Accelerating Innovation

Washington State ranked fifth in policy climate for entrepreneurship

Washington State ranks fifth among the states in its public policy climate for small business and entrepreneurship in the "Small Business Survival Index 2009: Ranking the Policy Environment for Entrepreneurship across the Nation." This annual ranking of the states is prepared by the Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council). The "Small Business Survival Index" is a composite measure of which states are friendly to small business, and which are not in terms of public policy decisions. The 2009 Index has been expanded to cover 36 major government-imposed or government-related costs affecting small businesses and entrepreneurs. The measures are added together for an overall rating. The Top-Ten entrepreneur-friendly states are: 1) South Dakota, 2) Nevada, 3) Texas, 4) Wyoming, 5) Washington, 6) Florida, 7) South Carolina, 8) Colorado, 9) Alabama, and 10) Virginia. The Bottom-Ten include: 42) Hawaii, 43) Minnesota, 44) Massachusetts, 45) Rhode Island, 46) Maine, 47) Vermont, 48) New York, 49) California, 50) New Jersey and 51) District of Columbia.

To access a copy of the Small Business Survival Index 2009 report, please click here .

To access the media release, which summarizes the report and state rankings please click here .

 

Legislative hearing on the economic impact of technology and innovation in Washington State

A tour of PACCAR's Kenworth truck manufacturing plant in Renton was part of the day for Lt. Gov. Owen and members of the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations on Nov. 5.  In the photo, the lieutenant governor hears details of plant operation from Sean Smith, facilities engineering manager.  At a meeting at Renton City Hall the committee learned how the innovation and technology sectors help drive the state economy. You can watch the meeting on TVW. For more information on the Washington Innovation Economy go to: www.wedc.wa.gov

Update on Washington's economic development strategy

The Senate Economic Development, Trade & Innovation Committee held a work session and received updates on the Washington Economic Development Commission's Strategic Plan; an update on the state's broadband efforts (E2SHB 1701);  school districts' strategic planning in response to State Auditor's performance audit; and, the Commerce department report on SSB 6015 regarding commercialization of life sciences and information and communication technology. Watch Video of the work session

Download Egils Milbergs 12-3-09 Senate Economic Development Committee Presentation 2.0

Gov. Chris Gregoire advances government reform. Commerce Department realigned to address job creation.

As part of her continuing 21st Century Government Reform initiative, Gov. Chris Gregoire took executive action today by announcing several significant reform measures to ensure Washington state delivers services more efficiently and effectively. Gregoire first signed an executive order eliminating 17 boards and commissions while announcing she will introduce legislation to eliminate an additional 78. To see a list of the boards and commissions affected, visit: http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/boards_and_commissions.pdf.
New legislation also will make multiple organizational changes to small state agencies. Currently, 64 small cabinet agencies and boards operate under the authority of a board. This legislation would reduce or eliminate about a third of these agencies through mergers or realignments. To see a list of small agency cabinets affected, visit: http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/20091201_small_cabinet.pdf
Gregoire continued by announcing that 25 programs are proposed for transfer out of the new Department of Commerce to other state agencies where their work is more closely aligned. Final moves for some of the programs slated to leave Commerce will require legislation. For a list of the proposed program changes, visit: http://www.governor.wa.gov/news/CommerceReorganization.pdf
"We started with a broad portfolio of services, all of which serve important needs for communities throughout our state," said Rogers Weed, director of Commerce. "Our goal in reorganizing Commerce is to be efficient and effective in addressing our new mission to grow and improve jobs. These moves focus on that mission and provide a path for the programs leaving Commerce to be successful in another agency better aligned with their core work."
Link to video of press conference:

http://www.tvw.org/media/mediaplayer.cfm?evid=2009120070&TYPE=V&CFID=2297692&CFTOKEN=57579702&bhcp=1

 

Pacific Northwest selected for $178 million Smart Grid Demonstration Project

The Department of Energy has selected a Northwest team to conduct a regional smart grid demonstration project designed to expand existing electric infrastructure and test new smart grid technology with up to 60,000 customers in five states.   The $178 million Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project was one of 16 regional smart grid demonstration awards announced by DOE today.  The project team combines energy providers, utilities, vendors and research organizations and will be managed by Battelle.  "We're thankful to Secretary Chu, the Department of Energy and to our project team members for the opportunity to bring transformational smart grid science and technology to life in a way that will benefit our nation for many generations to come," said Mike Kluse, a senior vice president at Battelle and director of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which Battelle operates for DOE. The Northwest study will involve more than 60,000 metered customers in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming.  The study will test new combinations of devices, software and advanced analytical tools that enhance the power grid's reliability and performance.  At its peak, the project could create about 1,500 jobs in manufacturing, installation and operation of smart grid equipment, telecommunications networks, software and controls.   

