USA Update
IEN Job Openings at NORBIC
Attached you will find notices of job openings at for the Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center and the Illinois International Trade Center at NORBIC. Please note that resumes from interested candidates for these positions should be submitted tohr@illinoismanufacturing
Homeland Security Innovative Product Grant
The Homeland Security Market Development Bureau (HSMD) has beena tremendous success, thanks in part to your participation andreferrals. Many of our strong candidates for the Innovative Product Grant(IPG) have come from your organizationsand we will continue to rely heavily on your expert knowledge of the industry.
· To date, over $5 million in IPG funds have been invested with private companies to bring new homelandsecurity products to market. These IPG investments have leveraged over $13 million in additional publicand private capital, which will create 500 new jobs over the next 24 months.
At this time,HMSD wants to notify you ofthe next round of grant applications coming up the first week in March.During the month of FebruaryBrenda Sherwood will be conductingpreliminary intake meetings and would welcomemeeting with you and your potential grantees - please phoneBrendaat 312-814-3631 soshe can get you onher schedule.Attached you will find the IPGinformation piece for your clients andHMSD would gladly provide you with a news article piece if you'd like to share this grant opportunity for clients in yourFebruary newsletter.
If you have any questions about how to identify a potential candidate for the Innovative Product Grant Program,Brenda would behappy to provide you with additional criteria or meet with you and your team at your next staff meeting to run throughthe program(s). You can also learn more aboutthe HSMD bureau's effortsat the next business eventhosted by Moraine Valley Community College:
Thursday,February 8, 2007 - 11:30 a.m. to 1:00p.m.
Moraine Valley Community College
College Center, Second Floor, Moraine Rooms 1& 2
9000 W. College Pkwy. - Palos Hills, IL
RSVP by calling the Economic Development Council for the Southwest Suburbs (EDCSS) at (708) 974-5714 or e-mail Eda Schrimple at . ($5 fee for lunch.)For more information contact:
Brenda L. Sherwood
Business Development Coordinator
Homeland Security Market Development Bureau
Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity
100 W. Randolph 3-400
Chicago, IL 60601
Office: 312-814-3631
Cell: 312-550-3627
Fax: 312-814-8425
www.hsmd.illinois.gov
Innovation Challenge Program
Shown below are links to additional information and the applications for theInnovation Challenge Technical Assistance and Innovation ChallengeMatching GrantPrograms. Attached you will also find one page flyers that you may use to help promote the programs.
Innovation Challenge - Technical Assistance Application
Innovation Chanllenge - Matching Grant Application
The Democratization of R&D
An interesting working paper from researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia examines a phenomenon they describe as the “democratization” of R&D spending. Before 1980, large incumbent firms had much higher rates of R&D intensity (R&D spending/sales) than did small firms and those looking to enter the same industry. Today, that ratio is often flipped, with small firms often surpassing the R&D intensity of larger firms. Moreover, the overall increase in R&D spending since 1980 is largely attributable to increased R&D intensity among small firms. The authors attribute this shift to the electronic revolution. Before computers and the Internet, firms needed large clerical staffs and a major sales force to help market and publicize new products – working in favor of larger, incumbent firms. Thanks to information technology, smaller firms and can avoid some of these costly investments. With lower barriers to entry, they can more easily research, develop, and market new products, services and technologies. Access the 2006 working paper, “The Democratization of US Research and Development after 1980” by Robert M. Hunt and Leonard I. Nakamura. (This article is provided through the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde )
Next Steps in Federal Contracting
A Congressionally-chartered advisory panel has released its final report examining how to improve the Federal procurement process. The Acquisition Advisory Panel, which was composed of private industry leaders and government officials, examined all aspects of the government contracting process, including small business set-asides, government data rights, and the quality of the federal acquisition workforce. Their final report includes numerous recommendations. In the area of small business contracting, the report urges Congress to clarify rules over bundling of smaller contracts into one large package. This practice helps agencies skirt small business contracting rules. In general, the report urges a greater commitment to small business contracting and also encourages agencies to provide more flexibility in their rules regarding small business contracts.
