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News - Innovation Economy

• Location Inc.’s Neighborhood Search Engine Launches v2.0

  08/25/2008 - 09:38

  NeighborhoodScout, a nationwide neighborhood search engine for homebuyers, movers and real estate professionals, launched its version 2.0 on August 13.

• Local Company Achieves "Top 25" Status for iPhone Application

  08/25/2008 - 09:25

  nFinity Inc., a Rhode Island software development company with offices in Smithfield, has developed a voice recorder application for the iPhone that is now ranked one of the "Top 25 Paid Apps" purchased by iPhone users.

• Rhode Island Receives Top Marks for Internet Speed

  08/25/2008 - 09:07

  In the recently published 2008, “A Report on Internet Speeds in All 50 States” by Speed Matters, Rhode Island ranked number one in the nation in download speed for the second year in a row.

• RIEDC's Saul Kaplan Discusses R.I.'s Economy with NPR's Robert Bailey

  08/13/2008 - 10:14

  Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Saul Kaplan talks with NPR's Robert Bailey about Rhode Island's "secret sauce:" its size, on the station's Marketing and Money segment.

• RIEDC, Cox Communications, Raytheon, Rite-Solutions and Teknor Apex Launch Summer Teacher Training Initiative

  08/12/2008 - 09:57

  In an effort to encourage yearlong teacher professional learning opportunities in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) announced the creation of Leadership Initiatives for Teaching and Technology (LIFT2) - Rhode Island, a statewide pilot program that allows teachers to work for a summer at a company where they explore real world industry applications of STEM.

• Nine Firms to Compete for Opportunity to Conduct Assessment of I-195 Surplus Property

  08/07/2008 - 08:19

  In June 2008, the RIEDC issued a request for proposals seeking a vendor to perform a professional redevelopment and marketing analysis for the I-195 surplus property. The analysis will evaluate land use solutions that maximize the economic and tax values of the relocation parcels and enhance the public use and enjoyment of the surrounding areas.

• Time is Running Out to Apply for the 2008 Rhode Island Innovation Awards

  08/06/2008 - 12:48

  The Innovation Awards, presented by the Providence Business News in partnership with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and Tech Collective, and sponsored by Cox Business, are designed to honor Rhode Island-based companies, organizations and individuals that constantly replace existing methods, models and products with better ones.
  A short application form is due by August 20. Apply Now!

• Rhode Island Receives Top Marks in Two Economic Development Studies

  08/01/2008 - 11:40

  Two reports, measuring business cost and economic development climate, gave Rhode Island and Providence high marks in categories such as research and development, education climate and environmental efforts.

• RIEDC Financing Program to Create 90 New Jobs in Rhode Island

  07/30/2008 - 07:48

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation’s Small Business Loan Fund (SBLF) has provided expansion capital loans totaling $1.75 million, enabling four Rhode Island businesses to create more than 90 new jobs.

• InQuest Technologies Announces Corporate Relocation to Rhode Island

  07/28/2008 - 12:51

  InQuest Technologies, the developer of IQ9, the leading platform for delivering web-based enterprise business applications, today announced that the company will relocate its headquarters from Southborough, Massachusetts to Providence, Rhode Island in September 2008. InQuest will relocate approximately 20 employees when doors at the new office open this fall with plans to hire aggressively and grow this location to 50 employees.

• Saul Kaplan: Budget Discipline is Good for R.I. Economy

  07/07/2008 - 12:34

  The budget passed by the Rhode Island General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Carcieri is good for the state’s economy. Our 2008 Economic Growth Plan made clear that the state has to get control over its spending without raising broad-based taxes. The fiscal 2009 budget does exactly that. Do not underestimate how important this is to improving our business climate and stimulating job creation.

• A note from RIEDC Executive Director Saul Kaplan

  06/27/2008 - 10:50

  Last week, the Milken Institute’s State Technology and Science Index confirmed that Rhode Island has made progress in its effort to become a regional and national hub for science, technology and innovation.  Milken’s Index uses a variety of indicators to measure how well each state is performing in today’s global knowledge-based economy.

• Strong Showing for Providence in 'Cybercities' Report

  06/25/2008 - 13:25

  The American Electronics Association's 2008 Cybercities report ranked the Providence-Fall River-New Bedford area as one of the nation's top cities in several areas measuring the technology industry.

