Breaking down the technical and legal barriers are essential if technology transfer from academia to industry is to be done efficiently and effectively, according to researchers in Spain. Antonio Hidalgo, Professor of Technology Strategy at the Technical University of Madrid and José Albors, Professor of Business Administration at the Technical University of Valencia explain that publicity and prestige are not enough to allow the smooth transfer of knowledge from universities to the commercial sector.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Republican legislators want to boost job growth by giving tax breaks to millionaires who invest in fledgling South Carolina companies.

Supporters said Thursday the proposal is meant to encourage rich investors to put their money in startup businesses that will create high-paying jobs in a state struggling with high unemployment.

SPRINGFIELD — As Wisconsin and New Jersey governors work to lure Illinois businesses away, new legislation backed by the state treasurer would work to attract new startup technology companies and retain existing firms.

Senate Bill 107 would authorize the state treasurer to invest up to 2 percent of the state's portfolio into venture capital funds, which then would invest money into Illinois-based technology companies.

Similar legislation has been introduced in the past and failed to gain enough support from lawmakers. But now, the state’s treasurer is pushing to get the new plan approved.

In this four-part series, Tom Chapman, director of innovation and entrepreneurship for the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, broke down four bills that are a part of Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman's "Talent and Innovation Initiative."

Here's a run down of the bills and links to the posts:

• LB 386: Nebraska Internship Bill – Special Series Post

• LB 387: Business Innovation Act – Special Series Post

• LB 388: Site and Building Development Act – Special Series Post

• LB 389: Angel Investment Tax Credit Act – Special Series Post

Surprise: we’re writing about an incubator. (OK, it might not come as a surprise. There’s been no shortage of news surrounding programs designed to create and accelerate tech startups across the nation, as my colleague Greg recently noted.)

The Education Ventures Program, which will kick off later this month, is a bit different, though. It’s not necessarily looking for the next billion-dollar Web or software startup, but is entirely focused on developing businesses and technologies out to improve education.

Steve Burrill, the biotech prognosticator/meeting impresario/speaker/writer/banker/investor, likes to say he’s “geographically agnostic.” To me, that sounds like one way of saying he hunts for the best biotech investing opportunities in the world. It also essentially means he could care less about the chamber-style boosterism and sentimentality that sometimes clouds the judgment of well-intended folks who just want to support local business and stir local economic growth.

As Burrill told me this week, talking on his mobile phone during a taxi ride in London: “Our paycheck comes from building great companies.” He added: “You can build a powerful company anywhere.”

For a decade now U.S. city planners have obsessively pursued college graduates, adopting policies to make their cities more like dense hot spots such as New York, to which the "brains" allegedly flock.

But in the past 10 years "hip and cool" places like New York have suffered high levels of domestic outmigration. Some boosters rationalize this by saying the U.S. is undergoing a "bipolar migration"--an argument recently laid out by Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. On the one hand the smart "brains" head for cool, coastal cities like New York and Boston, while "families" and "feet"--a term that seems to apply to the less cognitively gifted--trudge to the the nation's southern tier--a.k.a. the Sun Belt--for cheap prices and warm weather. "College graduates with bachelor's degrees or higher," Thompson notes, "have been moving to the coasts, like salmon swimming against the southwesterly current."

Last week, I had the amazing opportunity to consult with dozens of entrepreneurs — at 35,000 feet in a jet over the Atlantic. Now, I've done a lot of consulting, including at New York's Grand Central Station, but this was the first time I've ever been in a 747 filled entirely with entrepreneurs.

These were winners of British Airways' "Face of Opportunity" contest, and I'm a member of the advisory board

New research from Warwick Medical School published today in the European Heart Journal shows that prolonged sleep deprivation and disrupted sleep patterns can have long-term, serious health implications. Leading academics from the University have linked lack of sleep to strokes, heart attacks and cardiovascular disorders which often result in early death.

Professor Francesco Cappuccio from the University of Warwick Medical School, explained: “If you sleep less than six hours per night and have disturbed sleep you stand a 48 per cent greater chance of developing or dying from heart disease and a 15 per cent greater chance of developing or dying of a stroke.

