Innovation Institute Launched at the University of Pittsburgh to Promote Entrepreneurship, Commercialization, Economic Development

The University of Pittsburgh has founded the Innovation Institute to advance Pitt’s successes in entrepreneurship, commercialization, and economic development. The new institute will bring together under one umbrella the existing Office of Technology Management, Office of Enterprise Development, and the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence. By consolidating the University’s resources for innovation and encouraging collaboration, the institute will provide a new level of support for entrepreneurial initiatives on campus and throughout the region.

“Innovation is essential for propelling the University to become an even stronger leader in education, research, and regional development,” Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson said in announcing the program. “Forming this comprehensive institute will allow previously separate units to integrate their resources and avoid duplication of services. The Innovation Institute’s establishment is part of a broader effort to cultivate an environment that empowers faculty, students, and staff to reach greater heights in their innovative research and entrepreneurial activities.”

Beeson has named Marc S. Malandro interim director of the Innovation Institute. Malandro is Pitt’s associate vice chancellor for technology management and commercialization and director of both the Office of Technology Management and Office of Enterprise Development. A national search will be conducted for a permanent director of the Innovation Institute.

“The Office of Technology Management and the Office of Enterprise Development will continue to work with faculty, staff, and students to facilitate the commercialization of new technologies and the formation of new companies originating at the University,” Malandro said. “The Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence will continue to support and educate business leaders in the regional entrepreneurial community. It is clear there are strong synergies between the groups and, working together, we will be able to maximize our impact.”

A University-wide entity, the Innovation Institute will be located in the Gardner Steel Conference Center at Thackeray and O’Hara Streets, Oakland. It will serve as a primary support center in the following areas.

Education
The institute will promote student engagement by establishing research and internship programs related to innovation and entrepreneurship. It also will assist academic departments with infusing innovation and entrepreneurship skills into their curricula; develop non-degree programs for innovators and entrepreneurs within the University and the broader community; and train new entrepreneurs and small-business owners within the region to be successful.

Collaboration
The institute will develop and implement strategies that will promote collaborations within the University and between University innovators and the business community. In addition, it will coordinate with other entities promoting local economic development. This may include cohosting events to bring the University community together with the business community or forming new types of industry-university partnerships on research and development initiatives.

Commercialization
The institute will support the University’s commercialization efforts by introducing technologies and faculty inventors to companies capable of developing University intellectual property into products and services through existing companies or new start-up companies.

Communication
The institute will serve as a conduit for the University community and regional business community to learn about educational programs and resources available at the University, including existing connections between the University and regional entrepreneurs and companies.

Pitt’s leadership in innovation and entrepreneurship has already had a significant impact:
- 98 startup companies have been launched around Pitt innovations since 1996;
- More than 800 startup companies in the region have been guided by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence since 1993;
- 541 issued patents are in Pitt’s U.S. patent portfolio; and
- 1,400 educational programs have been attended by 40,000 business leaders since 1993.

The Innovation Institute will continue to build on these successes. Visit www.innovationinstitute.pitt.edu for more information.

Source: University of Pittsburgh READ FULL ARTICLE

Organizations Accepting Donations for Post-Typhoon Relief Efforts in Philippines and Vietnam

Here are several organizations supplying aid and support to victims of Typhoon Haiyan (known as Yolanda in the Philippines).

World Food Programme: WFP is mobilizing quickly to reach those in need. Make a donation now to provide emergency food assistance to families and children.

Doctors Without Borders: Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical aid to those most in need regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation.

American Red Cross: Sending support specialists to help the hardest hit areas.

Direct Relief International: Direct Relief is collaborating with its partner on the ground, Asia America Initiative (AAI), to coordinate the delivery of needed medical aid, which is expected to arrive in the Philippines capital, Manila, early next week.  The donation contains antibiotics, pain relievers, nutritional supplements, anti-fungal medications, wound dressings, and chronic disease medicines.

Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is launching immediate relief efforts after one of the strongest storms in recorded history devastates the Philippines.

Oxfam: Oxfam rapid assessment teams are poised to provide emergency supplies and shelter in parts of the Philippines hit by Typhoon Haiyan.

