If you encounter problems viewing this email go to http://www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde/news/nde-news.htm

June 4 - June 10, 2007

SBA Faces Tough Reception on Capitol Hill

The House and Senate Small Business Committees have been holding a series of hearings on Small Business Administration programs and, generally, the reception for SBA has been pretty frosty. On May 22, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing to examine SBA’s efforts to promote minority business development. While SBA touted data showing an increase in minority business ownership, a bipartisan group of Senators criticized the agency for failure to better track and promote minority contracting opportunities. SBA was also criticized for its failure to take a tough stance against contract bundling. Meanwhile, the House Small Business Committee has passed a package of proposals designed to improve SBA’s outreach efforts to veterans, Native Americans, women, and minority business owners. Similar legislation is also being considered in the Senate.

Access more information about the May 22, 2007 Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee hearing on minority entrepreneurship.

Learn more about the House Small Business Committee’s efforts to promote entrepreneurial development.

Best Schools for Nanotech

Small Times, a trade journal for nanotechnology, has published an interesting listing of the best universities and community colleges for nanotechnology. The study profiles 39 major research universities and ranks them according to four key criteria: research (Penn State is ranked #1), education (University at Albany-SUNY), facilities (University at Albany-SUNY), and commercialization (Arizona State University). For the first time, the Small Times analysis also examines the important role of community colleges in developing nanotechnology talent. This year’s analysis examines four schools: Central New Mexico Community College, Chippewa Valley Community College (WI), Forsyth Tech Community College (NC), and Tulsa Community College.

The Small Times annual ranking of university and community college nanotechnology initiatives appears in the May/June issue of Small Times.

Multinationals and R&D Spending

US multinational corporations are spending more money on R&D, but they appear to be spreading these investments in more locations. New research from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis finds that research spending by US multinationals grew rapidly in 2004 (up $19 billion), fostering a rebound from a slump that began in 2001. Most of this spending (85%) still occurs in the US. But, multinational R&D spending is becoming more dispersed. China and India have seen rapid jumps in US multinational R&D investment, but Europe remains the preferred location for these activities. Six countries (United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, and Sweden) account for 65% of all foreign R&D by US multinationals. One primary conclusion from the research is that while outsourcing to Asia is growing, traditional research centers in Europe, Canada, and Japan continue to dominate the market for foreign research investments.

Access the March 2007 article, “Research and Development Activities of US Multinational Companies: Preliminary Results from the 2004 Benchmark Survey,” by Daniel R. Yorgason.

Business Owners on Work-Life Balance

The latest edition of the Open from American Express Small Business Monitor takes a look at some interesting facets of entrepreneurship. The survey asked business owners to comment on a series of questions related to work-life balance. Eighty-one percent of respondents were satisfied with the amount of leisure time they had, but 64% admitted that it was stressful to balance work responsibilities with other pursuits. A plurality (34%) of entrepreneurs cited flexibility (followed by working under pressure and knowing the market) as the key entrepreneurial skill. Familial support is important to business owners, with 81% noting that being an entrepreneur helps contribute to a happy marriage or relationship. Finally, entrepreneurs hope to keep it in the family, as 61% of surveyed parents would like to have their children join them in the business.

View the May 2007 results from the semiannual Open from American Express Small Business Monitor.

Canada’s New Science and Technology Strategy

The government of Canada has released a new strategy designed to strengthen the Canadian science and technology base. The report lays out a detailed long-term strategy that builds on Canada’s strong research base and talented workforce. The overall goal is to strengthen Canada’s entrepreneurial, knowledge and people advantages. Specifically, the plan calls for cuts in income tax rates and tax cuts to make Canada’s new business taxes the lowest among G7 nations. It will also focus Federal R&D investments into four key sectors: environmental science, energy, life sciences and information and communications technologies. Finally, the plan includes a number of approaches to increase student enrollment in science, technology, math and engineering related fields.

Access the 2007 Canadian government report, Mobilizing Science and Technology to Canada’s Advantage.

The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship is an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving entrepreneurship around the world. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online.

National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship

All stories © 2007 The Public Forum Institute
Content from this newsletter may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes with proper attribution to the National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship and a link to www.publicforuminstitute.org/nde.