A 2016 decision to link the research labs at the University of Maryland College Park with those at the University of Maryland at Baltimore is paying dividends in the competition for federal COVID-19 research dollars, a top education official told a science advisory panel on Wednesday. 

The decision was a spinoff of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership Act, said Laurie Ellen Locasio, vice president for research at the two institutions. 

WAYNE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hartford Funds today released new data revealing that investors plan to make investment changes based on the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election. The findings also suggest a generational disparity on both investment decisions and the financial professional/client relationship, as younger investors (ages 18-44) and older investors (ages 45 and up) hold mixed views on which outcome will be better for their portfolios and the importance of political alignment with their financial professionals.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, executives and directors say their organizations are making extensive changes with one overriding goal: to increase the speed at which they adjust strategic direction, make and implement tactical decisions, and deploy resources. What’s more, survey findings indicate that making a special effort to gain speed pays off. Fast organizations outperform others by a wide margin on a range of outcomes, including profitability, operational resilience, organizational health, and growth.

Throughout the world, the decision to reopen university campuses has been a source of fierce controversy. The University of Notre Dame, University of North Carolina and Michigan State University have already been forced to suspend in-person classes following a surge in Covid cases on campus. At the same time, opposing arguments, such as that of Brown University President Christina Paxson, emphasise a host of issues that students and universities will face if campuses remain closed, highlighting the difficulties remote learning presents for less privileged students.

TED Talks began in 1984 as a conference originating in Silicon Valley where powerful voices in Technology, Entertainment, and Design came together to spread potent ideas with broad relevance. Today there are thousands of talks of 18 minutes or less, in more than 100 languages, covering topics ranging from science to global issues. Despite this diversity, all TED talks share a devotion to Ideas Worth Spreading.

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Redundancy has always been a catalyst for new business startups. Understandably, it can be a devastating personal experience, but it can also be liberating, providing people with the push they need to overcome the fear factor that held them back from pursuing their business ideas while they had the security of full-time employment.

Universities must become more innovative and open in order to remain relevant in an ever-changing world. That’s why three Dutch entrepreneurs have launched an education-oriented start-up to help universities adapt. This aims to set up entrepreneurship programs and university start-up incubators.

Image: https://innovationorigins.com

ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) are kicking off the 29th annual Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision competition, which is now officially open for entries. The ExploraVision program, sponsored by Toshiba and administered by NSTA, challenges students to use problem solving, critical thinking and teamwork to imagine solutions to real-life issues. Participants will have a chance to win a number of prizes, including $10,000 U.S. Series EE Savings Bonds (at maturity). Registration is now open until Feb. 8, 2021 at ExploraVision.org.

Typically, institutional investors favor managers who’ve spun out of an established firm over those who’ve broken into venture from outside. Spin-outs are seen as a lower-risk, safer bet.

On the surface, that looks like a tried-and-true tack garnering much attention, appeal and capital. However, there’s an alternative path that deserves a spotlight: Spin-ins by emerging managers who have broken into VC by raising their own funds. The experiences of emerging managers, and even their personality traits, position them to be ready to scale within an established firm.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Despite challenging economic conditions brought on by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a slim majority of Americans (54%) say they are currently saving at least a little money. Yet in these uncertain times, they largely plan to keep saving rather than spending in the near term.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Indeed, during the global coronavirus crisis, the world needed to move work, education and play to the digital realm very quickly. One example of an accelerated adjustment is how Slack, the online collaboration hub, has managed to innovate to help companies around the world pivot to remote working (as well as hiring, onboarding and training) within days. Innovation in such times is crucial, but may also increase inequalities among countries, sectors and groups of population.

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Around the world, students are returning to school as countries experiment with new educational models and social distancing protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

While preliminary research suggests children are less vulnerable to COVID-19 than adults, there remain concerns that schools will become breeding grounds for infection.

Image: Teacher Judith Ziegler wears a mask while she is tutoring a pupil at a primary school on August 31, 2020 in Baden-Wuerttemberg, Hemmingenin in Germany. Alle Rechte vorbehalten—Germany

It’s called Operation Warp Speed. And — regardless of one’s politics, one’s level of concern about Covid-19, or one’s views of therapeutics and vaccines — it inarguably ranks as one of the most ambitious scientific endeavors in modern U.S. history.

Is it working?

Roughly five months after top U.S. health officials coalesced around the idea of a public-private effort to accelerate the development, manufacturing, and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, an answer to that question remains out of reach. But with billions of federal dollars already spent on the effort, it’s possible to take stock of the initiative’s progress, or lack thereof.

Image: ALEX HOGAN/STAT

Start-ups struggled for funding in the second quarter of the year as venture capital firms prioritised companies already in their portfolios.

The Irish Venture Capital Association VenturePulse survey published in association with William Fry reports a near 60 per cent slide in first time funding during the second quarter as a handful of start-ups raised their first equity rounds.

Image: IVCA chairwoman Gillian Buckley said the fall in first-time funding rounds was a major concern but was understandable.

Labor Day’s broad roots in the Labor movement are clear: President Grover Cleveland signed legislation on June 28, 1894, designating Labor Day a national holiday in the U.S. as a peace offering following a deadly railroad workers’ strike.

But exactly who should count as the “founder” of Labor Day, which is celebrated on the first Monday in September, has been the subject of debate since the 1890s.

During the first week of classes, officials at James Madison University watched warily as the numbers of Covid-19 cases on campus ticked up and the number of beds set aside to isolate infected or exposed students dwindled.

Knowing that each infected student could potentially spread the virus that causes Covid-19 to dozens more, the university decided on September 1, after consulting with the Virginia Department of Health, that the safest bet would be to send students home for at least four weeks. That would give JMU time to work with local health officials to build up its capacity to contain the spread.

If you've ever watched the hit television series That '70s Show, then you know Michael Kelso as the goofy, handsome, and at times brainless high schooler who always seems to have a swarm of girls around him. As for the actor that plays him, there is much more than meets the eye. Aside from becoming one of the most successful actors on TV, Ashton Kutcher has also worked as a producer, started an international human rights organization, and even coached high school football for a time in Los Angeles.

With Artificial Intelligence (AI) continually progressing and developing, it’s unsurprising that many companies are aiming to lead in the AI technology market – especially given that the global AI market is on track to be worth over $118 billion by 2022. But which companies are currently leading the way for innovation when it comes to AI?

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“What we call the beginning is often the end,” T.S. Eliot once said, “The end is where we start from.”

Around 6.30 a.m. on February 2, 2006, fire trucks from across Napa Valley bolted to the Oakville, California, site of the oldest and most celebrated wineries in the country. The fire engulfed Bonny’s Chai, the 7000-sq.ft. dairy barn that served as Silver Oak’s original winemaking facility in 1972, the year Justin Meyer and Ray Duncan began their entrepreneurial journey with Silver Oaks Cellars.

Image: Silver Oak Alexander Valley Winery - https://www.industryleadersmagazine.com

Derin Oyekan is co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Reel, an eco-friendly paper brand, offering bamboo toilet paper with a portion of the business supporting SOIL, a sanitation R&D non-profit in Haiti. Reel, co-founded with Livio Bisterzo, officially launched in the US in March 2019 and has sold over a million rolls of toilet paper, growing almost 1,000% year over year since launch.

Image: Derin Oyekan, Co-Founder of Reel DERIN OYEKAN