• Rhode Island Breaks Into Top 10 of Science and Technology Report

  06/20/2008 - 09:10

  Rhode Island has moved up to 10th place in the 2008 State Science and Technology Index, released by California-based Milken Institute. The report uses a host of indicators to paint a comprehensive picture of how well states are performing in today’s highly competitive knowledge-based economy.

• Innovation and Collaboration: The BIF Way

  06/12/2008 - 08:01

  An interview with RIEDC Executive Director, and Business Innovation Factory (BIF) Chief Catalyst, Saul Kaplan is posted on Steve Hardy’s Creative Generalist blog where the two talk about everything from Rhode Island’s position as a national innovation hot spot to the real world innovation lab BIF is developing to what it takes to really drive systems change.

• STAC Launches New Website for R.I. Research Community

  06/02/2008 - 14:48

  The Rhode Island Science and Technology Council has debuted a new statewide collaborative research website that creates a one-stop-shop where researchers, entrepreneurs and community leaders can learn about research and development in R.I. register for events, apply for programs and access a searchable database of research equipment and shared facilities.

• Governor Carcieri to Convene Economic Policy Council

  05/20/2008 - 12:56

  Governor Donald L. Carcieri will host a meeting of the Economic Policy Council on May 21, 2008 and lead business and civic leaders in a discussion of the state’s economic development plan and priorities.  This is the first meeting of the EPC since the council was consolidated into the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC).

• Legislation Seeks Growth Capital Program to Support Rhode Island Businesses

  05/15/2008 - 10:20

  Legislation to create a $20-million Growth Capital Guarantee Program has been introduced to the Senate and House of Representatives of the Rhode Island General Assembly. The legislation seeks to reposition existing guarantee authority currently in the Rhode Island Industrial-Recreational Building Authority (IRBA) program to help companies well positioned to create new high-wage jobs obtain growth capital from private sector lenders using assets other than real estate, machinery and equipment.

• RIEDC to Sponsor Supply Chain Management Summit

  05/13/2008 - 10:37

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC), along with Bryant University, Banneker and the Rhode Island Manufacturing Extension Services (RIMES), is sponsoring the 2008 Rhode Island Supply Chain Management Summit.

• APC to Keep Corporate Headquarters in Rhode Island

  05/12/2008 - 13:28

  American Power Conversion, the global leader in integrated critical power and cooling, announced that the company will remain at its current location in South Kingstown on Fairgrounds Road. APC had been reviewing other location possibilities, but decided that the South Kingstown, Rhode Island facility best suited the company’s needs.

• Statewide Research Alliance Bolstered by Support from Brown, URI

  05/01/2008 - 08:04

  The Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) today presented its plans for expanding the Rhode Island Research Alliance and announced that Brown University and the University of Rhode Island (URI) both will contribute $25,000 to support the next phase of Research Alliance activity.

• RIEDC Announces Changes to State’s Expedited Permitting Program

  04/29/2008 - 08:07

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) today announced changes to the agency’s expedited permitting process, known as Certificate of Critical Economic Concern (CCEC).  The changes are designed to make the program a more useful tool in the state’s effort to expedite high priority economic development projects and to accelerate the creation of higher wage job opportunities for Rhode Islanders.

• Forensic Risk Alliance Leases Full Floor in Providence's iBuilding

  04/22/2008 - 07:54

  Forensic Risk Alliance (FRA), a leading international provider of forensic investigation and litigation support services with offices in New York and London, has entered into a lease agreement to relocate their US Headquarters to the “iBuilding” at 170 Westminster Street in Downtown Providence during the summer of 2008.

• RIEDC Expands Small Business Support Effort

  04/21/2008 - 09:42

  The RIEDC has announced the expansion of the Regulatory Flexibility (RegFlex) program, an effort to reduce the regulatory burden on small businesses. RegFlex is administered by the agency’s Every Company Counts small business service unit. RegFlex expansion will increase RIEDC’s outreach with both small businesses and state agencies to better understand the impact of state regulations and to suggest improvements that will lessen the regulatory burden on small business.

