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.
It goes without saying, but starting a company is hard. Really hard. Probably the most difficult thing any of us will ever do. The decision making process in a startup is fast paced, and you’re never quite sure that what you’re doing is the right thing, or even in the ballpark. Enter the Startup Accelerator.
According to Venture Pulse Q4’15--brought to you by CB Insights and KPMG--despite 2015 rendering an overall record-breaking amount in venture capital deal values, the year didn’t finish particularly strong. In the last quarter, generally speaking, there were significant dips in VC investments and a number of speculated causes could be to blame.
But one sector in particular - edtech - didn’t experience a lull like the other sectors. On the contrary, this area demonstrated increased investments and VC activity, an upward trend that KPMG and CB Insights anticipate to continue throughout 2016.
Image: http://bostinno.streetwise.co
As yet, there is no firm timetable for the new European Innovation Council (EIC), but Christian Ehler thinks it could be in a pilot by 2017, using money from the Horizon 2020 research budget.
“I think it doesn’t make any sense to have an endless theoretical discussion about it,” the German centre-right member of the European Parliament (MEP) told Science|Business. “We should look for money for it in the midterm review of Horizon 2020.”
Image: http://www.sciencebusiness.net
Teaching some of the most underserved students in New Orleans, Hilah Barbot, the Director for Blended Learning for the KIPP New Orleans Schools, noticed that her students’ low writing proficiency was one of the greatest barriers to college entry. Inspired by education technology tools available on the market, Hilah and her co-worker Adam Kohler had an idea about how to enhance their writing capabilities using adaptive, personalized learning.
Maybe we do need to make America great again — at least when it comes to policies that support global innovation. The U.S. ranks only No. 10 in the world in how its economic and trade policies support worldwide innovation, according to an analysis by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Finland is No. 1, and the rest of the top 10 consists of other European countries and Singapore.
Most people have high regard for Warren Buffett, Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. For decades he and Vice-Chairman Charlie Munger have been making quite a bit of money for those lucky enough to own a few shares of their enterprise. They’ve been so successful that the annual meeting these low key, self-effacing billionaires hold each year draws tens of thousands of people to Omaha Nebraska, all hanging on the Chairman’s every word.
Washington, D.C. (January 4, 2016) – To better reflect the remarkable progress and groundbreaking innovations its members achieve in healing, fueling and feeding the world, BIO – the world's largest biotechnology trade association – is changing its name to Biotechnology Innovation Organization. The organization will continue to use the shortened, “BIO” name.
In the more than 22 years since its founding, BIO – formerly Biotechnology Industry Organization – has united scientists, entrepreneurs, policymakers and the public to advance breakthrough cures and products in fields ranging from health, food and agricultural to industrial and environmental.
Entrepreneurial ecosystems come in myriad forms. To better understand what contributes to vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems, Kauffman researchers examined 355 U.S. metropolitan areas and found that some factors have a positive relationship to a strong ecosystem, while other factors remain unproven. Though some variables certainly help enhance startup growth, most so-called necessary ingredients often are not statistically significant. Nor do all cities have identical resources and assets.
Ohio has a message for women- and minority-led startups: Move to the Buckeye State and ou have a real shot at getting funding. Leading the charge is Cleveland-based JumpStart, a nonprofit that invests in young tech firms.
"Part of our focus is to accelerate opportunity for women and minority entrepreneurs in Ohio," said JumpStart CEO Ray Leach. It now wants to expand that mission nationally.
Image: http://money.cnn.com
You won’t find many Canadians cheering the global slowdown in commodities. But amid the economic discomfort, important questions are being asked: How are we positioning other key national economic drivers, beyond the resource sector, to ensure our continued prosperity?
The Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs has a mission to enhance the innovation environment at Ohio University and throughout the region, according to Dean Dr. Mark Weinberg.
As founding-dean, Dr. Weinberg provides strategic oversight of the economic development including business technical assistance programs and “equity funding for high-growth businesses in the Appalachian Region.”
The price of living can fluctuate a lot from state to state, and even throughout different parts of the same state.
Personal-finance site Finder.com has published a list of the cost of "living comfortably" in different parts of the US.
The best job in America comes with a handsome six figure salary — and has plenty of job openings.
The job: Data scientist.
It came out on top of job search site Glassdoor's its annual list of the Best Jobs in America, which was released late on Tuesday night. The survey ranked the careers by a job score between 1 and 5 (with 5 being the best) based on earning potential, career opportunities, and the number of job openings in that field.
Airplane windows are good for more than just snapping photos from 30,000 feet.
As this video from Real Engineering explains, round airplane windows are actually a major safety innovation that keeps planes from disintegrating mid-flight.
SEE ALSO: Inventor pitches detachable airplane cabin to save lives during crashes
The history of the round airplane window descended from — as most great aviation innovations do — fuel efficiency. As commercial travel became more popular, airplanes started flying at higher altitudes to avoid turbulence and drag.
Image: http://mashable.com
University College London (UCL) has launched the UCL Technology Fund to invest £50 million in commercialising its world-leading research.
The Fund will be used to support academics whose research has commercial potential, with funding for early stage proof of concept, licensing projects and new spinout companies.
In his final State of the Union address, President Obama announced a "moonshot" program to cure cancer. Obama named Vice President Joe Biden, whose son Beau died from brain cancer last year, to lead the government effort, which could even have bipartisan appeal. In 2015, House Republicans and Democrats overwhelmingly passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which raises funding and lowers barriers for audacious medical research. (The Senate is considering its own version.) The bill's sponsor (and Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee), Fred Upton, tweeted his support for the Obama-Biden effort.
Some people think that being an entrepreneur is easy because you get to be your own boss and make your own schedule.
Sometimes it is, especially when you have a passion for your work and business.
But most of the time, being an entrepreneur and business owner is easier said than done.
Perhaps one reason why 67% of the American people feel the country is on the wrong track is that when the institutions that we depend on are under siege, those charged with defending them are often missing in action. An example is the commercialization of federally-funded inventions under the Bayh-Dole Act. A Congressional effort to misuse it to control drug prices and a proposed open licensing regulation could quickly unravel the law.
New research finds two-thirds of millennials plan to leave their current organization by 2020. One-quarter see themselves elsewhere within the next year.
While you could argue that young workers have always been inclined to job hop (and millennials are less inclined to do so), their reasons for restlessness may have changed.
Image: Flickr/Erin Kelly
When venture capitalists invest, they tend to do it in California. Of the $140 billion disbursed by VCs in the U.S. during the past three years, $78.4 billion went to the Golden State, with the vast majority of that going to Silicon Valley (including San Francisco). To be precise, 47 percent of all U.S. VC investment from 2013 through 2015 went to the Bay area.
Image: http://www.bloombergview.com
