On July 14, 2014 at the 2014 Esri International User’s Conference in San Diego, California, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker discussed the Department of Commerce’s expanding role as “America’s Data Agency.” In her remarks, she described how the Commerce Department’s data collection – which literally reaches from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun – not only informs trillions of dollars of private and public investments each year and plants the seeds of economic growth, but also saves lives.

Our nation’s competitiveness must be built on regional economies, and because there is no “one-size-fits-all” economic plan, regional leaders must base their strategies around the assets and opportunities that make them unique. Last month, the U.S. Department of Commerce launched a new tool for mapping clusters and a registry of important institutions for collaboration. Based at the Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, it provides critical industry information – as granular as the county level – to help tailor regional economic strategies.

Earlier this week, U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker announced the launch of the U.S. Cluster Mapping and Registry project, a national economic initiative based at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. EDA is proud to launch this next tool in our economic development arsenal.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker today announced the launch of the U.S. Cluster Mapping and Registry project (http://clustermapping.us), a national economic initiative based at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness and supported by the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The U.S. Cluster Mapping and Registry project aims to strengthen U.S. competitiveness by understanding the economic performance of clusters and regions across the United States.

The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2012 County Business Patterns (CBP) data on May 29, 2014. The new U.S. Cluster Mapping website will be updated to include this latest dataset. CBP is an annual series that provides subnational economic data by industry. This series includes the number of establishments, employment during the week of March 12, first quarter payroll, and annual payroll.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced the first 12 communities that will be designated Manufacturing Communities as part of the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership (IMCP) initiative. The U.S. Commerce Department-led program is designed to accelerate the resurgence of manufacturing in communities nationwide by supporting the development of long-term economic development strategies that help communities expand private investment in manufacturing and increase international trade and exports.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is launching a $2.5 million competition for accelerators and other entrepreneurial ecosystem models to compete for monetary prizes of $50,000 each to fund operating budgets. To award the prizes, applicants will be judged by an expert panel that will consider each applicant's stated mission, founding team members and business goals among other core components. The application deadline is August 2, 2014.

The Obama Administration unveiled additional details today of its FY 2015 budget request, which supports and builds on the Administration’s vision for creating opportunity for all Americans, and includes critical funding for key Commerce Department priorities, including trade and investment promotion, spurring innovation, and fueling our data-driven economy.
 

In the Washington region and across the country, the number of government-backed business incubators and accelerators has grown as public officials look for ways to support entrepreneurs, spur innovation and bolster their local economies. However, not every space employs the same business model, uses taxpayer dollars in the same manner or offers the same resources to its companies. And this leaves plenty of room for debate over what works and what doesn’t when the government tries to support start-ups.

With the economy finally gaining steam after four years of a stop-and-start recovery, the Kauffman Foundation kicked off its “America's New Entrepreneurial Growth Initiative” at the fifth annual State of Entrepreneurship Address. The main output will be a New Entrepreneurial Growth Agenda by early 2016.