Battelle's Ron Melton will serve as project director for the demonstration team, which includes a dozen utilities and the Bonneville Power Administration. The participating utilities range from investor-owned utilities to municipals, rural electric cooperatives and public utility districts. Each project team member will conduct different kinds of projects tailored to its customers so that the overall demonstration can meet a variety of needs in the five-state region. In addition to leading the project, Battelle will use the Electricity Infrastructure Operations Center at PNNL to analyze field data collected during the project.   In 2006, Washington and Oregon participated in the DOE-funded Pacific Northwest GridWise® Demonstration Project on the Olympic Peninsula.  The project was designed to test and speed adoption of new smart grid technologies.  The study showed that advanced technologies enabled customers to be active participants in improving power grid efficiency and reliability.  The new project builds on that study, expanding the scale of the effort and introducing additional technologies.

 

Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project

Test Site Locations and Corresponding Utilities

 

Idaho

Idaho Falls (Idaho Falls Power)

Montana

Northwest Montana (Flathead Electric Cooperative, Inc.)

Southwest Montana (NorthWestern Energy)

Oregon

Milton-Freewater (City of Milton-Freewater)

Portland (Bonneville Power Administration)

Salem (Portland General Electric)

Washington

Airway Heights (Inland Power & Light Co.)

Ellensburg (City of Ellensburg)

Fox Island (Peninsula Light Co.)

Kennewick (Benton PUD)

Pullman (Avista Utilities)

University of Washington (Seattle City Light)

Wyoming

Western Wyoming (Lower Valley Energy)

Technology and Vendor Team Members

3TIER, Inc.

AREVA USA

IBM

Netezza Corp.

QualityLogic, Inc. and Drummond Group, Inc.  

   

For more information, visit www.battelle.org or contact Anne Haas, Battelle (509) 375-3732 (w); (404) 210-1349 (c), anne.haas@battelle.org, or Katy Delaney, (614) 424-7208, delaneyk@battelle.org  or T.R. Massey, (614)424-5544, masseytr@battelle.org .

Growing Innovation Clusters for American Prosperity

The National Academies STEP Committee on Best Practice in State and Regional Innovation Initiatives hosted a conference June 3, 2009 titled "Growing Innovation Clusters for American Prosperity" in Washington, DC.  Opened by Susan Crawford, the White House Advisor for Science, Technology, and Innovation, the conference brought together Arizona State University President Michael Crow and the University of Akron President Luis Proenza along with a diverse group of practitioners and experts from around the country with direct experience in the development and growth of innovation clusters.  Karen Mills, the new Administrator for the Small Business Administration, gave the conference luncheon address emphasizing the contributions of small business and the government's role in facilitating their creation and growth.  A wide range of topics were discussed including the role of clusters in promoting economic growth, the federal government's role in stimulating clusters, the contributions of universities and state programs--such as the California stem cell initiative--to cluster development, and the role of foundations in building workforce competency and supporting university growth. Among the invited presenters was Egils Milbergs, the executive director of the Washington Economic Development Commission, who discussed the current environment for innovation in Washington State and offered strategic principles for building organic bottom up innovation ecosystems.

The meeting agenda and to find active links to the presentations go to: http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/step/PGA_051223

 

Speaker Presentations Introduction "Welcome" -Charles Wessner, The National Academies

Panel 1: Why Clusters Matter: Innovation Clusters and Economic Growth "Cluster Development: A Path to Growth" ---Maryann Feldman, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill "Stimulating Regional Economies: The Federal Role" ---Andrew Reamer, Brookings

Panel 2: Government Role in Stimulating Clusters "Regional Innovation Clusters:  The Obama Administration's Innovation Initiative" ---Jonathan Sallet, Glover Park Group "New York's Nano Initiative" ---Pradeep Haldar, University at Albany-SUNY "NIST's Technology Innovation Program--Connecting the Dots" ---Marc Stanley, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Panel 3: State and Regional Initiatives "Clusters Growing in Pennsylvania" ---Rebecca Bagley, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development "Building and Branding Clusters: Lessons From KTEC and Innovation Philadelphia" ---Richard Bendis, Innovation America "Opportunities in Virginia" ---John Mathieson, SRI International "Current Programs in Washington State" ---Egils Milbergs, Washington Economic Development Commission

