The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) announced the winners of its 2009 tech-based economic development awards.
The SSTI gave awards in six separate categories to nonprofits that initiated successful programs to sustain the nation’s position as a global leader for innovation and competitiveness at a ceremony in Overland Park, Kansas. Values emphasized included impact, strategic value and ability to replicate.
"These organizations serve as best practice models in the field for their demonstrated leadership and meaningful impact to state and regional economies," said SSTI president and chief executive Dan Berglund.
The James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program in Florida won an Expanding the Research Infrastructure award for its $58.6 million in funding for tobacco research grants awarded through merit-based competitions.
The Washington Technology Center Research and Technology Development Program won a Commercializing Research award for its $21 million in research projects partnering universities with private companies.
Other award winners included the TechColombus Techstart Program in Ohio for building entrepreneurial capacity, JumpStart for increasing access to capital, the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Education Initiative for enhancing the science and technology workforce, and the Innovation Works Adoption Grant Fund for improving the competitiveness of existing industries.
"The impressive stories behind each of these six initiatives illustrate how strategic TBED investments work to promote regional growth through science and innovation," said Berglund.
The SSTI is a national nonprofit organization that supports efforts to improve state and regional economies through science, technology and innovation. It was founded in 1996 and is based in Westerville Ohio. Its current chair is former Michigan governor John Engler, and its vice-chair is former Massachusetts governor and Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis.
