TECNA NOTES

What are TECNA members doing in their regions? The Innovation Ecosystem and the Assets it comprises

This report is the result of research on technology councils in regions throughout the United States and Canada, and interviews with 39 tech council CEOs and Executive Directors. It includes information gathered from the interviews and from Tech Council websites which reflect what a selected number of Technology Councils have already been doing relative to the creation and nurturing of Innovation Ecosystems. View the report below, or Click here to download the .pdf file

Tecna jobs and innovation ecosystems 6-1-2011

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Principal author:Jack Antonich, President, Sales Leverage Group
Support and consultation from: Matthew Nemerson, President, Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) 2009-2011President & CEO, Connecticut Technology Council

 

From the report summary:
The Technology Councils of North America demonstrate broad coverage across the U.S. and Canada. This is not only meaningful in terms of the number of regions but also in the fact that they are located in areas of greater population density and represent a large number of the innovative technology companies that are being relied upon to achieve success, grow, and provide the jobs of the future.

In collecting and assembling information for this report, relating to the Impact of Innovation Ecosystems on economic development, the author was reminded of the 50’s song “Two Different Worlds; We Live In Two Different Worlds”.  It wasn’t too long ago that technology councils were primarily trade organizations that represented the best interests of their members, and economic development organizations at federal, state, and locallevels were focused on creating environments conducive to promoting commerce and providing incentives to business and industry to locate in a particular place or take a particular course of action.

No longer can we afford to function in this way. Competition, from throughout the world, has had an unanticipated, and profound, effect on our domestic economy. The results for many citizens who have been negatively impacted are: incomes either lost or reduced, standard of living impaired, and future opportunities made unclear. And; this does not appear to have only current consequences. Loss, or reduction, of income makes it difficult, if not impossible, to save for children’s education or for retirement which can translate into a greater burden on society in the future.

So; in a certain respect, what we’re really talking about is competing more effectively in the globalmarketplace. In the past, our rivals took over manufacturing many of the products we consume, and took advantage of technological advances to provide services to us. They accomplished this, for themost part, by capitalizing on lower cost human and physical resources and, in some cases,manipulating currency and creating trade barriers.

Overcoming the advantages they possess, represents a formidable challenge which, as has been provenin the past, cannot be overcome by individual action. This is the time when people in a position to make a difference have to come together and become part of something bigger.And, the people coming together must be the ones that recognize what is meant by being innovative inthe twenty-first century. In a world of extreme high-tech and science, the winners will be those whodiscover, create, and deliver the advanced products and services of tomorrow.

Thus, the idea of bringing together members of organizations focused on the technology community with those in economic development can produce a synergistic effect that will power our competitiveness andrestore our economic strength. As with most things, it’s a matter of will.

It’s been shown in this report that Innovation Ecosystems exist and are producing results. The next step is to expand on what’s already been accomplished by spreading the word, getting more players on board, deepening our understanding of what needs to be done and how to do it and, most importantly, doing it. We’ll finish with the old sales adage: “There are no Problems, only Opportunities”.

Seizing the opportunity and helping to bring our country back to a strong economic condition can be fulfilling and rewarding. It offers an opportunity to leaders with foresight, courage, conviction and stamina to step up to the challenge and effect change. Did we just describe you?

SBA holds Jobs Act Tour forums around the country - near you.

Meet with leaders from SBA and give input on new regulations and learn how you can take advantage of new tools. All SBA programs and services are provided on a nondiscriminatory basis.

The SBA will help you grow your business and create jobs.

City	Date	City	Date
Albuquerque	June 2	Miami	March 28
Atlanta	March 30	New York	March 30
Boston	April 1	San Antonio	April 1
Chicago	April 15	San Diego	June 3
Columbus	March 28	Seattle	May 9
Denver	May 24	Washington, DC	April 27
Huntsville	April 15

www.sba.gov/jobsacttour for more information and to RSVP.

