As a public research university, The University of Iowa has the responsibility to stimulate economic development and extend the benefits of our learning and discoveries to the citizens of our community, region, state, nation and the world. In 2005, in an effort to align research strengths and business opportunities, the University formed the IOWA Centers for Enterprise.

The IOWA Centers for Enterprise offers a comprehensive program that provides assistance to Iowa startups and existing Iowa businesses and communities, helps the state of Iowa develop a creative entrepreneurial workforce and optimizes the flow of intellectual property into opportunities for licensing, commercialization and business development.

Whether you are a member of the University faculty, staff or student body, or part of a start-up or existing business, the IOWA Centers for Enterprise can create connections and open doors to innovation, expertise, and entrepreneurship.

Observers have long pointed to the United States as a shining example of entrepreneurship and innovation. In 2006, the Economist magazine gushed, “No country has mastered innovation and entrepreneurship as effectively as America.”

Perhaps that was once true, but it’s not anymore.

In a speech introducing the President’s new National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke said, “America’s innovation engine is not as efficient or as effective as it needs to be, and we are not creating as many jobs as we should.”

Recent data suggests that Secretary Locke is right. A study by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation looked at the progress at innovation that 40 countries made over the past decade. The U.S. came in dead last. That is, whether they were ahead or behind us at innovation in 1999, the 39 other countries examined gained ground on us over the past ten years.

[KAMPALA] Bio-fortified bananas that could reduce blindness, diarrhoea and anaemia are a step closer, according to the preliminary results of a joint research project between Ugandan and Australian scientists.

Genetically modified (GM) bananas containing genes to boost their vitamin A and iron content have been planted in Australia and Uganda over the past two years (2009–2010). The first harvest from Australia shows promising results, according to the researchers from the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) in Uganda and Australia's Queensland University of Technology.

But it may be another five years of research before the improved banana cultivars — Nakinyik matooke (for cooking) and Sukaali ndizi (sweet banana) — are ready for commercial planting, said the team.

In the run-up to the anticipated Clinton-Mezvinsky vows, we at Business Insider would like to remind you that while the event may be the rumored social event of the season with an iron-fisted security regimen (reportedly causing some tears before another bride's Big Day), it's not the only union out there worth noting this summer.

We've come up with our list of 15 dynamic duos who give Marc and Chelsea a run for their money. They may be political honchos who also happen to own 88% of the US's leading financial data aggregator, couples famed for their sartorial flair (and joint modeling contracts), or trust fund babies who have come into their own professionally. But one thing's for sure - these ladies and gents have withstood the test of time and continue to provoke, to mirror, and occasionally to disappoint our conception of the phrase "Power Couple".

A new professional consortium of business advisors has been created in North Carolina to help entrepreneurs commercialize new products and technology. The RTP Product Development Guild, Inc., was founded by Montie Roland, President of Montie Design, Inc. and Thomas Vass, President of The Private Capital Market, Inc.™

The RTP Product Development Guild (www.rtpproductguild.com) is a private organization of consultants who share a common interest in promoting technological product innovation in the RTP regional economy. The members of the Guild provide entrepreneurs, inventors or small engineering companies independent consulting advice and guidance on commercializing product ideas and technology. The initial consulting advice takes place under a structured format that applies to all projects for approximately 6 months. There is no charge of fee associated with the first 6 months of consulting services. After the free period of advice, members of the Guild agree to perform additional tasks at a reduced fee, under a payment format that includes both fee-for-service, and equity options in-lieu of fees.

"Many of us in the product design community have known that if we could cooperate among ourselves, we could be more effective in increasing the success rate of new product development," said Roland, who is President of the Carolina Chapter of the Product Development Management Association (PDMA). "Our challenge has been to find the right organizational structure to allow us to cooperate in an effective manner. Our new Guild, with its meeting facilities located in Morrisville, N. C., gives us a platform to deliver consulting advice to entrepreneurs and small companies."

In 1962, Nelson Mandela was arrested on allegations of sabotage and other charges and sentenced to life in prison, where he spent 27 years before becoming South Africa’s first president elected in a fully democratic election. His story, among modern history’s most profoundly inspirational, is beautifully and poetically captured in Clint Eastwood’s 2009 gem, Invictus. But what Eastwood’s account leaves out are the events that preceded and led to Mandela’s arrest.

