Microsoft will be assisting in Indonesia’s Economic Masterplan through the “Masterplan Percepatan dan Perluasan Pembangunan Ekonomi Indonesia” (or MP3EI).

Under this program, the company will provide human resource development and innovative thinking by promoting entrepreneurship activities within the country. Hatta Rajasa from the Ministery of Economic Affairs said, “They really want to cooperate, especially on higher education, because it is the key to our success in developing innovation.”

June 23-30, 2011

Russian-American Innovation Technology Week (RANIT) brings together entrepreneurs, scientists, venture  capitalists, and established corporations within the American and Russian technology industries. RANIT, organized  by the Mid-Atlantic - Russia Business Council (MARBC), supported by the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, State of New Jersey, Philadelphia U.S. Export Assistance Center of the U.S. Commercial Service, World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, World Trade Center Delaware, Pennsylvania Bio, Bio New Jersey, Delaware Bio, University City Science Center, Select Greater Philadelphia, Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, National Association of Seed and Venture Funds, Innovation America, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, Association of the Russian Pharmaceutical Manufactures, The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, Moscow Entrepreneurs Association, is the most significant semi- annual event devoted to Russian-American technology and  business cooperation. Based on past success, RANIT is now held twice a year, and includes an increasing number of regional technology events, seminars, panel discussions, roundtable meetings, trade shows, conferences, and networking events. The 14th  RANIT will highlight biotechnology, nanotechnology, and the pharmaceutical  industry, and will conclude with participation  in  the  world’s  largest  biotechnology exhibition,  the  2011BIO  International  Convention  in Washington,  D.C.   The Russian delegation will consist of representatives from the foremost Russian companies in biotechnology and related industries, as well as of senior representatives from Russian federal and local governments.

From 1995 to 2005, 52 percent of Silicon Valley’s technology and engineering companies were founded by i

mmigrants. The majority came to the United States as students. They ended up staying after graduation and on average founded companies 13 years after their arrival. They also filed 25 percent of America’s global patents, significantly boosting U.S. competitiveness. Their contributions to the new American economy are vast, and their importance is clear.

But because of the burgeoning economies of countries like India and China and flawed U.S. immigration policies, the proportion of immigrant-founded companies is likely to be significantly lower over the next decade. This doesn’t mean there will be greater opportunities for native-born Americans: It means that there will be fewer startups; that entrepreneurship will be booming instead in countries like India and China; that Silicon Valley will face unprecedented competition from American-educated and -trained talent that, rather than staying in the land of opportunity as so many have done for so long, returned home.

CTOs are hot commodities; 26-year-old Mike Lewis has a resume most startups would devour.

He's started two companies and even developed military software systems.

Lewis is happily settled as cofounder/CTO of Spoton, a mobile app that recommends places to go with friends. Still, he's frequently prospected.

We asked Lewis what drew him to SpotOn and what attracts CTOs to startups during the recruitment process.

1. "To stimulate creativity one must develop childlike inclination for play and the childlike desire for recognition." - Albert Einstein

2. "If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play." - John Cleese

3. "If you lose the power to laugh, you lose the power to think." - Clarence Darrow

4. "The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect, but by the play instinct arising from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the object it loves." - Carl Jung

5. "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny!'" - Isaac Asimov

The school district in Van Meter, Iowa has ditched their workbooks and replaced them with MacBooks in a four-year digital learning experiment.

John Carver, Superintendent of the Van Meter school district in Iowa, has taken a bold move into the realm of digital learning. In the 2009-2010 school year, the district handed out laptops to all its seventh to twelfth grade students. The school district signed a four-year lease agreement with Apple to provide the students with MacBook laptops. The program costs about US$149,000 per year and is funded by the district's Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and School Infrastructure Local Option (SILO) tax. It hopes to have the funds to extend this program to K-12 students by the 2012-2013 school year.

Novice entrepreneurs typically believe they must secure intellectual property rights in order to commercialise an invention and raise equity investment in order to launch a company. University technology transfer units generally work according to these same principles.

There are, however, plenty of examples of entrepreneurs who do neither of these things, as well as examples of those who have attempted to follow these principles unnecessarily. So when are intellectual property rights and equity essential, and when not?

Who needs banks? Crowdfunding websites can help you find a community of small investors to fund your business, without the risks of traditional financing.

Here is a list of crowdfunding sites. Some sites focus on funding creative projects, others sites focus on meeting specific needs in the marketplace or community. So don't let access to capital hold you back — let the crowd fund you. 13 Crowdfunding Websites

33needs. 33needs enables everyone to invest, make a social impact, and earn financial rewards. Promoting business-led solutions to our world’s biggest needs, it provides crowdfunding for social entrepreneurs, social enterprises and companies with a social mission. Ventures are organized under these categories: the planet, education, community, health, opportunity, and sustainable food. Investment dollars are exchanged for rewards offered by crowdfunded companies, as well as points to redeem for special offers.

OLATHE — The Kansas Bioscience Authority will consider up to $29.7 million in new investments in the upcoming fiscal year, according to a plan approved by its executive committee on Wednesday.

The plan includes about $20 million for commercialization projects and $9.7 million for research and development.

David Vranicar, the authority’s interim president and CEO, said that the total available amount for investments fell slightly from last year’s total, when about $36 million was spent on investments.

That’s partially because of caps on state funding for the authority and partially because of the authority’s judgments on the appropriate amount of funding

The most important challenge for entrepreneurs isn't starting a company, but growing it from three employees to 30 ... to 300, to 3,000. Small businesses, which account for 99.7 percent of firms and 64 percent of job creation, aren't hiring quickly enough to significantly lower the unemployment rate.