The top ten electronic paper devices that consumers can expect both near term and in the next ten to 20 years, according to an article in the February issue of the Journal of the Society for Information Display, are:

Coming later this year:

* Color e-readers will be out in the consumer market by mid year in 2011. However, cautions Heikenfeld, the color will be muted as compared to what consumers are accustomed to, say, on an iPad. Researchers will continue to work toward next-generation (brighter) color in e-Readers as well as high-speed functionality that will eventually allow for point-and-click web browsing and video on devices like the Kindle.

A new model for developing cures is winning battles in the war against disease in laboratories, clinics and research centers around the world. The hallmarks of this movement are collaboration and the sharing of intellectual property in a wide-open manner that cuts against the grain of traditional for-profit drug discovery.

The new initiatives take many forms. Some target conditions ranging from Alzheimer's to tuberculosis through alliances of foundations, nonprofits, universities, corporations and government agencies. Others make years of research available at the click of a mouse button to scientists around the world. Still others are carving out new financial and regulatory paths for bringing drugs to market at an accelerated pace.

Imagine us, deciding to start a software company, without any experience, resources, or a golden idea. I told this story at LeanCoffeeTO a few weeks back, and since it was well-received, I'd like to share it with you here.

For the sake of this article, let's say the objective of a startup is to build a piece of software that can make a lot of money, or attract a lot of users. And let's also assume that building a piece of software that can accomplish these goals needs significant time and energy to slip into profitability. Finding a way to sustain the company until that time arrives is just a reality of doing business, and that sustenance comes in many forms. I believe this is the defining question for any startup, and the answer you choose will influence the startup you build.

Phil Brennan is a renaissance man. An Irishman who now calls Akron, Ohio home, he’s been an actor, a brand manager and a Fortune 50 business leader, having launched more than 200 new products into the marketplace over the course of his career.

Since 2006, he has added “cleantech entrepreneur” to his resume. As the CEO of Echogen Power Systems, Phil is leading a 20-person team in the final stages of commercializing a thermal heat engine. When placed into a factory smokestack, the engine harvests the heat escaping out of the smokestack, converting it into electricity used to power the factory and, depending on the size of the heat engine, homes in the neighboring area.

You are hereby invited to join my journey as I endeavor to use crowdfunding as a 21st century alternative to angel investment fundraising.

Crowdfunding, as the name implies, allows virtually everyone to invest in early stage companies -- not just rich people. Allowing small investors to participate in what has otherwise been limited to a very small group of high net worth investors is creating a tremendous source of new capital for entrepreneurs. Imagine if the general public had been able to invest in Google from the very

Today’s entrepreneur is emboldened by choice — the choice to select from an ever-growing list of startup accelerators, or incubators as they’re often called, that provide guidance from industry veterans and a pittance of cash to cover operating costs.

Variances in reputation, funding-to-equity ratios and post-graduation funding opportunities separate these accelerators. Not all are created equal, and few measure up

Former Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker, now at Kleiner Perkins, is famous for her amazing slideshow presentations about the future of the Internet, the rise of mobile computing, and new business models.

Here's her latest presentation, which, according to TechCrunch, she'll be delivering today with Matt Murphy at a Google event.

It’s great to dream big, but your startup needs a laser focus in the beginning to get market and investor attention. Google did it with search engines, Apple did it with a personal computer, and even Wal-Mart did it through low prices. A business plan I saw a while back to combine all the good features of several popular social networks on one site does not do it.

Trying to do everything at once probably means that none of the items will be done well. Plus it’s almost impossible to craft a message that will make your offering stand out in the minds of customers. I can’t think of a company that launched to superstardom with a broad focus. Can you?

A comprehensive look at the scientific, commercial and economic development accomplishments in New York City's growing bioscience industry during the past year

What's inside

• Funding successes and advancements made by bioscience companies in NYC
• Science highlights from NYC's top academic medical centers
• Chronicle of the City's commitment to the biotech sector

Few historical figures are as divisive and polarizing as Niccolo Machiavelli. The fact that this Renaissance philosophers works date back 500 years hasn’t blunted its impact or controversy one bit.

Some view him as the father of modern materialism, inspiring people to do or say anything to achieve personal gain, i.e. the ends justify the means. Indeed, the word Machiavellian - derived from his most famous work, The Prince - has come to mean cunning, deceit, and manipulation.

Others, however, see him as the world’s first great realist and a positive influence on modern politics and capitalism. Some even think Machiavelli was the first to apply empirical scientific methods to human behavior by making innovative generalizations based on experience, observation, and history.