• Concordia Expands Medical Manufacturing Operation in Rhode Island

  04/17/2008 - 12:22

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) announced today that Concordia Manufacturing, LLC has received a $500,000 loan from the Small Business Loan Fund to assist in its plans to expand its medical manufacturing operations.

• Kelly Space & Technology Opens East Coast Operation in Rhode Island

  04/15/2008 - 07:53

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) today announced that Kelly Space & Technology, Inc., a San Bernardino-based California company focusing on aerospace, energy and homeland security technologies, is establishing an East Coast operation in Rhode Island. As production commences over the next year, Kelly estimates its Rhode Island facility will house approximately 50 employees.

• Rhode Island Takes Center Stage in Effort to Improve Elder Care

  04/14/2008 - 11:54

  Rhode Island’s Business Innovation Factory is partnering with the Tockwotton Home, Quality Partners of Rhode Island and the MIT AgeLab to create a real-world laboratory for developing and testing new solutions, products and models for improving elderly care. Leveraging the BIF Experience Lab platform, the "Nursing Home of the Future" will create a platform for innovators and industry partners to transform current approaches to elderly care in assisted living and nursing care facilities. Outcomes from the Rhode Island-based work will enable project partners to test big-win solutions in a manageable environment and then to scale those ideas nationally.

• RIEDC’s Saul Kaplan Discusses Rhode Island’s Growth Plan with BioRegion News

  03/19/2008 - 14:53

  RIEDC Executive Director Saul Kaplan recently sat down for a Q&A session with a reporter from BioRegion News to discuss Rhode Island’s economic growth plan and the state’s bid to grow a high wage innovation economy.

• RIEDC, CCRI Partner to Recommend CCRI Workforce Commission

  03/13/2008 - 08:26

  The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) announced today that legislation to create the CCRI 21st Century Workforce Commission has been submitted to the Rhode Island General Assembly (H7889, S2450). The legislation is sponsored by Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Paiva Weed and House Majority Leader Gordon Fox. The commission will recommend specific actions to strengthen CCRI’s position as a key institution in Rhode Island’s effort to create a 21st century workforce well prepared for the high-wage job opportunities created by knowledge economy companies.

• Saul Kaplan in ProJo Editorial: Difficult Economic Times Call for Decisive Action

  03/10/2008 - 11:57

  Rhode Island is at a tipping point and we must work together to manage a difficult state budget, improve our tax competitiveness, and provide businesses with the tools they need to grow. We must become a knowledge economy that produces better jobs for all Rhode Islanders. Recent employment numbers only increase our resolve to accelerate the transition.

• Cutting-Edge Composites Training Program is Launched in R.I.

  03/07/2008 - 03:00

  The Rhode Island Economic Development (RIEDC) in conjunction with the New England Institute of Technology announced today open enrollment in a federally funded workforce development program targeting the marine trades industry in the Ocean State. The Composite Repair & Boat Construction Training program is an intensive 12-week program aimed at increasing the number of qualified employees who have an expertise working with composite materials.

• RIEDC, Rhode Island Commodores Partner to Launch Attraction Campaign in High-wage Sector

  02/26/2008 - 14:51

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC) today announced the launch of Opportunity: Rhode Island, a regional attraction campaign aimed at identifying expansion and relocation opportunities initially focused in the Financial Services, Information Technology and Digital Media, and Health and Life Sciences sectors. The campaign, funded in part by the Rhode Island Commodores, will use direct marketing, industry events and peer outreach to generate new business development leads.

• RIEDC 2008 Economic Growth Plan: Creating Higher Wage Job Opportunities for All Rhode Islanders

  02/26/2008 - 14:45

  Over the last few decades Rhode Island's economy has changed in fundamental ways. Like the rest of the nation, our economy has shifted away from a reliance on machinery and equipment to "knowledge workers" who generate ideas and information. We must now compete in an economy where innovation and knowledge are the primary drivers of economic growth. Though daunting, the transition to a new global innovation economy offers Rhode Island an opportunity to achieve greater prosperity now and in the years to come.

• RIEDC Announces New Finance Program to Assist Rhode Island Growth Companies

  02/26/2008 - 11:48

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation announced legislation sponsored by House Majority Leader Gordon Fox and Senator William Walaska, Chairman, Senate Corporations Committee that seeks to increase available growth capital for Rhode Island companies well positioned to grow and create new high-wage jobs.