In May of 1961, a 42-year-old Mandela gave his first-ever interview to ITN reporter Brian Widlake as part of a longer ITN Roving Report program about Apartheid. At that point, the police are already hunting for Mandela, but Widlake pulls some strings and arranges to meet him in his hideout. When the reporter asks Mandela what Africans want, he promptly responds:

“The Africans require, want the franchise, the basis of One Man One Vote – they want political independence.”

Ron Conway, known as the as one of the most prolific and successful angel investors in Silicon Valley, has done surprisingly little analysis of all the companies in his portfolio.

Conway, who invested in more than 500 companies over the last 12 years, including Ask Jeeves Inc., Google Inc. and PayPal Inc., said he only recently began analyzing all his companies, their outcomes, and the factors that make them successful. Conway talked about his portfolio at a TechCrunch conference at Stanford University Friday.

In the past, Conway has said his portfolio’s performance was split one-third between companies going out of business, selling and returning just enough money to cover the investment, and generating big returns - “2x to Google-x returns.”

What should President Obama do after a new Commerce Department study finds that economic recovery has lost momentum?

The study shows gross domestic product slipping sharply, consumer spending and confidence remaining dim, private sector hiring staying anorexic. Still, government spending is ballooning.

Here’s a novel idea, Mr. President: to help America, learn from Israel in three areas.

Economy
Since 2007, Israel has experienced a mild recession, while America’s has been deep.

Unemployment in Israel is 7%. In the U.S. it’s 9.5%.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister (also Economic Strategy Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel has pursued Reagan-like economic policies favoring free markets and supply-side tax cuts.

A reader asks: My co-founder and I are getting some traction on our new site and we’re hoping to raise some money from angels. One issue that has come-up is IP – specifically, the fact that we don’t have any IP documents. Could you lend some guidance?

Answer: For many start-ups (particularly technology companies), intellectual property (IP) is their most valuable asset. Here are the four most common mistakes I’ve seen startups make regarding their IP:

Issues with prior employer(s). Startups need to ensure that none of the founders’ prior employers have any rights to the venture’s IP because a founder was “moonlighting” while previously employed. This is a particular concern if the startup is in the same space as a founder’s prior employer.

A new report suggest a reason for why Japanese research continues to have less of an impact than research from other countries: a failure to collaborate.

A new report from Thomson Reuters shows that Japan has relatively few international collaborations, and this may explain why its citation averages continue to lag behind those of other G7 nations, according to the Times Higher Education.

Innovation is the watchword of our day. Listen to pundits on radios and televisions and you’ll hear a consistent message. We need innovative responses to urban poverty, the U.S. economy, and medical care. Name a hot topic, and you can find prominent spokespeople advocating the value of more innovation. Innovation has become our society’s default response to addressing social problems.

This is particularly true for our energy systems. Contemporary energy debates are littered with calls for more innovation. We need innovation because the United States is falling behind China in clean technology. We need innovation, we are told, in our collaborations between industry, government, and universities. We need innovation in small businesses, think tanks, and research institutions to generate the next generation of clean energy solutions.

Having a company blog is often touted as an key part of an SEO and PR strategy. And as someone who spends her day reading author, investor, entrepreneur, and company blogs, and then turning around and writing posts herself, I appreciate blogs that are useful sites for news and information.

But really, most of all, I love a good read. And I think a good read demonstrates that the value of writing and publishing far exceeds simply "press." A good read stems in part from good writing. And without laying out a whole writing teacher rubric here, I'll say that good writing stems from having well-thought-out arguments and well-crafted turns-of-phrase.

California could lead the way on one aspect of energy reform if a proposed measure passes.

Fueling up on coffee to power through a bike ride? Sure. Using your bike to power a coffee shop? Now you're getting interesting. Comprising two bicycles, a fold-up coffee bar, and a hand-cranked grinder, Kickstand Coffee is a mobile shop that aims to provide "the best possible cup of coffee to community events in [New York City] with the smallest environmental impact possible."

The owners tow the components of the stand behind their bikes and set up shop in locations around the city. Once they've put together the bar, they hand grind the beans for each cup. The cold coffee is cold brewed, and the hot filters through a set of handsomely modified Chemex glass beakers. Each cup of coffee—hot or cold brewed—costs $2.50, which is pretty reasonable considering it might be the most sustainably produced eye-opener in town.

8 Management Lessons I Learned Working At Apple
Apple is a company that spawns both rabid fans and haters.

But there's no denying that it's been enormously successful, and it just keeps on winning.

