Wednesday, September 15

Wednesday Morning Plenary

A Decade for Change: Universities' Roles in Innovation

The Great Recession has heightened expectations of America's universities and colleges to be proactive partners — and in many cases leaders — for innovation and regional economic development. Those expectations already had been mounting during the last decade as it became clear global competitiveness requires a larger, more technically and scientifically skilled workforce, more knowledge-based firms, and faster and constant innovations.

It is that need for faster innovation and mounting scrutiny on all public expenditures that have sparked considerable policy discussion focused on universities serving as economic engines — whether through commercializing technology, entrepreneurship education, attracting research dollars or myriad other approaches. The discussion has been heated at times, as certain issues draw opposing perspectives to be defended and advanced.

Until this year, the federal government has been largely on the sidelines not only from the action, but also the discussion of whether and how universities should be involved in encouraging economic growth. There are signs, though, that the federal absence from the game may be coming to an end.

Through a request for information on commercializing university technology and a series of regional meetings, Obama Administration officials have been seeking input on what universities' economic development roles have been, haven't been and should be and what the federal government should do about it.

In this engaging, highly interactive plenary session, a senior Obama Administration will provide an overview of what they have learned from these efforts and the Administration's thinking on the topic of university technology commercialization. Following their remarks, and using instant audience polling and moderated Q&A, we will open the discussion to the floor with the goal of advancing the topic as a community.

Plenary Speaker
Ginger Lew, Senior Counselor, White House National Economic Council & SBA and Co-Chair of the White House Innovation and Entrepreneurship Working Group

Tom Peterson, Assistant Director, Directorate for Engineering, National Science Foundation

Moderator
Michael Cassidy, President and CEO, Georgia Research Alliance

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Wednesday Morning Breakout Sessions

Maximizing Equity Capital's Impact in Your Community

Research funded by the Ford Foundation indicates equity investments can perform well regardless of location (e.g., urban v. rural areas), with smaller investments outperforming larger ones. In addition, an increasing number of funds and organizations are striving to deepen equity capital's impact on communities while improving business performance by connecting investments with advanced advisory services to the companies and supporting economic development organizations. Together, these models mean successful equity investments can be made anywhere in the U.S. with the right support network. We'll learn how.

Presenters:

• Patricia (Pat) Scruggs, President, Scruggs & Associates LLC
• Beth Sirull, Executive Director, Pacific Community Ventures

Technology Entrepreneurship: Direct Contact Required

Starting a successful business requires blood, sweat, tears and the right connections. Recognizing the need for intense and sustained assistance to put entrepreneurs on the right track, many organizations offer hands-on educational programs that guide entrepreneurs throughout the uncertain early stages of building a company. This panel discussion will examine how these programs advise, assist and connect a select group of entrepreneurs to help improve their odds of long-term success.

Presenters:

• Ellen Hemmerly, President & Executive Director, UMBC Research and Technology Park
• John Vidmar, Director, The Transformation Business Services Network, The Ben Franklin Technology Partners

Economic Transformation through University-Business Partnerships

Research intensive universities can be a tremendous asset for technology-based economic growth. Leading states and regions have identified ways to leverage the strengths of multiple research institutions as well as the business community to obtain maximum value. This session will explore how one collaborative model is bringing universities and business together to create partnerships to transform their regional economies. We'll consider how the business community is working with the university community to create a shared agenda to leverage the assets of these institutions to benefit the overall economic prosperity of the region and state.

Presenters:

• Jeff Mason, Executive Director, Michigan's University Research Corridor
• Doug Rothwell, President & CEO, Business Leaders for Michigan

Moderator:

• Susan Shows, Senior Vice President, Georgia Research Alliance

SBA and TBED: New Developments, New Direction

In the last year, SBA has launched a set of new programs and initiatives, including support for cluster development, changes to the SBIC application process, the revival of the FAST program, and a request for information on mentoring and entrepreneurship education for high-growth companies. In this session, a senior SBA official will provide an update on what he and his colleagues at SBA have been working on and are planning for the future. With SBA pursuing a larger role in issues involving tech-based economic development, this session will provide an excellent chance to understand what lies ahead for SBA — and the opportunities presented for regional innovation strategies.

Presenter:

• Sean Greene, Associate Administrator for Investment, Special Advisor for Innovation, U.S. Small Business Administration

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Wednesday Afternoon Plenary

TBED in Transition: A View from the Governors

SSTI selected Pittsburgh as the site for its annual conference, in part, because of the state's long and successful experience with tech-based economic development. Pennsylvania has been fortunate to have three decades of governors who have seen the connection between science, technology, innovation and economic growth.