Panel 4: The University Connection "Universities and their Regions:  The Akron Model" ---Luis Proenza, The University of Akron "University Based Cluster Development" ---David McNamara, South Carolina Research Authority "California Initiatives" ---Ed Penhoet, Alta Partners

Panel 5: Filling the Gaps: The Role of Foundations "2532 Neighborhoods, 992 Cities, 1 Million People: How Innovation Clusters Are Reviving the Economies that "Urban Renewal" Destroyed" ---Christina Gabriel and Bomani Howze, The Heinz Endowments "Building the Workforce and the Universities" ---George Bo-Linn, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

 

The Washington State Department of Commerce has submitted its recommendations to Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature for restructuring the department as a leader in the state's economic development efforts. The plan also aligns with the Washington Economic Development Commission's Feb. 2009 proposal for sustaining a world-class innovation economy in Washington State.

Restructuring plan aligns with innovation economy vision

The Washington State Department of Commerce has submitted its recommendations to Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature for restructuring the department as a leader in the state's economic development efforts. Formerly the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, Commerce's report outlines two options for creating a more focused and efficient organization dedicated to growing and improving jobs in Washington.

 "After listening carefully to business and community leaders, employers and our other key stakeholders around the state, we believe the priorities and organization laid out in this report provide a framework to succeed in keeping Washington state competitive and helping our communities and economies thrive," said Commerce Director Rogers Weed. 

The Commerce recommendation to the Legislature is built on four "global" priorities affecting all Washington businesses -- competitiveness, education and workforce training, more efficient regulation, and infrastructure investment -- as well as four targeted priorities -- sector focus, rural focus, small business focus, and community capacity. The plan also aligns with the Washington Economic Development Commission's Feb. 2009 proposal for sustaining a world-class innovation economy in Washington State.

Excerpt from the report "Defining Commerce: Next Steps in our Mission to Grow and Improve Jobs in Washington"

 

"With innovation at the center of our long‐term vision of the Washington Economy, Commerce has adopted the vision statement in the Washington Economic Development Commission's plan as its own.

Vision Statement: Make Washington the most attractive, creative and fertile investment environment for innovation in the world as a means of achieving long‐term global competitiveness, prosperity and economic opportunity for all the state's citizens.

Commerce has started to chart a path to achieve this vision with a new mission statement and priorities for action."

 

LINKS:

Report to Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Washington Legislature, November 2009

• Defining Commerce: Next Steps in our Mission to Grow and Improve Jobs in Washington – Final Report, Nov. 1, 2009

Appendices:

• Appendix A: Sections of EHB 2242 Directing Changes to Commerce
• Appendix B: Commerce Draft Plan PowerPoint (pdf)
• Appendix C: Stakeholder Involvement Plan and Meeting Summaries
• Appendix D: Survey Report
• Appendix E: State Comparison Research Report
• Appendix F: Washington Innovation Economy (Economic Development Commission Report, Feb. 2009)

Geography of jobs by metro areas: a visual timeline

This animated map presented by TIP Strategies, Inc provides a striking visual of employment trends over the last business cycle using net change in jobs from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on a rolling 12-month basis. Read more… The animated map makes clear that this recession has not treated all regions equally.

Update 1, September 14, 2009: Now with July 2009 data.

Global health innovation ecosystem mapped for Washington State

The Washington Global Health Alliance released a study assessing the scope and scale of global health activities in Washington State and found that the initiatives of just nine organizations involve nearly 500 programs in 92 countries. The study, called the Global Health Strategic Mapping Project, also found that the global health activities of these nine organizations alone generated employment for 2,323 full-time equivalents in the state and another 2,150 outside of the state, for a total of 4,470 full-time equivalents. The maps are designed to help local organizations discover potential collaborations and shared facilities, and showcase global health as a powerful and emerging sector in the region.

