Washington D.C. - One of ITIF’s most important roles is to develop actionable ideas that policymakers can trust to foster innovation, growth, and progress. This report provides a menu of such ideas for the 114th Congress. It is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis of all tech policy issues currently up for debate, but rather lays out a selection of new ideas for Congress and the administration to consider. It is organized by topic area—from innovation and competitiveness to trade and globalization—with short summaries of each idea and citations for additional details.
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Washington D.C. - According to the Economist, "IN 1970 the United States recognised the potential of crop science by broadening the scope of patents in agriculture. Patents are supposed to reward inventiveness, so that should have galvanised progress. Yet, despite providing extra protection, that change and a further broadening of the regime in the 1980s led neither to more private research into wheat nor to an increase in yields. Overall, the productivity of American agriculture continued its gentle upward climb, much as it had before."
Washington D.C. - According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, "One of the nation's most respected startup and entrepreneurship research organizations last week issued a series of public policy recommendations that the group believes Congress could implement in order to accelerate the formation and growth of new companies and help reinvigorate the American economy."
Washington D.C. - U.S. workers and enterprises are falling behind in the global innovation, productivity, and competitiveness race, and Congress should enact a series of policies to reverse the trends, Stephen Ezell argued last week in remarks to the House Democratic Caucus. On an expert panel convened by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Ezell's specific recommendations included reauthorizing the Export-Import Bank, investing in manufacturing innovation and education, spurring technology transfer and commercialization, and unlocking the economic potential of the Internet of Things. For the complete testimony: http://www2.itif.org/2015-ezell-make-it-in-america.pdf?mc_cid=2c758efc47&mc_eid=d9824ce838
Washington D.C. - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced the launch of the Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) $10 million funding opportunity for the 2015 Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) Program competition to spur innovation capacity-building activities in regions across the nation. Under this program, EDA is soliciting applications for two funding opportunities: the i6 Challenge, which funds organizations that help innovators and entrepreneurs turn innovations, ideas, intellectual property, and research into viable, sustainable companies, and Seed Fund Support Grants (previously Cluster Grants for Seed Capital Funds), which funds regionally-focused seed capital funds that provide early-stage capital to innovation-based startups with a potential for high growth. This is the second RIS competition; EDA’s 2014 i6 and Seed Fund Support Grant awardees were announced in March 2015.
Washington D.C. - According o Matthew Dembicki, "The White House is hoping community college leaders, students and their supporting communities will help get the word out about the president’s proposal for free community college for qualifying students. At the annual retreat of the American Association of Community Colleges(AACC) board of directors this week in Washington, D.C., White House officials noted that there’s currently an opportunity to get the ear of lawmakers about the importance of higher education and the critical role of community colleges."
Washington D.C. - Opposition to H.R. 9, the Innovation Act, has successfully removed the patent reform legislation from the House's pre-recess schedule. The collective voice of the life sciences community, including BioNJ and BIO, was raised in overwhelming opposition to the current version of the bill, which does not provide adequate reform to the IPR system of patent challenges at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO).
Washington D.C. - According to the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI), "Challenge.gov, an online portal that facilitates public-sector prize competitions, is celebrating its fifth anniversary later this year. Numerous federal agencies have used prize competitions to spur innovation around areas ranging from water desalination to lung cancer, according to a White House blog post. Those agencies have found that this incentive-laden approach increases cost-effectiveness, encourages risk-taking, and reaches participants beyond a typical scope."
Washington D.C. – According to Michael Rosen of AEI, “Opponents of a patent “troll” reform bill currently before the House of Representatives won a significant tactical victory last week when House leadership pushed back a vote on the measure. The delay likely means a greater focus on a parallel bill that’s wending its way through the Senate and undergoing intense negotiations between lawmakers and interest groups.”
Camden, NJ - Cooper Medical School of Rowan University announced Friday it has received a $1.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Service Administration to improve primary care workforce and address the shortage of these physicians in underserved communities in New Jersey.
Washington D.C. – According to Brookings institute’s Walter Valdivia, “The fiscal budget has become a casualty of political polarization and even functions that had enjoyed bipartisan support, like research and development (R&D), are becoming divisive issues on Capitol Hill. As a result, federal R&D is likely to grow pegged to inflation or worse, decline.”
Newark, NJ - The National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have designated NJIT as a National Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Cyber Defense Education through the 2020 academic year. NSA and DHS jointly sponsor CAE with the goal to reduce vulnerability in the national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research, and producing a growing pipeline of professionals with information assurance expertise in various disciplines.
New Brunswick, NJ - The HealthCare Institute of New Jersey (HINJ) applauds the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the 21st Century Cures Act. This landmark legislation would accelerate the pace of discovering new, life-saving treatments and cures for some of the world’s most dreaded diseases. It is vitally important to New Jersey’s life sciences community, where much of this research and discovery takes place, and it is critical to patients around the world who will benefit from its impact.
Trenton, NJ - Joined by state, federal, and local officials, Acting Governor Kim Guadagno, chair of the New Jersey Military Installation Growth and Development Task Force (Task Force), released the Task Force’s final report and includes STEM education as well as innovation to growth the NJ sector.
Washington D.C. - According to the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, "With Congress in the midst of considering legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank—its current authorization expires and thus must be extended by June 30, 2015—comes fresh evidence reiterating the vital need for the Bank in providing export credit finance support for America’s exporters."
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