SSTI is honored that three of Pennsylvania's governors are coming together in a rare, joint appearance to discuss their experiences in promoting economic growth through science, technology, and innovation; share their insights on what the road ahead may present; and, offer advice on planning for a transition.

With more than 30 new governors assuming office in January, record pressure on state budgets, and a sluggish economy, getting the insights of a sitting governor and two former governors may well make this plenary session the single most relevant session at this year's conference as you contemplate what lies ahead for tech-based economic development and for your organization.

No speeches. No presentations. Just questions posed by the always illuminating Rob Atkinson will ensure a lively, candid exchange that will help us all plan for the future.

Plenary Speaker
The Hon. Edward Rendell, Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
The Hon. Tom Ridge, President and CEO, Ridge Global LLC
The Hon. Dick Thornburgh, Counsel, K&L Gates LLP

Moderator
Rob Atkinson, President, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation

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Wednesday Afternoon Breakout Sessions

Regional Industry Clusters: Building Innovation-Based Entrepreneurship from the "Bottom-Up"

Pennsylvania's Keystone Innovation Zones program defies easy description because it allowed the 29 designated zones across the state to identify the specific needs and custom strategies required to best support their local existing or emerging innovation clusters. As a result the KIZ program can point to many tremendous results and a few failures. One key may be it forced a level of cooperation and collaboration among partners one imagines couldn't be attempted in some parts of the country — or could it? We'll explore how KIZs work, adapt and overcome obstacles and institutional differences to focus on their shared goal of supporting regional innovation-based companies.

Presenters include:

• Sheri Collins, Program Manager, KIZ Program and Technology Development Grant Program, Pennsylvania Deptartment of Community & Economic Development
• William Generett, Executive Director, Pittsburgh Central KIZ
• Bomani Howze, Program Officer, The Heinz Endowments' Innovation Economy Program
• Stephen Schillo, Vice President for Management and Business, Duquesne University
• John Sider, Deputy Secretary, Technology Investment, Pennsylvania Dept. of Community & Economic Development
• Bob Starzynski, Director, Innovation Adoption Grant Fund, Innovation Works, Inc.

Achieving Excellence in TBED

Developing and implementing a successful TBED initiative that generates substantial economic gain for a state or region is no easy feat in this economic climate. So how do some organizations continue to achieve a level of accomplishment that their peers feel worthy of recognition and honor? In this session, we'll use an intimate group interview format with some of the 2010 Excellence in TBED Award winners to learn how they do it year after year. We'll explore the lessons they learned along the way, the ways they measure impact and how they communicate their success to sustain their programs.

Discussion led by:

• Peggy Shults, President & CEO, Lytmos Group, Inc.

The Road Ahead: The View from Legislators

Pressure on state budgets is at a historic high, and ultimately, it's going to be state legislators that will make the decisions on how limited resources are allocated. Whether you are part of a state program, funded by local government, or are at a university, state funding is going to have an impact on your program's operations. This session will provide the opportunity to get candid assessment from two legislators on what is needed to build support for tech-based economic development in this tough environment and what they see as the road ahead.

Presenters:

• The Hon. John Gordner, Senator, Pennsylvania State Senate
• The Hon. Chuck Martin, Representative, Georgia House of Representatives

Moderator:

• Josh O'Brien, Senior Business Development Manager, Biosciences, Greater Oklahoma City Chamber

Building Private Business Support and Involvement in Your TBED Strategy

Very often, the most effective advocate for directing public resources toward innovation, science and technology commercialization is the private sector - the technology businesses who are expected to produce the economic results sought in a knowledge economy. Technology associations, councils and networks are particularly important when traditional business groups in the community may be mired in traditional, tired approaches to economic growth. With the goal of forging closer collaborations between regional TBED efforts and their client communities, we'll discuss how strong regional technology councils can be your best allies, best critics and most important partners for designing a strategy or program, for delivering services directly to the target business community, and for advancing an effective TBED agenda within city, state or federal legislative bodies.

Discussants:

• Charles DeVries, Director, Government Affairs, Automation Alley
• Tino Mantella, President & CEO, Technology Association of Georgia
• Renée Winsky, CEO, Tech Council of Maryland

Discussion led by:

• Mark Skinner, Vice President, SSTI