ShelterBox: Donations designated toward ShelterBox’s Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts will be used to supply the most vital equipment needed and will not be assigned box tracking numbers. Each ShelterBox supplies an extended family with a tent and essential equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless.

UNICEF: UNICEF is working to provide safe water, hygiene supplies, food, shelter and a safe environment to recover.

Locally, Brother's Brother Foundation is working with the Philippine American Medical Society of Western Pennsylvania to provide short term and long term assistance in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda which devastated parts of the central Philippines. BBF has worked with PAMS and other Philippine American groups for more than 30 years to send medical supplies to over 30 Philippine hospitals. PAMS supports medical assistance by ocean-going container shipments each year with BBF and sends upward of 70 medical volunteers annually to poorer parts of the Philippines.

Sources: Yahoo, individual organizations

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Number of International Students in Western Pennsylvania Rises 16 percent to 11,437 During 2012-13 School Year, Report Says; GlobalPittsburgh Grows Recruitment Efforts

The number of international students in the Pittsburgh region rose 16 percent during the 2012-13 school year - more than twice the national rate - to a total of 11,437 students, infusing a total of $333.4 million into the region's economy, an increase of nearly 20 percent over the year before, according to a new joint report by the Washington, D.C-based Institute of International Education and NAFSA, an organization representing international educators.

International Students
at La Roche College

 Across the state of Pennsylvania,  a total of 37,245 international students - an increase of 11.5 percent - were responsible for $1.7 billion in economic stimulus, and for sustaining nearly 5,800 jobs in higher education and another 13,100 jobs indirectly related to higher education through their spending during the school year, NAFSA/IIE reported.

In total, international students brought $32.4 billion into the U.S. economy during the 2012-13 school year, with the number of students growing at a 7.2 percent rate nationally to a total of 819,644, the report said.

Economic impact includes tuition, housing, food, shopping and other expenditures for undergraduate and graduate students and their spouses and children, creating thousands of jobs in the region and making education one of the region's biggest exports.

"International students not only contribute economic value, they build bridges between the United States and other countries; bring global perspectives into U.S. classrooms and research labs; support U.S. innovation through science and engineering coursework, making it possible for U.S. colleges and universities to offer these courses to U.S. students; and support programming and services on campus for all students by paying out-of-state tuition, funded largely by non-U.S. sources," NAFSA said in issuing its report.

NAFSA reported the economic impact of international students by dividing data into U.S. Congressional Districts. The Western Pennsylvania region includes Congressional Districts 3, 9, 12, 14 and 18.

The new report confirms the importance - and the economic value - of attracting more international students to the Pittsburgh region, which is the goal of GlobalPittsburgh's Study Pittsburgh initiative.

"This report confirms once again the importance of our efforts at GlobalPittsburgh to bring more international students to the Pittsburgh region, and then to engage them in activities and help them feel welcome so that they will have a positive experience," said Thomas Buell, Jr., Director of the Study Pittsburgh initiative, which represents a growing consortium of colleges, universities and English Language programs in the region called the GlobalPittsburgh Education Partnership (GPEP).

GlobalPittsburgh augments the international recruiting efforts of local educational institutions by:
 Providing a conduit for prospective applicants to ensure delivery and full review of applications.
 Ensuring that applications are complete.
 Directing applicants to information about visa and documentation requirements.
 Providing welcoming activities and networking opportunities for students after they have enrolled.

The Study Pittsburgh initiative provides information and publicity materials to selected advising centers and counseling offices around the world using GlobalPittsburgh’s strong relationships with government agencies and diplomatic channels. These channels include:
 EducationUSA, a U.S. State Department program designed to attract international students to the United States through a network of more than 400 advising centers in 170 countries around the world providing information and assistance to prospective students.
 Trade offices of U.S. Commerce Department and Pennsylvania Department of Economic & Community Development, which are committed to increasing international student enrollment in the United States.
 Education agencies and recruiters in targeted countries around the world.
 U.S. Embassies & Consulates around the world.
 Foreign Embassies & Consulates in the United States.

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Pittsburgh-Based Brother’s Brother Foundation Prepares Response to Super Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda

Pittsburgh-based Brother’s Brother Foundation (BBF) is working with the Philippine American Medical Society of Western Pennsylvania (PAMS of WP) to provide short term and long term assistance in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda which has devastated parts of the central Philippines.

