Subscribe

Office of Science and Technology Policy Blog

  • VA Innovations Serve Veteran Entrepreneurs as Part of Small Business Week

    Posted by Jonah Czerwinski on May 20, 2011 at 6:05 PM EDT

    In his Proclamation naming this Small Business Week, the President explains that “small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the cornerstones of America's promise.” Veterans increasingly make up part of that backbone as entrepreneurs translating their service-related skills into job-creating companies.

    The number of Veterans early in their careers is on the rise: 74 percent of service-disabled Veterans over the last 10 years are under 30 years old.  They are equipped with unique skills as a result of their service, and their Veteran status offers distinct business advantages.

    A wide array of services and benefits are available to Veterans in launching a new business.  In addition to VA programs like VetSuccess, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Department of Labor’s Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), the new Veteran Fast Launch Initiative, and numerous local programs provide varying degrees of support.  The challenge is in knitting it all together and making it work for each Veteran’s individual needs.

    As part of the White House-led Startup America initiative, this month the VA Innovation Initiative (VAi2), in partnership with the SBA and the Department of Labor, announced two new business incubators with the sole mission of helping Veteran entrepreneurs get their start by integrating existing services and offering new forms of business support.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Economy, Innovations, Startup America

  • Entrepreneurs Key to Fixing Our Broken Immigration System

    Posted by Aneesh Chopra on May 16, 2011 at 2:29 PM EDT

    Last week, President Obama called for a national conversation on how to fix our broken immigration system so it works for the 21st Century economy.  On Thursday, I joined 25 entrepreneurs -- drawn from the local business community and attendees of the inspiring Big Omaha conference -- in Omaha, NE, to engage in such a discussion. Though many in the room hadn't known each other, we quickly shared personal stories of hope and frustration with the current immigration system.

    Given the high-tech focus of many of the entrepreneurs in the room, the message I heard was clear -- if we are to effectively compete in the global economy, we need access to the very best talent our communities can attract, especially in regions that lack the kind of talent concentration one finds in areas like Silicon Valley or Austin, TX.

    I met Nick Hudson, a British-born entrepreneur three times over who described the Omaha community as very welcoming of immigrants, despite the difficulties of navigating our national immigration system.

    I met an immigrant entrepreneur whose daughter successfully completed a master’s degree in engineering, precisely the kind of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) training the President has emphasized as key to our economic future, but who lacked a clear pathway to join our workforce.

    To that end, I shared news from Washington that, effective immediately, an expanded pool of STEM graduates qualifies for an additional 17 months of optional practical training, exposing the best and brightest to our economic growth engines.

    Best of all, I heard feedback that we might be able to address administratively, including calls for:

    • clearer, simpler rules to navigate the legal immigration system and
    • clarity on the importance of immigrant entrepreneurs when adjudicating applications.

    I want to thank the Omaha Chamber of Commerce and the folks organizing Big Omaha for convening last Thursday's roundtable, and for the participants who pledged to continue the discussion with their friends and neighbors. I left Omaha with a bit more confidence that we can finally tackle this important component of our economic growth strategy. Please join us in this conversation by hosting a roundtable.

    Aneesh Chopra is U.S. Chief Technology Officer

    Omaha Entrepreneurs Event

    US CTO Aneesh Chopra poses with participants of a roundtable discussion on fixing our broken immigration system, May 12, 2011. (Photo courtesy Shervin Pishevar)

     

    Learn more about Immigration

  • Digital Literacy Initiative Aims to Help Americans Build Online Skills

    Posted by Aneesh Chopra and Lawrence Strickling on May 13, 2011 at 10:35 AM EDT

    Today, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke launched DigitalLiteracy.gov, a new online portal to help Americans find jobs and obtain the 21st century skills being sought by today’s employers.

    The Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) developed DigitalLiteracy.gov in partnership with nine Federal agencies, with the goal of creating an online hub for librarians, educators, and other digital literacy practitioners to share content and best practices. Through DigitalLiteracy.gov, NTIA is making available to all Americans the methods for improving broadband adoption that are being developed by Recovery Act projects.

    Resources and tools on the site can be used to teach and help develop digital literacy skills including lesson plans, online training tools, and train-the-trainer materials. In addition, any user can go to the site’s workforce page to connect to a wide variety of career-building applications that teach a range of skills including word processing fundamentals, resume -building tips, and job search techniques.