The findings show that the state has become "a nexus for global health," said Lisa Cohen, director of the Washington Global Health Alliance, a nonprofit which works to support global health efforts in the state and which commissioned the study. The study, which was conducted by the consulting firm Berk & Associates, catalogued the work of nine of the Alliance's members:

• Battelle/Pacific Northwest National Laboratories
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
• IDRI, the Infectious Disease Research Institute
• Institute for Systems Biology
• PATH
• SBRI, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute
• Seattle Children's Hospital and Research Institute, including its Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS)
• University of Washington
• Washington State University

Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association President Chris Rivera said that the study, by demonstrating the size of global health activities in Washington, should help boost the state's life-sciences sector. The map, he said, "should help communicate the competitive advantage of the state."

Links to blog posts and articles:

To read blog post, visit The Prosperity Blog.

To read article, visit the Seattle Local Health Guide website.

To read op-ed, visit the Xconomy website.

To read article, visit The Seattle Times website.

To read article, visit the Fox Business website.

Innovation Partnership Zones receive funding: Bothell, Walla Walla, Tri-Cities and Snohomish

The Washington State Department of Commerce has announced $1.5 million in grants to Innovation Partnership Zones (IPZs) in Bothell, Walla Walla, Tri-Cities and Snohomish County. The IPZ program is an economic development model that encourages collaboration to advance innovation. The funds will help stimulate the growth of industry clusters and intellectual capital, while building regional economies. The program leads to new technologies, marketable products, company formation and job creation.

"Our state's IPZ program and the collaboration it promotes leads to ground-breaking discoveries and innovation." said Gov. Chris Gregoire. "The winners of these grants exemplify the talent, creativity and entrepreneurism that exist across our state. I'm proud to support such a unique effort of economic development – one that will allow us to lead in the new economy."

Winners of the 2009 IPZ grants are:

· Bothell Biomedical Device IPZ - $500,000 for the Washington MedTech Discovery Center. The center will provide a dedicated public facility for incubating, networking, and providing meeting space for businesses in the bio-medical device industry.

· Walla Walla IPZ - $500,000 for the expansion of the William A. Grant Water and Environmental Center at Walla Walla Community College. Through a water quality lab, the center will be able to expand its mission to provide education and services in the water management sector that enhance both agricultural and marine wildlife recovery efforts. The development of a sustainable water governance model has the potential for broad, global applications.

· Tri-Cities Research District - $250,000 to support the extension of broadband infrastructure through the 1,600 acre IPZ. The expanded broadband infrastructure will provide essential support to small- and medium-size businesses that are not federal contractors, making the IPZ a more attractive location for technology companies and subsequently enhancing collaborative opportunities.

· Aerospace Convergence Zone in Snohomish County - $250,000 to develop the Washington Aerospace Training and Research Center. The center will be located at Paine Field and serve as a hub for training and research to support the aerospace industry. It will act as a clearinghouse for research and technology transfer and provide just-in-time upgrade skills training for aerospace workers.

 The IPZ program was created in 2007 by Gov. Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature. IPZs empower regions to form partnerships between research entities, private sector partners, and workforce training to collaborate and develop commercially viable technologies. There are 12 IPZs in the state of Washington. Designations are made Oct. 1, every other year, by the director of Commerce. For more information on the Washington State Department of Commerce, visit www.commerce.wa.gov.

The role of media in the innovation ecosystem

The Workforce and Economic Development Conference of 2009 October 27-29 will be held in Spokane Washington at the Davenport Hotel. A panel discussion will be held Wednesday afternoon October 28, 1:45 pm-3:00 pm on Media and Innovation: Economic weather forecasters of the future. An experienced panel will provide insight on how the changing media will report on future economic development and workforce issues. Learn about the technology changes affecting media and how media can be a partner in developing economic development and workforce strategy. Innovation is a key economic development concept and recognized as a way of addressing many of society's challenges—economic growth, job creation, revitalizing metropolitan areas, international competitiveness, global health, renewable energy, climate change and many other examples. Central to the panel discussion is the idea that journalism and the media play a formidable role in shaping the future direction of innovation and economic development. In fact, a prominent group of business, political, academic and government leaders assert that the future prosperity and quality of life our state will be determined by how well we innovate. Link: www.wedc.wa.gov. The media is necessarily a key part of any strategy that wishes to mobilize people into a higher level of creativity, productivity and prosperity.