BBF has worked with PAMS and other Philippine American groups for more than 30 years to send medical supplies to more than 30 Philippine hospitals.  PAMS supports medical assistance by ocean-going container shipments each year with BBF, and sends more than 70 medical volunteers annually to poorer parts of the Philippines.

BBF, a 56-year old Pittsburgh-based international charity, has provided over $3.5 billion of medical supplies, textbooks, food, seeds, and other humanitarian supplies to people around the world in over 140 countries.

With the help of gifts from the general public, corporations and foundations, in 2012 BBF sent product contributions to those in need in 66 countries including Burundi, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Liberia, Nicaragua, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Zambia.  These shipments were the equivalent of 297 tractor trailer loads.  Also in 2012, BBF provided supplies for 274 medical and humanitarian hand-carry mission trips.

Forbes Magazine highlighted BBF as one of five all-star charities in its November 2012 listing of the top 100 U.S. Charities, with a 100 percent rating for fundraising efficiency and charitable commitment. The Better Business Bureau continues to give BBF its “Wise Giving Alliance Standards” seal of approval.

Donations to assist with shipping costs are always accepted. One hundred percent of donations to BBF designated for Philippines relief will be used directly for relief purposes. Credit card donations can be made at www.brothersbrother.org or by calling BBF at 412-321-3160. Checks should be made to the Brother's Brother Foundation and sent to:
Brother's Brother Foundation/Philippines Relief
1200 Galveston Ave.                                    
Pittsburgh, PA  15233

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Pittsburgh Business Leaders Traveling to D.C. to Call for Passage of Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Business leaders from Pittsburgh are joining a Pennsylvania delegation traveling to Washington, DC., to push for passage of meaningful immigration reform this year.

The leaders are meeting with members of the state's congressional delegation urging them to support bipartisan immigration legislation that will create jobs and strengthen America’s communities and economy.

Dewitt Peart, president, Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce, said immigration reform is essential to the Pittsburgh region's continued economic growth.

“In the Pittsburgh region, our economy has recovered," Peart said in a statement. "Now, we have vacant positions that are going unfilled and more positions opening due to approaching retirements. We need more people and we need to put them to work. We are committed to preparing residents for the jobs that will be in high demand and we’re partnering with labor to support sensible immigration reform that’s needed for Pittsburgh and other regions to increase and maintain our economic vitality."

“Our universities are attracting and educating some of the world’s top talent in tech and other advanced STEM degrees," said Audrey Russo, CEO and President of the Pittsburgh Technology Council.  “Many of these students want to stay in the U.S. after graduation, yet we send them away to other countries to compete against us. If we don’t reform our immigration system to attract and retain top talent our country is going to lose its global competitiveness.”

Pennsylvania participants in the Washington trip include:

- Kevin Coutts, President, Forest Homes of Lake Wallenpaupack, Inc. and Vice President, Pennsylvania Builders Association
- Audrey Russo, President & CEO, Pittsburgh Technology Council
- Brandon Mendoza, Government Affairs Associate, Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce
- Alex Halper, Director of Government Affairs, Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry
- Fr. Bernard Survil, Diocese of Greensburg and Founding & Board Member of the Association of US Catholic Priests
- Peter Gonzales, President and CEO, The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians
- Anatoli Murha, Business Development and Marketing Manager, Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union
- Fr. Tom Higgins, Archdiocse of Philadelphia, Holy Innocents Parish

Attendees will advocate for an immigration reform solution that incorporates the following principles:

- Make low-skill temporary visas easier to obtain, so that the agricultural industry may have access to critical seasonal workers when needed.
- Border security must be included as a centerpiece of the legislation.
- Increased access to high-skill visas that will meet the demands of our growing economy.
- A solution for addressing currently undocumented immigrants, including children who were brought here young and grew up in America.
- An employer “e-verify” verification process that will ensure all employers follow the law without having to deal with unnecessary burdens.
- The group is headed to D.C. as part of the “Americans for Reform: Immigration Reform for our Economy, Faith, and Security” event. The event is a joint effort organized by the Partnership for a New American Economy, Bibles Badges and Business, The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and FWD.us.