    The premise is simple: We live in an Internet economy where high-speed Internet access and online skills are necessary for seeking, applying for, and getting today’s jobs. DigitalLiteracy.gov will help Americans build the online skills needed to fully share in the benefits of broadband, including developing workforce skills, finding reliable healthcare information, or designing a website.

    Most important, as the resources on this Web portal expand we expect additional content from broadband grantees who are developing and implementing digital literacy training programs in their communities. This will allow us to leverage the investments from local Recovery Act projects to provide digital literacy resources to all Americans and help achieve the Administration’s goal of winning the future and ensuring that America remains the leader in an increasingly competitive world.

    Additionally, users can rate the content, provide feedback, and communicate with each other about how they are using the tools. This is a case of technology helping to facilitate new and effective ways for practitioners to share experiences and expand their collective knowledge base. Over time, the site will help to improve our understanding of what practices work for different communities and increase the impact, sustainability, and scale of digital literacy efforts.

    We welcome your feedback and encourage you to share resources being put into practice in your community. Collaboration is key, and together we can leverage these resources to better prepare Americans for success in today’s digital economy.

    Aneesh Chopra is U.S. Chief Technology Officer

    Lawrence Strickling is Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce

    Learn more about Economy

  • Hearing from Entrepreneurs in Pittsburgh and Atlanta

    Posted by Teresa Stanek Rea on May 11, 2011 at 5:17 PM EDT

    The economic security and vitality of the United States has always been deeply rooted in American innovation. Time and time again, the story of our growth has been written by the daring drive of entrepreneurs who were willing to roll the dice on just an idea.  That’s why the Obama Administration launched Startup America, a White House-led initiative to accelerate the success of entrepreneurs throughout the Nation.  

    Over the past month, I have had the privilege of hearing from bold thinkers around the country and have learned that vital to 21st century growth is a 21st century infrastructure—one that readily allows small businesses to protect, promote, and preserve their ideas throughout the marketplace. In order to hear ideas directly from entrepreneurs, senior Administration officials have traveled to cities throughout the Nation, holding Startup America: Reducing Barriers roundtable discussions and assessing what Federal regulations should be changed to create an environment most conducive to small business growth and job creation.  That’s why we are currently working with Congress to pass the America Invents Act, which aims to simplify the process of securing patent rights and empower small and independent inventors to distribute their ideas, products, and tools faster.

    Last Thursday in Pittsburgh I had the opportunity to hear ideas ranging from student loan repayment programs for entrepreneurs to stronger tax incentives for companies with responsible energy efficiency standards.  At the heart of our conversation, though, was the underlying need to further build, educate, and train the manufacturing workforce that supports so much of Pittsburgh’s local economy. Whether through tax credits for companies or educational programs, it was clear that the hardworking businesses in this heart of Pennsylvania weren’t expecting overnight solutions, but were instead genuinely seeking ways to make the business environment a little easier for their enterprises to grow and their economy to flourish.    

    At a roundtable event last Monday in Atlanta, an attendee suggested providing small amounts of seed funding for early-stage entrepreneurs to lift their businesses off the ground.  Other small business owners suggested that streamlining the application process for procuring government contracts could put contractors to work more efficiently. 

    At every stop along the way, I and other Administration colleagues have been motivated by the innovative ideas and proposals we’ve heard from small business owners. And as we invest in the building blocks of innovation and growth to create the jobs necessary to win the future, we want to continue these conversations to identify the most feasible solutions.   

    This week we are visiting Boulder and Silicon Valley, the final two stops on our roundtable tour.  But that doesn’t mean we’re done taking input.  In order to receive more ideas from an even greater number of entrepreneurs, we have created an online tool that is quick and easy to use.  This tool lets everyone suggest ideas and vote on the proposed solutions they think are the most important. 

    After these roundtable events, we will take the feedback we have received and present a list of the most important proposed changes in a report to the President.   My dialogue with innovators in Pittsburgh and Atlanta have added perspective from Main Street to the approach the Obama Administration and the USPTO are taking to lead the way in creating 21st century business opportunities for our country. Stay tuned as we continue that conversation with entrepreneurs and hear about how we can help them drive economic growth and create much needed jobs.

