Monterrey International City of Knowledge: The Vision

"The Growth of Knowledge-Based Small Firms in Monterrey, Mexico" by Elsie Echeverri-Carroll: Monterrey, in the Mexican state of Nuevo León, long has been known for its large industrial enterprises and heavy industry. Today, however, the city is transitioning to a more knowledge-based economy marked by tech startups and innovation. "Monterrey International City of Knowledge: The Vision" by Jaime Parada: The strategic goal of the Monterrey International City of Knowledge Program (MICK), launched in November 2004, is to build a knowledge-based economy for the region based on innovation, using the talent and creativity of the region’s more than four million citizens.IC2 Institut

An orphan gene is necessary for preaxial digit formation during salamander limb development

Limb development in salamanders differs from other tetrapods in that the first digits to form are the two most anterior (preaxial dominance). This has been proposed as a salamander novelty and its mechanistic basis is unknown. Salamanders are the only adult tetrapods able to regenerate the limb, and the contribution of preaxial dominance to limb regeneration is unclear. Here we show that during early outgrowth of the limb bud, a small cohort of cells express the orphan gene Prod1 together with Bmp2, a critical player in digit condensation in amniotes. Disruption of Prod1 with a gene-editing nuclease abrogates these cells, and blocks formation of the radius and ulna, and outgrowth of the anterior digits. Preaxial dominance is a notable feature of limb regeneration in the larval newt, but this changes abruptly after metamorphosis so that the formation of anterior and posterior digits occurs together within the autopodium resembling an amniote-like pattern

Survey of Texas Hispanic-owned Businesses with Paid Employees

This report analyzes a survey of 2,811 Texas Hispanic-owned firms with paid employees conducted in 2011. The findings presented here build on results from the 2007 Survey of Business Owners (U.S. Census Bureau) and identify challenges to growth among Texas Hispanic-owned firms with employees. These firms were responsible for the vast majority of economic activity (sales, employment) among Texas Hispanic-owned businesses in 2007, despite representing only 9 percent of all Hispanic-owned businesses in Texas. Key findings reported in the study include the importance of the need for management and leadership training among the owners and their employees; the need for communication training; and the need for improved access to public- and private-sector customers. Case studies of individual companies illustrate the survey findings.Bureau of Business Researc

The IC² Institute: A Think and Do Tank

An introduction to the the IC² Institute's work in Latin America.IC2 Institut

Japanese Style Networks and Innovations in High-Technology Firms in Texas

Discusses U.S.-Japanese competitiveness and how it might affect policy and the high-technology industry. Describes Japanese knowledge and spatial networks with a focus on their contribution to innovations. Discusses previous studies on the high-tech industry, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of different criteria used to classify firms as high-tech firms. Discusses an analysis of employment trends in the main high-tech regions in the U.S. Applies a new classification of high-tech establishments for study and presents the results from an empirical analysis of the contribution of knowledge networks and spatial proximity to the innovation performance of high-tech firms in Texas. Argues that policies designed to enhance regional development through innovation should take into account whether local or non-local knowledge linkages are more significant for innovation.Japan Industry and Management of Technology (JIMT) ProgramIC2 Institut

Regulation and Competitiveness of U.S. Businesses: Is It Time for a Competitive Impact Statement?

This report addresses the question of whether there is a need for a Competitiveness Impact Statement (CIS) attached to proposed legislation in the U.S. A review of the literature on the cost of complying with federal regulations for U.S. businesses, and its effect on U.S. competitiveness, concludes that the lack of reliable data at the industry level leads to contradictory results. The report includes a history of executive and Congressional oversight of federal regulations from the Nixon through Clinton administrations, and a comparison with the European experience. Among the report's findings: in 2004 the total cost of federal regulation for U.S. businesses was $648 billion, and the cost per employee was$5,633, a 4.1 percent increase over 2000. Most studies of the cost of compliance with environmental regulations show no serious effect on industrial competitiveness, but studies do not account for the cost of other types of federal regulations. The authors call for better data collection in order to support the comparison of the cost of regulation across industries and across countries.IC2 Institut

Why Are Small High-Technology Firms in Texas Not Competing?

High-technology firms compete globally by bringing products to market quickly and efficiently. In a recent sample of high-technology companies in Texas, 84% reported the introduction of a new process or product during 1994-96. However, only 33% introduced new products and processes faster than their competitors. A key question for policymakers then is: why are most small high-technology firms in Texas not competing in this dimension? During 1996-97, the Bureau of Business Research (BBR) and IC2 Institute at the University of Texas at Austin addressed this question in a study of 1,772 Texas high technology firms.IC2 Institut