• Innovation Tour Recognizes Rhode Island Companies with an Innovative Approach to Business

  01/29/2008 - 03:00

  Governor Donald L. Carcieri and the RIEDC are proud to celebrate Rhode Island's hometown heroes — the businesses, both big and small, that drive the state’s growing innovation economy. The RIEDC's 2008 Innovation Tour showcases businesses from across the state that have made innovation a priority.

• 24 Scientists, 14 Institutions Receive Funding for Collaborative Projects

  01/25/2008 - 03:00

  The Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) announced the awardees of the 2008 Collaborative Research Award program. The awards will provide support to nine projects, representing 24 scientists from 14 research organizations across Rhode Island. Award recipients in 2008 include academic and industry scientists pursuing research in medicine, police forensics, engineering, chemistry, biology, oceanography and environmental science.

• STAC Recommendations Seek Relocation, Expansion of Slater Fund Incubator and Accelerated Growth of Statewide Research Alliance

  01/25/2008 - 03:00

  The Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) presented Governor Donald L. Carcieri and the Rhode Island General Assembly with a set of recommendations for activities the state can pursue in 2008 to increase Rhode Island's research and development activity, encourage entrepreneurship and new company creation and better enable all Rhode Island organizations to innovate.

• Boston’s Xconomy Commends R.I. Innovation Tax Credit

  01/16/2008 - 15:29

  Boston/Cambridge-based “Xconomy” applauded the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council and the state for utilizing the Innovation Tax Credit, a targeted tax credit of up to $100,000, to stimulate investment in high-wage sectors.

• R.I. Sees Improvement in State Competitiveness Rankings

  01/16/2008 - 13:47

  Moving up four places since 2006, Rhode Island was one of the fastest moving states in the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University's "State Competitiveness Report 2007." This year Rhode Island ranked 21st overall, bolstered by strong showings in the technology, security and human resources categories.

• Innovation Tax Credit Stimulates Investment in Rhode Island Companies

  11/27/2007 - 03:00

  The RIEDC Board of Directors has pre-approved six companies to pursue investments that will be eligible for the state's new Innovation Tax Credit program. The credit will offer investors up to a 50 percent credit on eligible investments, with a maximum credit of $100,000. Proposed by STAC and enacted into law by Governor Donald Carcieri and the General Assembly in 2006, the Innovation Tax Credit is designed to attract and retain serial entrepreneurs and stimulate economic growth in high-wage, high-growth industries.

• Saul Kaplan: No Silver Bullets for R.I. Economy

  10/25/2007 - 02:00

  There is no silver bullet solution for creating a high-wage knowledge economy in Rhode Island, said EDC Executive Director Saul Kaplan in a Providence Journal Op-Ed published on October 25.

• PBN, RIEDC Honor 2007 Innovation Award Winners

  09/20/2007 - 16:29

  Providence Business News and the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation are thrilled to announce the winners of this year's 2007 Rhode Island Innovation Awards. Launched in 2006, the Rhode Island Innovation Awards honor individuals and organizations that are making innovation central to their activities or have gone beyond the call of duty to help others innovate.

• STAC Funding Program Set to Invest Additional $1.5 Million in Collaborative Research

  09/11/2007 - 14:01

  Building on the success of its inaugural year, the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council's Research Alliance program announced that it will invest an additional $1.5 million in research that promotes collaboration across the state's academic and commercial institutions. Continuation of the Research Alliance and Collaborative Research Award program, launched in 2006, was made possible through support from Governor Donald L. Carcieri and the Rhode Island General Assembly.

• RIEDC, Tech Collective and the PBN partner to host 2007 Rhode Island Innovation Awards and Tech Laureates Night

  07/26/2007 - 11:46

  The Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation (RIEDC), Providence Business News (PBN) and the Tech Collective are now accepting applications for the annual Rhode Island Innovation Awards program. Awards will be presented at the 2007 Innovation Awards and Tech Laureates Night, a gala celebration of the state's innovators and technology leaders, will be held on September 20, 2007 at Hasbro's world headquarters in Pawtucket, RI.

