State Rep. Daniel Bosley from North Adams, who was appointed by Governor-Elect Patrick Deval to serve as a “special advisor” to the governor for economic development, welcomes more than 200 who had gathered for the release of the 10th edition of the Index.
Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy
Dialogue at State House frames agenda for future priorities, strategies, investments
BOSTON – The 10th anniversary issue of the Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy was unveiled at a State House event December 18, co-sponsored by the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.
Don Dubendorf, Paul Harrington, Lita Nelsen, Richard Burnes, Pat Larkin and Joe Alviani
The Index, published annually by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative since 1997, is the premier benchmark for measuring the performance of the knowledge-based economy in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth’s Innovation Economy accounts for nearly 800,000 direct jobs and sales revenues from its key industry clusters were valued at more than $100 billion in 2005.
This year, there was good news and “not so good news,” Patricia Flynn, Trustee Professor of Economics and Management at Bentley, told a crowd of more than 200 science and technology practitioners and policymakers who had gathered in the Great Hall of Flags at the State House. Read more >>
Warning signs for the Commonwealth’s robust engine for growth, prosperity
Index Advisory Chair Patricia Flynn reviews the highlights of the Tenth Anniversary Index
WESTBOROUGH – Ten years ago, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative created The Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy in order to establish some common language and some common understandings to measure the performance of the Commonwealth’s knowledge-based economy against other leading technology state competitors.
“This document,” explained Patrick Larkin, Director of MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute, in his remarks at the State House event releasing the 10th anniversary edition of the Index, “helps enable us to understand our competitive constraints.” It is a tool, he continued, “that allows us as a Commonwealth to engage in dialogues and ask: Why is it so difficult to grow, attract and retain talent in Massachusetts? Why is it so difficult to capture larger shares of the downstream economic benefits of our Innovation Economy?” Read more >>
Peggy Newell
Vice Provost
Tufts University
Where’s the money?
With limited federal budgets, the Commonwealth can play an increasingly critical role in the quest for major research center awards
MEDFORD – Margaret ‘Peggy’ Newell, the Vice Provost at Tufts University, has a very full plate when it comes to responsibilities. In addition to working on strategic development and serving as deputy to the Provost, she has maintained her responsibilities from when she served as Associate Provost for Research. Newell oversees the office of technology and industry collaboration, and with it, the patenting and licensing of scientific discoveries and inventions, as well as the Office of Research Administration, several research compliance areas, and the Office of the Boards of Overseers. And, Newell continues to hold a faculty appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the Medical School.
In a word, she’s very busy—and very competent. The 24-year Tufts veteran also finds time to serve as a member of the Governing Board of MTC’s Innovation Institute. Convergence spoke recently with Newell during a short break in her schedule.
Endorsed by the Innovation Institute Governing Board
BOSTON – The Governing Board of the John Adams Innovation Institute endorsed unanimously a resolution to create a “Joint Academic Research Council” whose mission is to maximize the Commonwealth’s efforts to secure major awards and investments in collaborative R&D partnerships at Massachusetts academic research centers. Read more >>
MA life sciences ‘tiger’ roars
New initiative holds first meeting,
receives an editorial boost
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| Steve Hyman gestures in making his remarks to the members of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative which met on December 6. Seated to his left and right Ranch Kimball, Mitchell Adams and Paul Grogan. |
BOSTON – It was a very auspicious start for the new Massachusetts Life Sciences Collaborative, whose “Organizing Committee” met for the first time on December 6, 2006, at the Boston Athenaeum. In a lead editorial, entitled “Riding the life science tiger,” The Boston Globe praised the effort. It stated: “jobs for at least 600,000 Massachusetts residents and 10 percent of the state’s gross domestic product” depend on the new initiative’s leadership to “rationalize the state’s current hodgepodge of overlapping and competing efforts to boost this promising industry sector.” |
Bringing open-access WiFi
to the village square
Innovation Institute to host a
forum about how to create
a low-cost, downtown, WiFi network
ORLEANS -- On January 24, the “Unwired Village” team, in collaboration with the Orleans Chamber of Commerce and MTC’s Innovation Institute, will host a forum showcasing the open access wireless downtown network which they created on Cape Cod as a potential model for other communities.
The “Unwired Village” project in Orleans, developed by the Cape Cod Technology Council is centered on local businesses, which provide a coordinated WiFi “hot spot.” The businesses contribute an annual fee in return for advertising on the portal page of the network. After only four months, there are more than 1,500 registered users. Two other nearby communities on the Cape have begun work on developing their own open-access wireless networks. Read more >
Cambridge on the Connecticut River?
Growing the Life Sciences industry
sector in regions outside of Greater Boston
SPRINGFIELD – Dignitaries gathered on October 25 at the Baystate Medical Center to celebrate the $3 million investment by MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute in establishing the new Center of Excellence for Apoptosis Research at the Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute (PVLSI).
The investment was hailed by Springfield Mayor Charles Ryan and by Kevin Kennedy, an aide to Congressman Richard Neal, as a much-needed, long-term vote of confidence in the potential of the region’s promise to achieve a more vibrant economic future. Read more>>
Innovation Institute Investments
Building a robotics cluster
BOSTON – Working in partnership with the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, MTC’s John Adams Innovation Institute has invested $50,000 through its Regional Priority Grants Program to initiate business planning and to fund other start-up costs for a Robotics Cluster Initiative. Read more >>
Broadband Penetration and Use Data
BOSTON – To design a methodology for collecting broadband penetration and use data, the John Adams Innovation Institute has awarded $122,530 to the Communications Futures Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Read more >>
massPLASTICS Medical Device Connection
FITCHBURG – The North Central Chamber of Commerce has received an investment of $150,000 to support the plastics industry’s adaptation of their current operations to compete for medical device contracts. The massPLASTICS Medical Device Connection is an economic development initiative created by the North Central Chamber of Commerce to grow the plastics industry cluster by increasing sales opportunities in the medical device industry. Read more >>