CompTIA and TECNA Launch TechVoice

Online Public Advocacy Tool Connects IT Businesses with Policymakers, Advances IT Industry’s Priorities in Washington

February 28, 2011 -- DOWNERS GROVE, IL and WASHINGTON, DC – Today CompTIA and the Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) launched TechVoice, an online public advocacy platform.  The new grassroots tool creates a digital community representing the interests of the information technology industry, particularly small and medium-sized businesses working to create jobs and boost the nation’s economy.  TechVoice serves as a hub for stakeholders in the technology industry as well as a resource for policymakers and members of the media.

“So many of the critical issues being debated in Washington, DC impact and are impacted by the information technology industry – job creation, workforce development, innovation,” said Todd Thibodeaux, President of CompTIA.  "The launch of TechVoice by CompTIA and our TECNA partners could not come at a better time.  This center of legislative action, policy advocacy and information will be an integral tool in our advocacy arsenal.”

TechVoice enables users to connect directly with policy makers in their district, stay on top of the latest legislative activities and learn more about elected officials and their platforms as they relate to CompTIA and TECNA’s membership.  As a resource for the IT industry at large, TechVoice will contain information on broad issues pertaining to smart and secure technology, innovation and competitiveness and workforce education, as well as more specific topics including workforce development, small business concerns, healthcare IT, green IT, cybersecurity, cloud computing, data breach and privacy.

“Although the TechVoice community consists primarily of CompTIA and TECNA’s member companies, it is also geared towards anyone with a vested interest in technology policy,” said Matthew Nemerson, President & CEO of TECNA. “At a time when our nation is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, TechVoice is a valuable resource for anyone in the business or public policy realm.”

Beyond the IT industry, TechVoice will be a source for the latest news, research and information for members of the media as well as policymakers and thought leaders. The TechVoice blog contains updates from around the web and beyond, including articles by CompTIA executives and other thought leaders within the information technology industry. In addition to the website, users can access the latest research, legislative priorities and up to the minute news on the technology issues of the day on Twitter @Tech_Voice and access updates and alerts through the TechVoice Facebook page.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/comptiaAbout TECNA

TECNA serves its members and the industry through its strong peer-to-peer network and its regional initiatives to raise the visibility and viability of the technology industry. TECNA represents almost 40 IT and Technology trade organizations who, in turn, represent more than 16,000 technology-related companies in the North America.

For Immediate Release                                                                                  
Media Contact:
Jennifer Spector [email protected] (202) 295-8790
Matthew Nemerson, [email protected], 860 289-0878 x333

 

Understanding the Innovation Coalition, supporting the key elements of the continuum for commercialization and job creation.

The Innovation Coalition is a collaborative group of innovation-based associations supporting the key elements of the continuum for commercialization and job creation.  Below is a Presentation by TECNA President, Matthew Nemerson at the Fly In to Wash. DC:

 

2011 Innovation Coalition Legislative Fly-in

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The

• Angel Capital Association
• Association of University Research Parks
• Technology Councils of North America
• National Business Incubation Association
• National Association of Seed and Venture Funds
• State Science and Technology Institute

Joined forces for the Washington DC Fly-In.  Lawmakers and their staffs were briefed about the innovation process and why innovation is so important in creating a thriving economy. The afternoon was spent in individual meetings with legislative representatives and their staffs.

The Technology Industry Goes To Washington

On June 16th, TECNA WILL ENGAGE ON THE ISSUES FACING THE TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY A tech policy roundtable will be held on June 16th with TECNA President Matthew Nemerson, Mark Muro, a fellow and director of policy for the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, who manages the program's public policy analysis and leads key policy research projects. For more information on the Federal FLY-IN please contact Paige Rasid at (860) 289-0878 or [email protected]

America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 a setback for Science and Technology Community

