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innovation DAILY

Here we highlight selected innovation related articles from around the world on a daily basis.  These articles related to innovation and funding for innovative companies, and best practices for innovation based economic development.

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Imagine a website launched by students, for students to share information about their innovation ecosystem on campus. I'm talking a navigation tool of sorts that allows students from every corner of the country to learn about what effective strategies universities have developed to enhance resources for students interested in exploring the technology and entrepreneurship realms. No, this isn't a dream. This website exists, and it goes by the name of "University Innovation."

The wiki was initially created by the University Innovation Fellows, an elite group of 45 students that are a part of a national movement to catalyze innovation on campus. But they've now opened up the wiki for the whole world to enjoy as a "resource to all student stakeholders in the Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship spheres in higher education."

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It’s more than likely that the readers of the NPQ Newswire may not be all that heavily involved in scientific research, but for those who are, the impact of federal budget cuts on agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies supporting scientific research have been devastating. For example, in fiscal 2013, the NIH had its budget cut (per sequestration) by 5 percent, roughly $1.5 billion, which meant that 640 research grants were not issued. As this Mediaite table shows, the NIH may be the largest funder of biomedical research in the world, but its appropriations have plummeted from over $31 billion in 2010 to a projected $27 billion in 2014: 

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Open innovation is not new, but it is relatively new to health care, igniting a broad cross-section of challenges, hackathons, and competitions that seek to identify breakthrough solutions to solve for our health and our health care. By applying the best practices of the leading tech accelerators, these programs accelerate the speed at which new solutions are developed, companies are formed, and jobs are created.

To quote Todd Park, CTO of the United States of America, "There has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur at the intersection of health care and IT." And there has never been a better time, or industry, for open innovation, a game where no one loses. Open innovation is good for the sponsoring organization, good for the innovator, good for the patient, and good for America.

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With its deeply divided supporters and opponents, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as ‘Obamacare’, is about to be implemented as it applies to individuals and soon it will become a reality for our nation’s employers. Yet despite the recently announced delay in the implementation of the ACA’s Employer Mandate Regulations, many entrepreneurs are wondering what they should be pursuing actively, or at least considering, as the new 2015 deadline for employer penalties and reporting requirements looms.

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If I told you there were a handful of rules that guaranteed entrepreneurial success, you know I’d be lying-since no one can teach an entrepreneur what can only be learned by doing. While theory is no substitute for experience, there are principles that will keep you focused on your journey.

Here are the 5 that have served me best:

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The other day I read an interesting book called Entrepreneurial DNA, by Joe Abraham, the founder of BOSI Global, an operating partner to venture-backed and owner-operated companies. The book is based on Joe’s study of over 1,000 entrepreneurs. The research confirmed the discovery that all entrepreneurs are not all wired the same way. The book suggests entrepreneurs fall into four distinct types of entrepreneurial DNA’s that leverage unique strengths, weaknesses and tendencies typical in each specific type of entrepreneur:

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Hot air balloons weren't enough for Google. The search giant is launching another initiative to bring high-speed Internet to the developing world using more traditional means: fiber networks.

The initiative, called Project Link, aims to wire cities in developing countries with high-speed fiber networks, Google announced in a blog post on Wednesday.

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In the winter, it gets dark so early that it's easy to start fading long before the work day is done.

Just 15 minutes of sleep, and you're sure to go from a Walking Dead extra to star employee, but nap time isn't easy to come by. Still, there are a few steps you can take to get that much closer to sleep between meetings.

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What do Walt Disney Studios, Apple and Harley-Davidson all have in common?

They were all born in a garage.

The “garage inventor” has achieved iconic status on the American business landscape.

The image of a lone inventor toiling away late at night in his garage in the hope of discovering the next game-changing invention has become symbolic of American innovation and entrepreneurship. From Mattel toys and Yankee Candle to countless high-tech startups, the garage has been the laboratory and incubator for some of the world’s most recognizable brands and innovative ideas – so much so, that the Palo Alto, Calif., garage where Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard first began tinkering in 1938 has been officially designated as the “Birthplace of Silicon Valley.”