• Innovation Tour Recognizes R.I. Companies with an Innovative Approach to Business

  06/04/2007 - 13:13

  Governor Donald L. Carcieri and the EDC are proud to celebrate Rhode Island's hometown heroes - the businesses, both big and small, that drive the state's growing innovation economy. The EDC's 2007 Innovation Tour showcases businesses from across the state that have made innovation a priority. "The 2007 Innovation Tour is an important opportunity for us to recognize, support and celebrate the individuals and institutions across our state who are growing strong businesses and good, high-wage jobs for Rhode Island's citizens," says Governor Carcieri.

• Collaboration Rules at STAC/EPSCoR Event

  04/17/2007 - 02:00

  Collaboration was the buzzword of the day at "Expanding Rhode Island's Research and Development Capacity through Collaboration," a one-day forum, hosted on April 12 by the Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) and Rhode Island's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Nearly 100 participants attended the event including members of Rhode Island's academic and commercial research community, and business and community leaders interested in supporting collaborative research in Rhode Island.

• R.I. Innovation Becoming Evident

  03/25/2007 - 13:22

  Over the years, Rhode Island has taken its share of hits in the numerous state-by-state surveys that rank various indicators of economic performance, like new investment, tax structure and educational achievement. Although many rankings are based on incomplete data and/or arbitrary measurements of how states stack up, the better of these reports remind us that Rhode Island isn't yet living up to its full potential. The good news is that we're finally starting to see the progress we're making reflected in these national rankings.

• Building R.I.'s Innovation Economy

  03/11/2007 - 16:24

  In a recent article in the Providence Journal, Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) co-chairs Jeff Seemann and Clyde Briant review the accomplishments of Rhode Island's leadership in 2006, including the creation of the Rhode Island Research Alliance, a new awards program to stimulate collaborative research, and in collaboration with the Business Innovation Factory, a statewide program to enable all of Rhode Island's public high schools to participate in Dean Kamen's FIRST Vex Challenge.

• Kauffman Foundation and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation Cites RI as Top Five Movers in Economic Transformation

  03/07/2007 - 03:00

  Rhode Island was recently cited as one of the "Top Five Movers" in economic transformation in the 2007 State New Economy Index, a report published by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). In the 2002 Index, Rhode Island was ranked 23rd overall nationally. In the 2007 Index, the Ocean State's national ranking moved up to 15th in the nation.

• New urban marketplace finds home in Providence

  03/01/2007 - 19:15

  Organizers of Boston's South End Open Market are bringing their concept to downtown Providence, where retailers hope to cash in on the anticipated jolt of activity their weekly events will bring.

• R.I. Invests $1.5M in collaborative research; 32 Scientists, 15 Institutions Receive Funding for Collaborative Projects

  01/17/2007 - 03:00

  The Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) announced the first round of recipients for its Rhode Island Research Alliance Collaborative Research Award program. The awards will provide direct support to 32 scientists from 15 research organizations across Rhode Island. The program is part of a $1.5 million effort to grow R&D capacity in the state, address critical problems of Rhode Islanders, and spur economic development.

• Following Successful First Year, R.I. Science and Technology Advisory Council Releases 2007 Recommendations

  01/17/2007 - 03:00

  After a successful year in 2006, The Rhode Island Science and Technology Advisory Council (STAC) today released its 2007 recommendations for actions the state's leadership can take to 1) support Rhode Island's research and development activity; 2) promote collaboration across institutions; 3) encourage entrepreneurship and new company creation; and 4) enable all organizations, public and private, to innovate.

• Projo Business Editor Reflects on State's Past and Present, Affirms Rhode Island's Potential as Innovation Hub

  01/07/2007 - 17:27

  In his article, "A walk through state's past and future," Providence Journal Business Editor John Kostrzewa says that by embracing the state's size as a manageable, realistic test-bed for innovation, Rhode Island will prosper in the global economy.

• Building an Innovation Economy in Rhode Island

  05/16/2005 - 16:47

  America is at a crossroads. Decisions made today about investments in science and technology will affect our ability to compete in the global marketplace for generations to come. And what is true for the nation is true for Rhode Island: our economic success depends on our ability to build an innovation economy driven by excellence in science and technology.

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