A Note from Dr. Mary L. Good on the Future of the America COMPETES Act....  ASTRA is a collaboration of over 130 companies, academic institutions, professional societies, trade associations, and foundations. ASTRA’s mission is to ensure that there is an adequate, and growing, investment by the Federal government in basic research in the physical sciences, the mathematical and computational sciences, and engineering.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED:
The full U.S. House of Representatives voted to recommit the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 on Thursday, May 13 on a 292-126 vote.  This was a setback for many in our community.  It occurred on an amendment by Ranking House Science & Technology Committee Member Ralph Hall (R-TX), who had previously warned about what he called "excessive spending" contained in the bill, H.R. 5116.  Other provisions of Hall's proposal included:

• . Freezing all funding to FY 2010 appropriated levels for the National Science Foundation (NSF), DOE Office of Science, and theNational Institutes of Standards & Technology (NIST).
• . Striking any new programs added to the original COMPETES Act. In effect, this would end several new initiatives like Energy Innovation Hubs and other prototype programs at the three agencies affected.
• . Ending the authorization at FY 2013 rather than FY 2015.

WHAT'S NEXT?
All Members of the U.S. House need to hear from us, IMMEDIATELY, both individually and through our various organizations, businesses and universities.  Supporters of the bill have told ASTRA that it is going to come back this week - or soon thereafter - probably under a different bill number, with the funding restored and the programs restored.  Then there will be another vote.  This vote will be a critical decision by the U.S. House for our country's future.

ACTIONS FOR NOW:
1.  Get informed!  Decide whether or not you yourself support this legislation.  Bipartisan support for this bill is essential.  Partisan differences over R&D funding are a great threat to our nation's future viability.   Public education about the consequences of such trends needs to be focused on all concerned.  ASTRA, among scores of organizations, is now able to provide timely, daily updates on issues and developing news through use of our two Web Sites.  Please use them.  (www.usinnovation.org and www.aboutastra.org)

ASTRA has supported efforts like the COMPETES Act for a decade.  We have used facts-based advocacy to make the case.  For more details about what this bill would do for the nation's science, engineering and technology infrastructure and workforce, see an article compiled by MIT's Washington Office staff located here:  http://www.usinnovation.org/files/UpdateAmerica%20COMPETESforCVD2010.pdf

2.  Download our recently updated ASTRA State R&D Sheets and the STEM Ed Report Cards and forward them to your Member in the U.S House.  These sheets are "value neutral."  They objectively measure and depict the current importance of federal R&D funding to your own state's and your Congressional District's economy, your kids' future, and our country's economic competitiveness and innovation capacity.  Please go to: http://www.usinnovation.org/state/state_rd_list.asp  and use these materials.

3.  Communicate with your own Member of the U.S. House immediately!  

One easy way to do so it for you to send an e-mail or just telephone your Representative's office.  Simply use the handy Web tool provided by the U.S. House Clerk's Office found below.  Follow the instructions provided by the link, and you will be connected to your Representative's office.  You can e-mail, or make a phone call: 
https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Consider these talking points - and keep them simple by focusing on a few of them.  Also, tell your Representative how your own experience as an individual fits into these talking points, if applicable - for example, how your business has benefitted from R&D investments, the role federal support played in your own education and careeer, how your local economy has benefitted by jobs from such investments, etc. 

.  A key element of America's 21st Century economy - a robust workforce of trained scientific and engineering talent - cannot be allowed to leave our shores.  Jobs and industries will surely continue following this talent migration if we under-invest in R&D.

.  Past federal investment in our scientific and engineering ecosystems was an essential element in creating the most effective economic engine in world history.  R&D is the fuel for future U.S. jobs, economic growth, promoting national security and raising our standard of living.

.  The COMPETES Reauthorization Act is a bill that lays the basis for sustained funding increases in our nation's often neglected science, engineering and technology resources.  Increases are needed now because of prior under-investment during the past generation.  Under the guise of "saving money" we have suffered the consequences of not investing enough in our future. 