    Teresa Stanek Rea is Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

    Learn more about Innovations, Startup America

  • Understanding Earthquakes and Their Impacts: Part II

    Posted by Tammy Dickinson and David Applegate on May 11, 2011 at 12:55 PM EDT

    Ed. Note: This is the second of a two-part blog focusing on the science and aftermath of earthquakes. Part I focused on the science of a high-magnitude earthquake and whether one could happen in the United States.

    Part II: What We Can Do About It

    There is nothing we can do to stop the movement of the Earth’s plates or the associated earthquakes, and the recent earthquake in Japan is a reminder that low-probability, high-impact events can strike anytime. This situation demands that nations, communities, and individual families take steps to develop resilience to hazards generally—a process that requires the collective action of government at all levels as well as nonprofit organizations, the private sector, and individuals.

    Resilience—in the form of mitigation preparedness activities and improved public understanding—can help ensure that their impacts on society are greatly reduced. Science and technology can play a critical role in the quest for disaster resilience,and scientists and engineers have much to contribute. But doing so requires effective mechanisms to translate and implement their research-derived knowledge. That is precisely the goal of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP)—an interagency endeavor involving the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and National Science Foundation.

    One example of NEHRP’s value is its work translating research into the creation of building codes. Every five years the USGS updates its national seismic hazard maps, which estimate earthquake probabilities for various areas based on past frequency of large earthquakes, seismicity patterns, strain accumulation in the Earth’s crust, and other factors that are the subject of active research. This information forms the basis for FEMA-produced design maps that form the seismic provisions in model building codes adopted in earthquake-prone areas.

    Building codes are crucial to mitigating the impact of earthquakes. Consider that rebuilding was the defining challenge in the wake of the devastating magnitude-7 earthquake that struck Haiti in January, while Chile weathered a magnitude-8.8 earthquake the following April with far fewer casualties and less damage, thanks to prudent investments in planning and construction. 

    The lessons of that contrast were reinforced at a March 2010 workshop convened by the National Science and Technology Council’s Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction along with the State Department and United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, attended by over 100 leading geoscientists, earthquake engineers, planners, architects, emergency managers, building code officials, and a delegation of Haitian government officials and academics.  Key findings from the workshop included the need to adopt and enforce international building codes, especially for construction of schools, hospitals and critical infrastructure being funded by international donors; develop cost-effective design guidelines for residential structures; and incorporate assessments of earthquake, inland flooding, and landslide hazards in the planning and rebuilding process, so that people are not put straight back into harm’s way. The findings also emphasized the central importance of building local science and engineering capabilities as the best way to sustain a more hazard-resilient approach. These recommendations were finalized in a report that was delivered to the donors participating in a major conference the following week in New York, where pledges were made for more than $8 billion in aid.  These guidelines have been used to shape investment strategies for the UN, USAID, Clinton Foundation, World Bank, and many other donors.

    Understanding earthquakes and their effects is of vital importance to the Nation. As the population increases, expanding urban development and construction works encroach upon areas susceptible to earthquakes. With a greater understanding of the causes and effects of earthquakes and how they impact buildings, infrastructure, and society itself, we may be able to reduce damage and loss of life from this destructive phenomenon. Progress will be slow, excruciatingly so at times, but given the extent to which resilience can benefit communities beyond just the earthquake threat, it is progress worth striving toward.

    Tammy Dickinson is a Senior Policy Analyst at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

    David Applegate is Senior Science Advisor for Earthquake & Geologic Hazards at the US Geological Survey

    Learn more about Energy and Environment

  • “Boulder is for Startups"

    Posted by Phil Weiser on May 11, 2011 at 9:06 AM EDT

    On Monday, I had the pleasure of travelling to Boulder, CO, to participate, along with a number of other Administration officials, in the seventh of eight stops that are a part of the Startup America Roadshow.  The local newspaper captured some of the high points in this article.  Before touching on my observations from the event, let me first answer the question, “Why Boulder?”

    Fifteen years ago, Boulder was considered a sleepy college town known mostly for its great rock-climbing. Today, Boulder is home to one of the strongest entrepreneurial communities in the country, with close to 200 fledgling tech companies and a city campaign that proclaims “Boulder is for startups.” In fact, last year BusinessWeek named Boulder America’s best town for startups, and it was featured in The New York Times for its entrepreneurial scene.  Part of its success rests on the fact that Boulder has the highest U.S. concentration of software engineers and PhDs per capita.  It is second only to Silicon Valley in percentage of workers employed in the technology sector.

    read the rest
    Learn more about Innovations, Startup America