The 7 Best States to Start a Business
Ranking the states based on how friendly they are to entrepreneurs

When it comes to starting a business, the question of "where" can be just as important as "what," "why," and "how." Some states offer better business climates for entrepreneurs than others. And in today's economy, entrepreneurs need all the help they can get when launching a new business.

U.S. News decided to look at two comprehensive studies that take completely different approaches to measuring the friendliness of the 50 states to entrepreneurs: the
2008 New State Economy Index, by the Kauffman Foundation and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, and the Small Business Survival Index 2008, by the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council. 

They combined the rankings of these two studies to help come up with their list of the top seven states for starting a business. Click here to learn what they found.

Nevada Ranks #2 in Business Survival Index 
December 9, 2008--The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) released its 13th annual rankings of the states according to their public policy climates for small business and entrepreneurship in the "
Small Business Survival Index 2008: Ranking the Policy Environment for Entrepreneurship Across the Nation."

SBE Council chief economist Raymond J. Keating, author of the study, said: "The U.S. economy is in a serious downturn, and the outlook for a robust recovery seems remote. That means state and local policymakers face some very difficult decisions, especially on budget matters. Depending on the policy course that state lawmakers choose, they can either make the economic situation in their own state better or far worse."

In terms of their policy environments, the most entrepreneur-friendly states under the "Small Business Survival Index 2008" are: 1) South Dakota, 2) Nevada, 3) Wyoming, 4) Florida, 5) Washington, 6) Texas, 7) South Carolina, 8) Alabama, 9) Virginia, and 10) Colorado. The more difficult state policy environments for entrepreneurs include: 40) West Virginia, 41) Hawaii, 42) Iowa, 43) Vermont, 44) Massachusetts, 45) New York, 46) Minnesota, 47) Rhode Island, 48) Maine, 49) California, 50) New Jersey and 51) District of Columbia.

What CEOs are saying about Nevada
When Development Counsellors International (DCI) conducted its survey last summer, CEOs ranked Nevada as the 5th best business climate in the U.S. 
Click here to read what CEOs are saying about Nevada.  To download a copy of the full report, visit DCI's website by clicking here.

 
 
 

Procurement Outreach
INNOVATION NETWORK

This is an Initiative under the Procurement Outreach Program (POP) focusing on our technological and innovative companies as follows:
Perform the necessary research to identify markets, programs and specific business opportunities. Info will be posted on website.  Facilitate educational and networking events.
Work with individuals and firms on their market strategies to incorporate into their business plans.Provide the technical assistance needed to ensure project success.
Participate with outside resources (TVC, Angels, VC's, etc.)
Additional technology information is available through:

Advanced Concept/Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstrations (AC/JCTD)
http://www.acq.osd.mil/actd/

DODTechmatch
www.dodtechmatch.com/DOD/index.aspx

Air Force Research Laboratory
http://www.afrl.af.mil/

AF Shopping Mall
www.sbirsttrmall.com/Portal.aspx

U.S. Air Force Counterproliferation Center
http://cpc.au.af.mil/technology.htm

Department Homeland Security - Science and Technology
http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/structure/editorial_0531.shtm

Defense Research & Engineering
http://www.dod.mil/ddre/mainpage.htm

Chemical and Biological Defense/Chemical Demilitarization Programs
Business Opportunities
http://www.acq.osd.mil/cp/bus_opps.html

DEPSCoR (Scientific Research) Opportunities:
http://www.onr.navy.mil/02/baa/
http://www.arl.army.mil/main/main/default.cfm?Action=6&Page=8
http://www.afosr.af.mil/

Desert Research Institute
http://www.dri.edu/

Fed Connect – Federal Opportunities
https://www.fedconnect.net/FedConnect/

Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Center
http://www.nlmoc.navy.mil/

Homeland Security Technology Program
http://www.dhs.gov/xtrvlsec/programs/content_multi_image_0006.shtm

U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science
http://www.er.doe.gov/

NASA Innovative Partnerships Program
http://www.nasa.gov/offices/ipp/home/index.html

NASA OBPR Program
http://spaceresearch.nasa.gov/research_projects/ahst.html

National Science Foundation - Federally Funded R&D Centers
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf06316/

National Science Foundation - Science and Engineering State Profiles: 2005-07
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf08314/

National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) – Resource Center
http://www.nbia.org/resource_library/

National Technical Information Service
www.ntis.gov

NIST Technology Innovation Program
http://www.nist.gov/tip/

SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS)
http://www.dodsbir.net/sitis/quick_scan.asp

Small Business Technology Council
http://sbtc.org/

Small Biz Technology
http://www.smallbiztechnology.com/index.shtml

Bureau of Land Management, National Science & Technology Center
http://www.blm.gov/nstc/

U.S. Government Agencies
www.science.gov

USA.gov – Government Made Easy
http://www.usa.gov/Business/Business_Gateway.shtml

Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer  
http://www.federallabs.org/

Technical Support Working Group (TSWG)
www.bids.tswg.gov

Office of Scientific and Technical Information
www.osti.gov

Committee on Science and Technology
http://science.house.gov/subcommittee/research.aspx

Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State
http://www.arl.psu.edu/

American Electronics Association
www.aeanet.org

Nanotechnology Opportunities
http://www.nano.gov/html/funding/currentsol.html

Las Vegas Internet Chamber of Commerce
www.lvicc.com

DOD Liaisons
http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/liaisons/index.htm
 
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
www.osti.gov
 
Global Science Gateway
http://worldwidescience.org
  
Department Homeland Security - Science and Technology
http://www.dhs.gov/xabout/structure/editorial_0531.shtm

SBIR/STTR Programs
The National Small Business Innovative Research Program (SBIR) was created in 1982 to strengthen the role of small firms in federally supported R&D programs. SBIR is now a mature, proven program that has grown from an initial federal investment of $400,000 to a level of $1.5 Billion a year
 
SBIR’s can provide a unique source of seed capital for NV small businesses to explore technology-based innovations, develop new products or enhance existing products.
 
SBIR funds come in the form of either a contract or a grant. There are two levels of funding: Phase 1 which is up to $100,000 and six months and Phase 2 which is up to $750,000 and two years. At present, there are ten Federal Agencies participating in the SBIR program.  For links to Federal Agencies and the schedules of solicitations posted go to:
www.sbirworld.com
www.zyn.com/sbir
www.grants.nih.gov

Department of Defense - SBIR/STTR Liasons
http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/sbir/liaisons/index.htm