Innovation has multiple dimensions and crosses institutional, geographic and disciplinary boundaries more than before. Much reporting on innovation is still in its infancy—tending to be on invention or products and not on innovation which is a process for implementing ideas involving an entire ecosystem of business, workforce development, government, universities and culture. It is a horizontal beat spanning across old beats—politics, money, lifestyle, breaking news, public controversy and even sports. It is not very often that innovation is covered as an integrated narrative or news story. The emergence of new forms of social networking media – blogs, wikis, twitters, face book, etc –is also changing how content is gathered, disseminated and consumed. For more insights check out David Nordfors Innovation Journalism Blog.

 

Media and Innovation Panel

 

Moderator:

Egils Milbergs, WA Economic Development Commission

Panel:

Robert Buderi, Xconomy.com

Stacey Cowles, Spokane Spokesman-Review

Lisa Cohen, Washington Global Health Alliance

 

After brief opening presentations the panel will focus on the following topics:

• How well is traditional and new digital media informing the public on the significance and meaning of science, technology and innovation and its impact on the future economy?
• How can policymakers do a better job of making journalists and the various forms of media a constructive partner in the innovation and economic development process?
• How is innovation in journalism (e.g. face book, twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, wikis) changing the sources of stories, demographics, distribution and economics of the media business?
• What will be the science, technology and innovation news stories of 2010?

 

Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship

U.S. Commerce Secretary Locke announced a new Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Inc. 500/5000 Conference. Link here for Gary Locke's remarks. Recognizing that new businesses are vital to the economic growth of this country, the Office will focus on removing barriers for entrepreneurs seeking to take ideas and translate them into new products and services.  The Office will work with the White House and other federal agencies to find ways to encourage entrepreneurship, including training, access to capital and policy incentives. The National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship will advise the Secretary and the Administration on key issues relating to innovation and entrepreneurship. It will include successful entrepreneurs, innovators, angel investors, venture capitalists, non-profit leaders, and other experts on these issues. The Council will identify and recommend solutions to issues critical to the creation and development of entrepreneurship ecosystems that will spawn new businesses and jobs. It will also serve as a vehicle for ongoing dialogue with the entrepreneurship community and other stakeholders.

Secretary Locke speaks about entrepreneurship and its importance to economic growth and job creation.
Watch the interview on CNBC's "Squawkbox".

Read the Bloomberg article.  

“Beyond Oil” conference October 23-24 in Redmond WA

Cascadia Center TransTech Energy conference Beyond Oil: The Sustainable Communities Initiative October 23-24 will be hosted at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., campus with co-sponsors Microsoft, Clean Cities, Ford and Idaho National Laboratory. This will be the sixth conference focusing on the combination of transportation, technology and energy. The Northwest will soon see a growing number of plug-in cars along with the public charging stations that Alan Mulally, President and CEO of Ford, emphasizes are key. Tesla, Nissan, Chevy, Fisker, Toyota, among others, have all committed to producing plug-in vehicles. This transformative technology forms a foundation for the Sustainable Communities Initiative recently launched by the U.S. Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Northwest has received several competitive federal grant awards that will help establish the charging and information infrastructure for plug-in cars. A major focus of the conference will be on how these grants will be implemented. This year the U.S. Department of Energy announced $2.4 billion in grants for plug-in technologies. Nissan and eTec received a $100 million federal grant with help from Idaho National Laboratory to install charging stations for owners of the all-electric Nissan Leaf in several regions, including Seattle, Portland and the Willamette Valley. The Puget Sound region also received a grant of $15 million for the Clean Cities petroleum-reduction project. These and other competitive federal grant awards will help establish the charging and information infrastructure for plug-in cars.

The latest agenda is available here
See registration page to reserve your place at the conference

Click here for a conference flyer

Hidden wealth in the service sector

Irving Wladawsky-Berger has an excellent blog post regarding a little understood area of innovation. That is the role of science in the service sector—the major employer in advanced economies. Excerpt from post follows:

The Royal Society, - the UK's national academy of science, - recently released a report: Hidden Wealth: the contribution of science to service sector innovation. 

This excellent report represents the findings of a major study on the role of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to innovation in the services sector.  It is one of the most comprehensive investigations of the impact of services innovation in the 21st century. The services sector is by far the largest in the global economy, comprising about 65 percent of the world's overall GDP, and between 70 and 80 percent in countries with more advanced economies.  Most of the working population in such countries are employed in services in one way or another, - roughly two thirds of all jobs in Brazil, Japan and the European Union and around 80 percent in the UK and the US.