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Innovation and entrepreneurship have been the hallmarks of the life sciences industry since its inception. Some of today’s most successful global companies began as a small team of scientists with little more behind them than a strong belief in the science they were pursuing.

While success in the life sciences industry has never been easy, emerging life sciences firms today face an even more challenging environment than their predecessors. Not only do they need to get their product approved, they must find a path to be adequately rewarded in an era of strained governmental budgets and increasingly demanding payors who seek evidence of improved patient outcomes.

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It may seem like a superpower to be able to wake up without an alarm, but it's more attainable than you think. It's really just regular ol' biology--the result of your hormones getting you ready for the day.

It's a habit that you can train yourself in, making you more alert in the morning time, and, daresay it, more productive.

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China has recently made major decisions about its economic future. On November 15, 2013, China announced dramatic new social and economic policies contemplating much greater reliance on market forces than it has in the past and inviting private-sector participation and foreign competition in industries long previously controlled by the central government.  It also relaxed its one-child policy, opening the country and its people to vast new opportunities and inspiring new hopes and dreams.

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If you’re graduating from business school this spring, you might want to be sitting down for this: the job market for recent MBA graduates looks poised to get a lot worse in 2014. That’s based on an annual survey conducted by Michigan State University, released yesterday. Though not random, it samples nearly 6,100 employers who recruit across 300 U.S. colleges and universities, asking about their anticipated hiring in the coming year, as compared to their actual hiring this year. The news is positive for those about to graduate from college, but potentially distressing for soon-to-be MBAs.

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Success* is often built on a reflexive habit of saying “yes” to opportunities that come our way. We’re hungry for any chance to prove ourselves, and when we’re presented with one, we take it, even—or especially—if it seems daunting. (A lesson I learned years ago was to say yes to opportunities that made me feel nervous because the anxiety was a sign that I’d learn something useful.) We may also tend to say “yes” out of a fear that turning down an opportunity even once sends a message that we’re not interested, and we’ll stop getting additional chances in the future.

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Europe used to dominate mobile in every area: speedy networks, slick handsets and cutting-edge applications. No more. As a graduate student in the United Kingdom in 2006, I marveled at how advanced Europe was. My friends had all dumped their landlines and were fully mobile, flaunting their sleek Nokia candy bar phones while I languished in a tethered existence to my home phone.

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Angel investors invest approximately $20 billion into 60,000 companies a year, but a recent survey shows that 46% regretted making an investment in 2013. 

The data was collected by Worthworm, a company that uses analytics to “take the guess work” out of  pre-money startup valuations. Its tools are designed for entrepreneurs and angel investors to smooth the pitching and negotiation process.

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“Innovation is following your instincts.”

“Innovation is pushing beyond known limits and making it work.”

“Innovation is bringing happiness.”

These quotable mantras from the live Twitter feed for the 2013 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions’ closing session “Innovating into the Future” beg the questions: If innovation is so critical, how can we foster entrepreneurship at an early age? Can we really teach people to yield positive social returns by challenging norms, pursuing passions, and taking risks? Or is innovative entrepreneurship something innate that cannot be taught?

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San Francisco is the best city in the United States to be a biker, according to new data, with 5.6 bike-able miles per square mile, including on-street bike lanes, multi-use bike paths and signed bike routes.

Residents of Austin, Texas, Long Beach, Calif., and Philadelphia rank right below San Francisco.

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One year ago, I had no idea what I wanted to do.

Yet in September of 2013, I got help from various millionaires and successful entrepreneurs, landed my dream job, and dropped out of college.

The job allows me the lifestyle I’ve always been after. It’s the one where I’ll never have to work in a cubicle. The one where I can work whenever and wherever I want doing what I love.

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Hi there, this is Cristian, the founder of Nexi.me. I’m a tech entrepreneur, full stack developer, founded two startups and worked for several Romanian companies. Nexi.me is an online platform for small and medium businesses that helps them recruit top talents through referrals from their own employees.

Image: http://under30ceo.com 

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