It’s a bumper week for government pushback on the misuse of artificial intelligence. 

Today the EU released its long-awaited set of AI regulations, an early draft of which leaked last week. The regulations are wide ranging, with restrictions on mass surveillance and the use of AI to manipulate people.

Drew, the brand manager at a large consumer packaged goods company, had been working for weeks on a summer promotion for new scents of one of the company’s leading soap brands. He spun up a website to announce the program, but then, to comply with corporate requirements, he needed to register the site with the company’s central IT department.

Image: Photograph by Sanja Radin

A group of top lawmakers of both parties in both chambers of Congress on Wednesday reintroduced legislation that aims to spend $110 billion on vital technologies to sustain American leadership and spur competitiveness against China.

The draft bill, known as the Endless Frontier Act, championed by Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., is matched by a companion bill in the House by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.

They say it’s lonely at the top. But in the workplace, even team members are feeling lonely.

Firms should see loneliness as an organisational issue, not a personal one. Aside from being associated with an array of health problems, loneliness reduces work performance and creativity. It also turns employees into poor decision makers. Firms with lonely employees can ill afford to ignore the problem. Especially when the problem is due in large part to the way teams are designed. 

COVID-19 may have wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy last year, but it did not derail biotech employment. If anything, the pandemic is expected to stoke increasing numbers of jobs during this decade.

In assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the life sciences late last year, the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE Group cited U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures in its U.S. Life Sciences Report 2020 to show that the nation’s life sciences workforce dipped in June 2020 to 1.8 million jobs, just 1.3% below its March 2020 peak, and still 1% higher than a year earlier.

Ceres Nanosciences, a Northern Virginia bioscience company spun out of George Mason University that specializes in diagnostic products and workflows, has opened a 12,000-square-foot advanced particle manufacturing plant in Prince William County’s Innovation Park. The new facility increases the manufacturing capacity of Ceres’ Nanotrap® Magnetic Virus Particles, which improve diagnostic testing for viruses like SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus.

Image: https://www2.gmu.edu

America’s 328 million people are spread across a huge amount of territory, but the population density of various regions is far from equal.

It’s no secret that cities like New York have a vastly different population density than, say, a rural county in North Dakota. Even so, this interactive map by Ben Blatt of Slate helps visualize the stark contrast between urban and rural densities in a way that might intrigue you.

Image: https://www.visualcapitalist.com

April 20, 2021 — The University of Calgary welcomes the Government of Canada’s investments in post-secondary education, research and innovation announced in Budget 2021. These announcements include: enhanced student education grants, pledged to create thousands of new work opportunities for youth and dedicated $360 million in new funding for a National Quantum Strategy to amplify Canada’s strength in quantum research and solidify Canada’s global leadership.

The Quantum Startup Foundry (QSF) at the University of Maryland brings together the resources needed—physical and virtual—to support entrepreneurs and startups in accelerating quantum technologies’ time to market. QSF will bring entrepreneurs together with industry and government customers, investors, technical mentors, leading-edge research and IP, and quantum-specific infrastructure (equipment, tools, facilities). Located in the Washington, DC metro area, QSF offers the perfect landing and launch spot for quantum companies.

Carole entered our coaching meeting looking especially frustrated. As an IT leader at her company, she was under constant time pressure, and her week had gotten off to a stressful start. “I move mountains to wrap up work early on Tuesdays to get to my teen daughter’s soccer practice, only to feel like she doesn’t even care I’m there! I don’t know what to do. Sometimes, if I don’t go, I feel guilty. When I do make the time, I feel underappreciated. It’s a no-win situation.” This mounting frustration, she shared, had left her distracted and less engaged over the following two days, both at home and at work.

When COVID-19 hit, there was a lot of concern about the possible impact of scrapping face-to-face business meetings, particularly among investors in startups, such as angel investors and venture capitalists. In both cases, personal interactions can tell investors a lot about the founders and executives who are asking for their money.

Tucson, AZ; Rockville, MD; College Park, MD, April 21, 2021 – The Association of University Research Parks (AURP) and BioHealth Innovation (BHI) today announce publication of Creating Communities of Life Science Innovation in the U.S.: History of Critical Factors That Helped the BioHealth Capital Region Emerge in the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, (Vol 26, No. 1, March 2021).

In this new article, AURP CEO Brian Darmody outlines the history of critical policy factors leading to the growth of the bio-economy in the U.S. BHI CEO and President Richard Bendis discusses specific leadership and other factors in the Capital Region of Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Policies and trends such as the Land Grant Act, Bayh-Dole Act, NIH's founding, growth of the venture financing industry, and the emergence of research parks and innovation districts and related factors also are discussed. National bio cluster rankings from JLL, CBRE, and GEN are included as well as overviews of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and DC/MD/VA life science regions from GEN.

With its unique system of intramural and extramural research programs, funding for academic and corporate product development, along with its supporting foundations, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a vibrant public “innovation ecosystem” that has changed not only the face of healthcare, but has also led to the creation of the biotech industry in the U.S. Whether your interest in the overall healthcare environment is scientific, medical, educational or commercial, there is something here for you.

Image: Dr Joseph J.Kinyoun, NIH Founder - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The purpose of this event is to bring Technology Transfer leaders, policy makers, thought leaders, and innovators in the Technology Transfer field together to discuss and exchange ideas on how to best qualify and quantify the impact of Technology Transfer on the stakeholders it serves.

It makes sense that President Joe Biden selected our region for the announcement of his infrastructure plan. Pittsburgh can play a central role in bringing his vision to life because it sits at the nexus of manufacturing, infrastructure, tech, robotics, energy innovation and more.

American tailpipes have played an outsized role in global warming. In 2019, transportation accounted for 29% of the country’s human-generated emissions, the most of any sector tracked by the Environmental Protection Agency—and the U.S. is the world’s second-largest carbon emitter. The Biden Administration wants to clean up transportation’s dirty reputation, and make America the global leader in electric vehicle production in the process.

New entrepreneurs often seem to confuse viability with fundability. Certainly a non-viable business should be not fundable, but many viable businesses are also not fundable. Thus when an investor declines your funding request, you need to curb your anger and understand the real reason for this outcome.

Image: https://blog.startupprofessionals.com

Astunning first quarter in venture capital funding was not restricted to the United States; Europe also had one hell of a start to the year.

According to data from Dealroom and Crunchbase News, an investor, and an analyst from PitchBook, European startups put together an impressive fundraising haul. The venture capital world kicked off its 2021 European investing cycle with enough activity to set the continent on the path that would crush yearly records.

Image: Nigel Sussman

It’s common knowledge that most startups fail before they find a strategic acquirer or IPO. Therefore, venture capital is an inherently high-risk industry. However, especially if you’re invested in a smart firm, it can potentially be the highest-returning asset class in your portfolio. 

With the majority of older adults now vaccinated against COVID-19, health experts are turning their attention to younger generations. All adults age 18 and older are now eligible for Moderna's vaccine, and individuals 16 and older can get in line for Pfizer-BioNTech's shot. (Johnson & Johnson's single-dose vaccine, authorized for use in people 18 and over, is paused for now while U.S. health officials look into a rare blood clotting issue.)