This new report is very important and timely, given that the creation of well paying jobs is currently among the highest priorities not only in the UK, but also in the US and many other countries around the world.  As the report says:

"Our main conclusion,  . . . is that services are very like to remain central to the new economy, not least because we are at or near a tipping point: innovations now underway seem likely to change dramatically the way we live and to generate many services (though few can be predicted in detail at present). . . ."

The study revealed that STEM is omnipresent in the service sector, but, unlike the case in the industrial sector, its impact is rarely recognized:  

"Scientific and technological developments (many of which originated in fundamental 'blue skies' research), have precipitated major transformations in services industries and public services, most notably through the advent of the internet and world-wide-web . . .  However, the full extent of STEM's current contribution is hidden from view - it is not easily visible to those outside the process and is consequently under-appreciated by the service sector, policymakers and the academic research community.  This blind spot threatens to hinder the development of effective innovation policies and the development of new business models and practices in the UK."

The Hidden Wealth study, as its very title indicates, makes the point that even though services constitute such a large portion of GDP and jobs around the world, their nature remains vague - hidden from view in plain sight as if it were some kind of dark matter.  It is easier to define the services sector by what it does not include:  it is not agriculture or fishing, and it is not manufacturing, construction or mining.  Just about every other job is in services.

Link to Irving Wladawsky-Berger blog: Hidden Wealth: Science, Technology and Services Innovation in the 21st Century

$20 million investment for energy efficiency, renewable energy projects in Washington State

Gov. Chris Gregoire and the Washington State Department of Commerce today announced the recipients of more than $20 million in grants and loans from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for energy efficiency, renewable energy and clean technology programs throughout the state. The funding addresses a specific goal to reduce energy consumption by at least 25 percent of the state's 1990 per capita energy use by 2012. "Washington state is a proven leader in clean energy innovation and job creation," Gregoire said. "We've seen growth in wind and solar power, as well as innovative new technologies like anaerobic digesters. These investments will ensure our state remains a leader in the clean-energy sector, and will push us further toward meeting our environmental goals."

Nineteen private and public projects were selected based on their ability to:

· Implement a project that will produce tangible results
· Create or retain jobs in Washington
· Leverage other funds
· Increase energy efficiency and production to in turn reduce energy costs and consumption for consumers, business and government.

The projects are expected to support or create more than 2000 permanent and temporary jobs. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Energy announced more than $60 million in recovery act funds to Washington State to help lower energy use, reduce carbon pollution and create clean energy jobs. The remaining funding for grants and loans will be distributed by Commerce early in 2010, following another project review cycle at the end of this year.

LINK: List of Approved Projects

Kittitas County gains designation as Innovation Partnership Zone (IPZ)

The Washington State Department of Commerce has announced the designation of the Central Washington Regional Energy Consortium (CWREC) in Kittitas County as an Innovation Partnership Zone (IPZ). The CWREC is a partnership to advance low-carbon technology by leveraging alternative energy resources – wind and solar – in Kittitas County. The IPZ will research and develop new wind, solar and other renewable technologies. "I am delighted that the state's Department of Commerce has approved an Innovation Partnership Zone in Kittitas County. In creating the Innovation Partnership Zones, I directed the department to choose locations with enormous potential, where research and education are rooted next to globally competitive businesses. Kittitas County is one of those places. I am confident this will support our state's efforts in being a leader in the clean-energy economy," said Gov. Chris Gregoire.

   

"The Central Washington Regional Energy Consortium will help commercialize new technologies that are vital to economic development and a comprehensive state energy plan for the future," said Rogers Weed, director of the Washington State Department of Commerce. "Collaborations like this are what we need to boost Washington's leadership toward a lower carbon economy." CWREC partners include Kittitas County, Central Washington University (CWU), Economic Development Group of Kittitas County, Puget Sound Energy, and enXco Development Corporation.

   

The work of the IPZ will be conducted through collaboration with Puget Sound Energy, enXco, and CWU's "Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology Degree Program," which is expected to launch in 2010. In addition, the Central Washington University Research Foundation will serve as an intellectual resource enabling collaboration, development of technologies and commercialization.

   

"This is really a momentous event for the future of Kittitas County," said Kittitas County Commissioner Paul Jewell. "This is an opportunity for us to bring some solid job growth to our county and to shape the future of our economy."      

 

"We're really excited about this designation," said Ron Cridlebaugh, Kittitas IPZ administrator and executive director of the Economic Development Group of Kittitas County. "It's going to be a catalyst for us as we move forward with economic development. One of the greatest things that came out of this is the collaboration and commitment from a variety of partners to make something happen in this county."                