Part of that success, as we've said before, comes from the fact that the company is really just a huge startup -- with a corporate culture that is extremely engineer-focused, emphasizes minimal bureaucracy, and likes taking care of its people.

Sachin Agarwal learned a lot about Apple's management style during his days as an engineer. He worked at the company for 6 years, before leaving to start the simple blogging platform Posterous.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts is seeking nominations for 30 UNDER 30, a unique recognition program designed to reward 30 men and women under the age of 30 who have demonstrated qualities that Rosewood holds dear as part of its own core values: mindful of the community, leadership with integrity, passion of conviction, respect and dedication to preserving our natural environment, creativity and a strong sense of life balance.

This December, we will debut a web site of 30 UNDER 30 featuring the 30 people we most feel lead lives of consequence, and Rosewood will make a $100 donation on behalf of each finalist to the non-profit organization of their choice. Additionally, they will enjoy a complimentary dinner for two at the Rosewood hotel or resort of their choice.

Further, we will select just one whose life is truly exemplary for a $1,000 donation to the non-profit of their choice and a complimentary three-night stay at any Rosewood hotel or resort.

Helping to select the best 30 UNDER 30 is a panel of judges including Caroline Rose Hunt, Honorary Chairman of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, John Scott, President & CEO of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Stephen Hunt Sands, Chairman of the Board of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Peter Greenberg, CBS News Travel Editor, Jason Binn, CEO & Founder of Niche Media and Pamela Fiori, Editor-at-Large of Town & Country.

Applications will be accepted from July 15-Nov. 1, 2010. Winners will be announced on Dec. 1, 2010 on the 30 UNDER 30 web site.

In an interview with Business Insider, Scott Heiferman, co-founder and CEO of Meetup shared some interesting bits and lessons learned through his journey as an entrepreneur.

He sold I-Traffic for millions and went straight back to work… well from an entrepreneur to a counter staff at McDonald’s.

“I was spending way too much time with investment bankers and lawyers and accountants and all the Internet stuff was ephemeral. I felt like I just needed to get a real job and interact with real people,” says Heiferman.

Scott went on to share his 3 tips to success, which are people, people and people. He emphasized the importance having the privilege to work with talented people who make a huge difference between success and failure.

Rhode Island taxpayers placed a huge bet last week that a big-name athlete can win on a new playing field and reinvigorate Rhode Island’s fading economy.

State leaders committed to back former Red Sox pitching ace Curt Schilling’s plan to bring a video-game company here from Massachusetts, hoping to lay the foundation for a technology industry that underpins the Rhode Island job market for years to come.

The state made the $75 million loan guarantee as its unemployment rate stands at 12 percent and government officials search for loose change in the seat cushions of their office chairs to pay the bills.

Leading early-stage venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson (DFJ) and Cisco today announced that each company will utilize its extensive global reach to jointly launch a global business plan competition for students aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. The competition will rely on Cisco TelePresenceTM, which enables collaboration through a live, face-to-face network communications experience, to allow finalists from around the world to present their business plans in real time to a joint panel of DFJ and Cisco executives based in San Jose.

This is the first time the competition is aimed at a global market, a milestone made possible by both DFJ’s Global Network and Cisco TelePresence. Cisco TelePresence helps break down the barriers of distance by creating a collaborative experience where participants feel as though they are sitting in the same room even though they may be located thousands of miles apart. The competition seeks to find new technology-oriented ideas from aspiring college and university student entrepreneurs around the world. Sixteen finalists will be announced on June 19, 2009. The winner, who will be announced on June 30, 2009, will receive a minimum of $250,000 seed money. The winner will also receive professional feedback and mentorship from both DFJ and Cisco.

Continuing our focus on Industrial Clusters,in the preface of an overview document for the recently concluded Innovation Systems and Innovative Clusters in Africa conference it was noted:

Image courtesy of Mckinsey & Co.

...that firms which operate close to related firms and supporting institutions are often more innovative and therefore more successful in raising productivity than firms that operate in isolation. The innovative cluster approach is thus an appropriate and established tool for analysis of industrial dynamics and for policy initiatives to foster innovations, growth and economic development.Consequently, the debate has now moved from whether or not innovative clusters are important, to how to best organize and manage clusters in order to exploit their maximum potentials. Thus, recently hundreds of cluster initiatives have been
launched, involving nearly all the regions of the world except Africa. Is Africa an exception in these global initiatives? An understanding of the concept and the salient features of innovation systems and innovative clusters, and the critical factors for building and improving them are imof these global initiatives.