View the December 2006 Report of the Acquisition Advisory Panel to the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and the U.S. Congress. (This article is provided through the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurshipwww.publicforuminstitute.org/nde)
Innovation in Rural America
The latest issue of Community Development Investment Review, a journal sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, focuses on issues of innovation in rural America. The special issue contains articles on rural venture capital, angel investing, and the role of state government in supporting rural innovation. If you want to learn about innovations in how finance rural entrepreneurs, this special issue is a good place to start. Access the special 2006 issue of Community Development Investment Review,(Volume 2, Issue 3: 2006). (This article is provided through the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurshipwww.publicforuminstitute.org/nde)
Innovation Policy and the Economy
Some of the country’s leading academic and policy researchers will be center stage at the National Bureau of Economic Research's 2007 Innovation Policy and the Economy conference. The Innovation Policy and Economy Group focuses on the implications of rapid technological change for economic policy, and the appropriate policies and programs regarding research, innovation, and the commercialization of new technology. Made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, this year’s conference will be held on April 12 in Washington, DC. The program will feature remarks from Ed Lazear, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, and a session on commercializing university innovation by Bob Litan and Lesa Mitchell of the Kauffman Foundation. It also includes presentations by a number of notable economists and academics, including: Wesley Cohen, Duke University; John Walsh, University of Illinois at Chicago; Shane Greenstein, Northwestern University; Carl Shapiro, University of California, Berkeley; Jean Tirole, Institut d'Economie Industrielle, Toulouse; and Joshua Lerner, Harvard University. The deadline to register is March 30. If you would like to attend, contact Rob Shannon – . View the preliminary program for the 2007 Innovation Policy and the Economy conference. (This article is provided through the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurshipwww.publicforuminstitute.org/nde)
Managing the Effects of Nanotechnology
As nanotechnology moves from the realm of science fiction to the reality of new products and technologies, experts are starting to take a closer look at how nanotechnology can and should be regulated. A new study from the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies offers a useful guide to these debates. The report’s conclusions are pretty straightforward. Our current regulatory regime is not well-suited to assess risks and regulate the development of new nanotechnology materials. The author, J. Clarence Davis, recommends a two-pronged response. First, policymakers should consider requiring nano-manufacturers to submit a sustainability plan that indicates why and how their new technology does not present an unacceptable risk to the public. Second, policymakers need to develop new tools via tax incentives and targeted procurement programs that encourage manufacturers to develop beneficial applications of nanotechnology. Access the 2006 report of the Woodrow Wilson Center Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, Managing the Effects of Nanotechnology, by J. Clarence Davis. (This article is provided through the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurshipwww.publicforuminstitute.org/nde)
EntreprenerushipWeek USA Update
/ January 25, 2007What's happening with EntrepreneurshipWeek USA... Pass it on!
EntrepreneurshipWeek USA to Launch February 24 at Stanford
The national launch of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA is set for Saturday, February 24 at Stanford University. Featured speakers include Carl Schramm, President & CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; John Hennessy, President, Stanford University; and Steve Jurvetson, Partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Learn more and sign up
Also mark your calendars for the February 26 EntrepreneurshipWeek USA Policy Summit in Washington DC.
Do You Accept The Challenge?
Teams from around the world will be competing in the first ever EntrepreneurshipWeek USA Innovation Challenge – taking an everyday object and creating as much “value” as possible. Whoever creates the most value wins. Sound simple? Maybe… or maybe not. Value can be measured in different ways. How will contestants measure it? How will they show it?
Partner organizations are encouraged to each hold a local competition in order to select winners to be submitted to the EntrepreneurshipWeek USA competition. The Challenge is designed to explore how entrepreneurial and creative teams can be with limited resources. In order to be successful in this entrepreneurial endeavor, teams will need to challenge assumptions, leverage resources, seize opportunities, and create value.
Partners: Accept The Challenge today / PARTNER NEWS
Activities, Activities, Activities!
EntrepreneurshipWeek USA partner organizations have been busily adding hundreds of activities so far this month. Don't be left behind! If you haven't yet listed your activity, log into your partner profile account and enter it today so you can be recognized and promoted for your efforts.
Submit your activity today
Banners Have Arrived
Use new EntrepreneurshipWeek USA banners to give some presence to your activity. Check them out and wow your audience by putting on a top-notch activity.
Extra, Extra - Read All About It
Don’t forget to keep the media in your area updated about your EntrepreneurshipWeek USA activities. Send out media alerts ahead of your event, call the reporters in your area, and e-mail press releases to them. Don’t forget to include on your distribution list too – we want to know about your activities and we’ll post your releases on the web site to help you spread the word.
Cal State's Lyles Center
The Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Fresno has put together a full week’s worth of activities to celebrate EntrepreneurshipWeek USA. As an added bonus to participating, entry forms are available at each event so participants can enter for the chance to win great prizes! Events are targeted at students, faculty and entrepreneurs. The range of topics is extensive, covering everything from franchising to family businesses and creativity to funding strategies.
Find out what the Lyles Center is up to.
www.entrepreneurshipweekusa.com
EntrepreneurshipWeek USA is an initiative to engage the next generation of entrepreneurs -- inspiring young people to begin a journey to fulfill their potential as self-starters and entrepreneurs. / Content from this newsletter may be reproduced with proper attribution to EntrepreneurshipWeek USA and a link to www.entrepreneurshipweekusa.com.
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