MEP as an Agent of "Re-" defining, imagining and energizing regional economies.

Last week I had the privilege of attending SSTI’s annual conference in Atlanta, representing NIST and the MEP system. The conference was aptly titled "The Power of Re–defining, imagining, and energizing regional economies," reflecting the change that so many of our communities have gone through in recent years, and how our organizations, institutions, and approaches must adapt accordingly.

Every year, I am reminded that this gathering is one of the best around for MEP’ers and our partners. In fact, many attendees ARE MEP partners. SSTI, officially the State Science and Technology Institute is focused on technology-based economic development (TBED), but now has more than three-quarters of its members from "non-state" organizations. These include regional, local, and national organizations interested in tech transfer, capital financing, innovation, R&D, higher education, workforce development…the whole range of entities and issues relevant to manufacturing today.

Mark Troppe

Full Story: http://nistmep.blogs.govdelivery.com/2012/11/05/mep-as-an-agent-of-re/