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Federal Agencies & Entrepreneurship
Consumer
Product Safety Commission
In the past (~1996) they organized conferences aimed at cutting
regulatory red-tape for new product development so that
entrepreneurs could create better products more easily that comply
with voluntary/mandatory safety standards
Department of Defense Office of Technology Transitions-"TechTRANSIT"
TechTRANSIT is your access to Department of Defense technology
transfer programs, policies, and resources.
FedWorld.gov
Offers multiple distribution
channels to disseminate information to the public; allows you to
search, locate, order and acquire government and business
information.
GovSpot
Free resource center offering links to government and civic sites.
Internal
Revenue Service
All of the IRS forms and
information on-line.
The
Federal Marketplace
Federal procurement and acquisition
procedures to assist businesses in winning federal contracts.
US
Agency For International Development
Several entrepreneurship initiatives started internationally in the
third world. Entrepreneurship in the scale of country development,
beginning to foster entrepreneurship initiatives in developing
economies through a mixture of foreign aid and job training.
US
Business Advisor
The one-stop electronic link
to federal government information, services, and transactions.
US
Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce
web site.
US
Department of Agriculture: Rural Business Cooperative Program
Promoting a dynamic business environment in rural America is the
goal of Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS), Business Programs
(BP). BP works in partnership with the private sector and the
community-based organizations to provide financial assistance and
business planning. BP helps fund projects that create or preserve
quality jobs and/or promote a clean rural environment. The financial
resources of RBS BP are often leveraged with those of other public
and private credit source lenders to meet business and credit needs
in under-served areas. Recipients of these programs may include
individuals, corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, public
bodies, nonprofit corporations, Indian tribes, and private
companies.
US
Department of Commerce: Economic Development Administration
Agency exists to support and advocate for economic development which
indirectly supports small business. The current administration is
focused less on grant-giving, more on particular “investment
projects”, which are grants given to companies proven to be
effective. The emphasis may have then strayed from small business to
an extent. Sponsors several research reports indirectly related to
entrepreneurship. For example, the organization is sponsoring
research focusing on the “cluster” effect, and how
entrepreneurship flourishes in certain regions where groups of
successful industries are already based.
US
Department of Commerce: Economics and Statistics Administration:
Bureau of Economic Analysis
General economic data, although not specifically concerned with
small business or entrepreneurship.
US
Department of Commerce: Economic and Statistics Administration:
Census Bureau
The central resource for economic research, contains the Census
Data on Small Business. This feature of the Census Bureau’s
site organizes the data relevant to small business, as it does for
other areas of special interest. The data mirrors the sets available
through SBA’s report, as the SBA uses the Census as its data
source. In fact, any government agency’s data on small business or
entrepreneurship can normally be traced back to the original Census
pool from which it came, making each separate government source the
same.
US
Department of Commerce: International Trade Administration, Office
of Financial Services
The International Trade Administration's Office of Finance is a
focal
point for U.S. Government efforts to promote the export of U.S.
financial services. It also represents the Department at a number of
trade finance forums in support of U.S. exports and overseas
investment.
Programs for the financial services sector include industry
analyzes,
advisory services, and outreach activities such as publications,
conferences, and overseas business development missions. The office
represents the interests of the insurance industry and other
financial
service firms in developing trade policy and participating in
bilateral
and multilateral trade negotiations.
US
Department of Commerce: Minority Business Development Agency
Functions by arranging venture capital and finance to support small
businesses run by minorities. Also supplies basic information for
entrepreneurs. The agency runs a slightly smaller but very similar
program to that seen in the Small Business Administration.
US
Department of Commerce: National Institute of Standards and
Technology
The National Institute of Standards and Technology promotes
entrepreneurship by “representing the interests if U.S. innovators
and entrepreneurs in multinational forums and international
partnerships, and through work with states, localities, and federal
labs to institute policies that promote technology-led economic
development”. In any case, they haven’t had any specific
interest in entrepreneurship as of late, although they are connected
through their support of new and innovative technologies.
US
Department of Commerce: National Technical Information Service
No direct involvement with entrepreneurship, although website
provides substantial resource with several of the latest policy
papers on entrepreneurship and its effects on society.
US
Department of Commerce: Technology Administration
Offering a series of grants to support entrepreneurship specifically
in the domain of information technology and tech-based small
businesses. The entire agency does advocacy work on information
technology and small business, and support entrepreneurship in IT
through a variety of means. The agency is also involved in
conducting some research on entrepreneurship based on IT industry,
demand, and emerging technologies such as nanotechnology.
US
Department of Commerce: National Telecommunications and Information
Administration
Involved in organizing several conferences, colloquiums on
entrepreneurship through technology and telecommunications run by
the “Technology
Opportunities Program” , a venture sponsored by the NTIA.
The program is involved with conference organization, with a
particular focus on grant distribution.
US
Department of Commerce: Office
of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Through the US Department of Commerce, this special office
is responsible for promoting the use of small, women-owned, and
minority business in compliance with Federal laws, regulations, and
policies.
US
Department of Defense: Acquisition, Technology and Logistics
Relevance of small business: due to fact that 80% of contractors at
DoD are small business. DoD sponsored a conference in 2001 which
focused on supporting small business in context of securing
contracts for defense. Keynote speakers at the conference included
members of SBA, and Senator Bond, who at the time chaired the Small
Business Committee.
The key point group at the DoD for small business and
entrepreneurial-related activities will be the Small and
Disadvantaged Business Utilization Group.
US
Department of Energy: Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
The department of energy has an office specifically designed to
ensure that contracts are awarded fairly to small businesses. The
DoE was also involved in scheduling a conference aimed at small
business to ensure they are the recipients of a sizable amount of
Federal contracts.
US
Department of Housing and Urban Development: Office of Small and
Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)
The Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU)
was created as part of the Small Business Act, as amended by Public
Laws 95-507 and 100-507. Every Federal agency is required to have an
OSDBU, which, by statute, reports directly to the head of the
agency. The primary responsibility of the OSDBU is to ensure that
small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses and women-owned
businesses are treated fairly and that they have an opportunity to
compete and be selected for a fair amount of the agency's contract
dollars.
US
Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Data sets whose entrepreneurship/small business resources focus
specifically on unemployment levels and the levels of
self-employment.
US
Small Business Administration General Resource
A general website linking all the economic data available from the
SBA regarding small business, as well as a resource tool providing
the summaries of major articles touching on the subject of small
business, several coming from both SBA’s own office of advocacy
and a variety of educational institutions.
State
Agencies & Entrepreneurship
Innovation Philadelphia
Innovation Philadelphia is a public/private partnership created to grow the wealth and the workforce of the Greater Philadelphia Region's Innovation Economy by growing, attracting, retaining, and connecting technology-based businesses and workforce in the
Region.
NewPA.com
A wealth of information
about various economy-stimulating initiatives in Pennsylvania,
including small business, innovation zones, and venture capital.
State of Illinois Business Portal
The Illinois Business Portal can help you at any stage in your business life cycle. Whether you are starting a new business, running a business, or changing an existing business, this site can help you get the answers you need.
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