Florida is going backwards. At least thats what an esteemed think tank claims.
The California-based Milken Institute’s 2008 State Science and Technology Index, released Thursday, ranks all 50 states according to their ability to leverage their science and technology assets to achieve economic growth.
For the Sunshine State, the news was fairly gloomy. The institute ranked Florida 37th overall, down from 32nd in 2004 and 29th in 2002.
Despite efforts to become a center for biotechnology, Florida received mediocre grades in the five measures of economic competitiveness: research and development inputs; risk capital and entrepreneurial infrastructure; human capital investment; technology and science work force; and technology concentration and dynamism.
Florida’s performance is particularly disappointing because of the professed commitment by political leaders to sharpening the state’s competitive edge