Let's start by thinking about the smallest firms. The companies of one. Self-employment is the new employment these days. Accounting for one-third of the workforce, the self-employed population is 40 million and growing. By the end of this decade, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that 40 percent of the U.S. labor force will be self employed.

Roger Lee, a managing director at Battery Ventures, speaks with Bloomberg's Douglas MacMillan about how initial public offerings are fueling venture capital investments in Silicon Valley. Venture capitalists raised $12.5 billion last year, the lowest since 2003. This year, they are poised for a comeback, with the public offerings of technology startups like Groupon Inc. and Zynga Inc. expected to rack up investor returns in the billions of dollars. (Source: Bloomberg)

For a successful bioscience company there are many moving parts that make it great. From research institutions and knowledgeable workforce to suppliers and market access, each of these resources helps bioscience companies bring innovative solutions to today's modern scientific challenges. Yet, leveraging these solutions in a cost-effective manner is a challenge. Costs associated with R&D are high. Complexity in the supply chain can lead to unwanted delivery and solution delays. It is a challenge for bioscience companies to find all the resources in a timely manner to advance scientific discovery.

Bioscience companies require an ideal environment that combines a business-friendly climate, industry expertise and collaboration, a well-educated workforce, dedicated universities and research institutions, and a strong supply chain to get products to market.

According to the results of the 2010 census, Shanghai's population was nearly 1,000,000 people more than had been projected by local authorities. The provincial level of jurisdiction grew from a population of 16.4 million in 2000 to 23.0 million in 2010. Shanghai is one of the world's fastest growing megacities (urban regions of more than 10 million population). Shanghai's 6.6 million population growth equals the strong growth of the Manila urban region over the same period but trails the 7.4 million growth in the Jakarta urban region. Shanghai modestly extended its lead over Beijing as China's largest urban region, where the growth over the same period was 5.8 million.

As is typical of urban regions around the world, Shanghai's population gain was concentrated outside the core, in suburban and exurban areas (see table at bottom). A map of Shanghai's districts can be seen here.

Making it Work: Does our Future include Manufacturing?

In Northeast Ohio it absolutely does! Manufacturing is an integral part of the region’s economy and critical to our future. We must be a value-added economy where services support industry. So how does this fit with the clusters development theme that I talked about in my first post?

Clusters can offer product and market innovation opportunities to existing manufacturers. By having a tightly connected system of research, service providers, small and large companies and workforce, manufacturing innovation can be core to a successful scale-up of products within cluster companies. Having product development close to the manufacturing capability can help to accelerate new ideas to market through active collaborations that develop simultaneously the product and manufacturing process.

Ames-based Phasient Learning Technologies is breaking ground in the area of online learning, helping clients train their workforces while keeping costs under control.

Phasient has two key offerings -- providing online, on-demand classes and customized courseware for its clients. Although most of Phasient’s current clients are based in Iowa or the Midwest, the majority have a global presence, such as Pioneer, Kemin Industries and Vermeer Manufacturing.

Employees, sales teams, members and customers of Phasient’s clients can log in securely to a specialized web address and register for the classes they need through Phasient’s CLaaS, or Cloud Learning as a Service. Participants can start learning immediately and can return at any time, anywhere an internet connection is available.

With CLaaS, clients do not need to purchase hardware, install software, or worry about internal tech support or maintenance.

Phasient works with clients to develop online courses that reflect the particular organization's unique culture and products. The courses contain engaging scenarios, simulations, Virtual Role Play™ and other interactive features that capture learners' interests and provide realistic practice in applying knowledge.

WASHINGTON — After 33 years of consideration, the Food and Drug Administration took steps on Tuesday to sort out the confusing world of sunscreens, with new rules that specify which lotions provide the best protection against the sun and ending claims that they are truly waterproof. Related

The F.D.A. said sunscreens must protect equally against two kinds of the sun’s radiation, UVB and UVA, to earn the coveted designation of offering “broad spectrum” protection. UVB rays cause burning; UVA rays cause wrinkling; and both cause cancer.

The rules, which go into effect in a year, will also ban sunscreen manufacturers from claiming their products are waterproof or sweatproof because such claims are false. Instead, they will be allowed to claim in minutes the amount of time in which the product is water resistant, depending upon test results.

In the latest sign that the economic recovery may have lost whatever modest oomph it had, more

small businesses say that they are planning to shrink their payrolls than say they want to expand them. Readers' Comments

That is according to a new report released Tuesday by the National Federation of Independent Business, a trade group that regularly surveys its membership of small businesses across America.

The federation’s report for May showed the worst hiring prospects in eight months. The finding provides a glimpse into the pessimism of the nation’s small firms as they put together their budgets for the coming season, an

Inspired by stories of people like Amanda Hocking and the Doodle Jump developers, we found 10 unusual ways to make a quick $1 million online.

Sell 477,000 apps in the App Store or 714,000 self-published books on Amazon's Kindle; the choice is yours.

Either way you'll be rich!*

.CO Internet S.A.S., the official registry operator for the .co domain, announced recently that it has reached the landmark 1 millionth .co domain name registration in less than one year from the global launch. At the same time, I announced to the world (very silently) that I am moving my domain name from .name to .co.

Obviously there should be a takeaway for small business here, and there is. I will share my experience on choosing domain names and why you might want to think about changing your domain name, too.