   

The IPZ program was created in 2007 by Gov. Gregoire and the Washington State Legislature. It is one of many efforts to stimulate the growth of industry clusters and to build regional economies. IPZs empower regions to form partnerships between research entities, private sector partners, and workforce training to collaborate and develop commercially viable technologies. The Washington Economic Development Commission provides direction for the IPZ program in setting criteria for designating innovation partnership zones, grant awards and performance metrics. There are now 12 IPZs in the state of Washington. Designations are made Oct. 1, every other year, by the director of Commerce.

Innovation highlighted at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in NYC

The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting 2009 held in New York this week brought together a diverse range of, government, and civil-sector leaders to plan and launch specific projects – Commitments to Action – to address global economic, environmental, and social challenges. Innovation stands as a key to addressing many of these issues. One of the panels focused on new approaches to innovation.

During this session, experts in the field discussed the importance of innovation as a vehicle for building a sustainable future. Where does innovation begin? What should be the role of government in promoting and facilitating innovation? Which countries are leading the charge, and how do you best position yourself and your organization to take advantage? This panel provides a broad introduction to innovation, various approaches to cultivate it, and implications for those who pursue it and those who don't.

For approaches to innovation panel click Watch now

 

 

Commerce Secretary Locke announces new Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke announced a plan to create a new Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the Department of Commerce and launch a National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The new Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which will answer directly to the secretary, will be geared toward the first step in the business cycle: moving an idea from someone's imagination, or from a research lab, into a business plan.

The National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship will advise the Commerce Department on policy relating to building small businesses and help to keep the department engaged in a regular dialogue with the entrepreneurship and small business communities. The council is expected to be comprised of successful entrepreneurs, innovators, investors, non-profit leaders and other experts.

Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The mission of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship is to unleash and maximize the economic potential of new ideas by removing barriers to entrepreneurship and the development of high-growth and innovation-based businesses. The office will report directly to Locke and focus specifically on identifying issues and programs most important to entrepreneurs. Working closely with the White House and other federal agencies, this new office will drive policies that help entrepreneurs translate new ideas, products and services into economic growth. The office will focus on the following areas:

• Encouraging Entrepreneurs through Education, Training, and Mentoring
• Improving Access to Capital
• Accelerating Technology Commercialization of Federal R&D
• Strengthening Interagency Collaboration and Coordination
• Providing Data, Research, and Technical Resources for Entrepreneurs
• Exploring Policy Incentives to Support Entrepreneurs and Investors

National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship will advise Locke and the administration on key issues relating to innovation and entrepreneurship. The council will include successful entrepreneurs, innovators, angel investors, venture capitalists, non-profit leaders and other experts who will identify and recommend solutions to issues critical to the creation and development of entrepreneurship ecosystems that will generate new businesses and jobs. It will also serve as a vehicle for ongoing dialogue with the entrepreneurship community and other stakeholders.

President Obama on his strategy for innovation

President Obama visited Hudson Valley Community College today in Troy, New York which has been hit hard by the economic recession. He emphasized the role of community colleges and steps the administration is taking to increase the number of college graduates. He plans on increasing funding for Pell Grants by eliminating the subsidies to banks for student loans and having the federal government provide such loans directly. The White House has laid out an overall strategy for innovation in three parts:

 

1. Invest in the Building Blocks of American Innovation. We must first ensure that our economy is given all the necessary tools for successful innovation, from investments in research and development to the human, physical, and technological capital needed to perform that research and transfer those innovations.

2. Promote Competitive Markets that Spur Productive Entrepreneurship. It is imperative to create a national environment ripe for entrepreneurship and risk taking that allows U.S. companies to be internationally competitive in a global exchange of ideas and innovation. Through competitive markets, innovations diffuse and scale appropriately across industries and globally.

3. Catalyze Breakthroughs for National Priorities. There are certain sectors of exceptional national importance where the market is unlikely to produce the desirable outcomes on its own. These include developing alternative energy sources, reducing costs and improving lives with health IT, and manufacturing advanced vehicles. In these industries where markets may fail on their own, government can be part of the solution.

The fact sheets and white paper for the innovation strategy can be found here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/sept_20__innovation_whitepaper_final.pdf

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/innovation_one-pager_9-20-09.pdf

http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/innovation_three-pager_9-20-09.pdf