.  Now is NOT the time, given our fiscal predicament, to stop INVESTING in America's "seed corn" - our world class R&D infrastructure.  If anything, it is the time to INCREASE strategic investments to leverage our resources and talents.

.  Sabotaging our innovation future now by reducing the amount of future R&D funding is dangerous - and a false economy.   Why undermine our own country's abilities to compete and innovate globally?  

.  Our private sector simply lacks the capital and incentives to pick up the slack, especially in basic R&D investments.  Wall Street and investors punish companies that are not riveted upon nearly immediate returns on capital.  We cannot change that philosophy in the short term.

.  Prior under-investment in the science & technology community is one of the very reasons our country is in peril of losing our former dominance in many world markets and in scientific and engineering competence. COMPETES is an effort to catch up to where we should have been many years ago. 

.  Let's not make science R&D a partisan issue.  Please urge Congress to maintain its long-standing bipartisan support for science and engineering R&D funding.  It's a matter of highest national priority.

The Tech Industry Agenda - delivered to Washington

TECNA was in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Technology business leaders addressed some of the key issues facing the technology industry and brought the cause to legislators.

The core issues we brought to Washington:

STEM AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
The most lasting stimulus to the economy of the United States will be “stim-novation”—the investment our nation makes in shaping the emerging generation of innovators who will discover, invent, and commercialize new technologies that move our nation and the world into a better future. Recognizing
this, TECNA advocates for:

• Driving comprehensive STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education reforms and innovations from preschool through college via dedicated federal education and workforce development funding sources.
• Establishing a national training program for technology industry jobs to encourage the re-skilling
of incumbent workers and transition emerging workers into the innovation economy.
• Federal funding to support paid internship grants that provide America’s young people with firsthand experience working in and with the technology sector at a paid wage that benefits both the intern and the employer.
• Continue funding and support for rural competitiveness through the U.S. Department of Labor’s
WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) program.

HEALTHCARE IT
Advances in healthcare IT promise to increase the accessibility and affordability of quality healthcare, while also demonstrating innovations that will have worldwide applicability and generate new jobs. To support Healthcare IT development, TechNA advocates for:

• Working with the healthcare and IT industries to create guidelines and best practices for the rapid deployment of $19 billion in stimulus funding for adoption of electronic medical records (EMR).
• Targeted funding for the continued development of Health Information Exchange (HIE) networks at the state and regional levels. Without multi-party HIE partnerships, the benefits of EMR and e-prescribing will not be fully realized.

BROADBAND ACCESS
Universal access to high-bandwidth internet connectivity is an essential component in America’s present and future competitiveness. It is also a critical facet in the long-term success of healthcare IT, since more than 61 million Americans live in rural settings. Even in urban areas, the challenge will be to maintain and enhance bandwidth as the demand for internet applications grows exponentially. TECNA advocates for:

• Federal commitment to ensuring that high-speed internet access reaches all Americans in both
urban and rural areas, through continued funding for rural broadband.
• Funding to address the Exaflood (the exponential growth of the internet through the use of video
and other high-bandwidth applications) so that healthcare providers and other users can transmit
images, video, and other files quickly and easily from any location.

INNOVATION ECONOMICS
In order to encourage innovation, America needs to remain focused on establishing a culture that encourages bold, new thinking and the introduction of new technologies in the marketplace. Innovation economics are the engine for our nation’s future growth. As a result, TecNA advocates for:

• Encouraging innovation and remaining globally competitive. America needs a world-class patent
system. Patent reform should ensure a balanced playing field that fairly compensates all innovators. With much at stake, we encourage Information Technology (IT), Bio/life-sciences and competing interests to negotiate patent reform solutions and to achieve timely passage of patent reform.
• Maintaining our commitment to the recently re-approved Federal Research and Development (R&D) tax credit by making it a permanent fixture in America’s domestic economic policy. Half of all companies who use the R&D tax credit are small businesses who are developing emerging technologies and can generate new wealth for our nation through their efforts