Source: Pittsburgh Technology Council

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GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays Happy Hour Nov. 7 at Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grille in the Strip District

Come meet globally-minded people from Pittsburgh and all over the world to make new friends and learn more about different cultures at our GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays monthly happy hour on Thursday, Nov. 7 from 5:30-8:00 pm at Luke Wholey's Wild Alaskan Grille in the Strip District. Bring your friends, family and colleagues or come alone - we're a very friendly group!

GlobalPittsburgh First Thursdays is a regular monthly night of networking and socializing with different themes and different activities - but always with an international flavor - on the first Thursday of every month. It's an evening of friends, interesting conversation and good spirits with an international flair. Everyone is welcome!

Special features for the November event:
- Free admission for GlobalPittsburgh members
- GlobalPittsburgh Networking PASSport (see below)
- Complimentary appetizers
- Prize drawings
- Free seated massages from Massage Envy in Squirrel Hill

Get your GlobalPittsburgh Networking PASSport (attendance stamp card for members). Collect stamps and turn them in for free drinks and prizes.

Discounted membership registration when you sign up at the event. Get $10 off your individual or family annual membership. Signing a friend to be a member entitles you both to free drinks. If you are already a member and you bring a friend who becomes a member at the event, you will both receive free drinks! Online registration for your convenience. By registering online (link below) you will receive a free ticket to one of the drawings at the door.

REGISTER NOW!

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, do not hesitate to call 412-392-4513 or email nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org.

GlobalPittsburgh is looking to partner with small businesses and organizations for this event. We are offering the opportunity for you to promote your small businesses or organization at our event at a table, advertise your name on our social media, and announce our partnership during the evening. If you are interested in setting up a vendor table or simply would like to donate an item/gift certificate for the prize drawing, please contact Nadya Kessler.

Luke Wholey's is located at 2106 Penn Avenue in the Strip District.

Admission is FREE for paid GlobalPittsburgh members. Admission is $5 at the door for everyone else. Membership information will be available at the event, but you may also join GlobalPittsburgh now at www.globalpittsburgh.org/membership and get in free on the night of the event.

If you have questions or would like to set up a vendor table, please contact Nadya Kessler in the GlobalPittsburgh office at 412-392-4513 or by email at nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org. Photos from past First Thursdays and a few other GlobalPittsburgh events, activities, and programs can be viewed at www.flickr.com/photos/globalpittsburgh. See you there!

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Get Something in Return When You Support GlobalPittsburgh on Pittsburgh Day of Giving Oct. 3

Please support GlobalPittsburgh on the Pittsburgh Foundation’s 5th Annual Day of Giving on Thursday October 3.  If you’re planning on renewing your GlobalPittsburgh membership or purchasing tickets to GlobalPittsburgh CultureFest on Oct. 24, this is a great time to do it. The Pittsburgh Foundation provides partial matching funds to enhance your investment in GlobalPittsburgh’s programs, so your dollars go even further. It’s very simple (instructions below). And did you know our programs bring a quarter million dollars into the local economy every year?

Get your free GlobalPittsburgh
t-shirt when you invest $100
or more on Day of Giving!

Here are possible donation levels and what you will receive:
$50 for GlobalPittsburgh annual membership for individual, family or graduate student.
$70 for CultureFest ticket Oct. 24 (you will automatically be entered to win 2 tickets to Paris on Delta).
$100 or more – Membership, CultureFest ticket and GlobalPittsburgh t-shirt!

IMPORTANT – In order to receive credit for your membership or CultureFest tickets, you will need to forward your email receipt to us and tell us that you want credit. Send it to Nadya Kessler at nkessler@globalpittsburgh.org.

Instructions:
- On Oct. 3, go to http://www.pittsburghgives.org
- Click on Donate Now
- Enter your name, email and phone number in appropriate boxes.  Please note you must have a valid email address to receive a tax receipt for your donation.
- Select GlobalPittsburgh (Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors) from the drop down menu.
- Enter the amount you wish to give.
- Once you are ready to complete your transaction, click on Go To Checkout and you will be taken to the secure credit card payment page.

MasterCard and Visa are accepted for payment and you will receive confirmation of your donation and a tax receipt via email within an hour of the transaction. Remember to email us a copy of your receipt in order to get credit for your GlobalPittsburgh membership and/or CultureFest tickets. Thank you!

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