The Tech Valley Global Business Network (TVGBN) is a volunteer-based collaboration of five area business membership organizations dedicated to providing education and networking opportunities for expanding international trade in New York's Tech Valley. TVGBN is open to any member of the Albany-Colonie, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Southern Saratoga Chambers of Commerce and the Center for Economic Growth.

This year, GBN is excited to continue hosting our programs, which contributes once more to increasing networking opportunities for companies in Tech Valley interested in international business. Find out more details about the upcoming TVGBN events from our Events page.  . For More Information, please visit www.tvgbn.org or contact the chamber at 274-7020

Washington, DC -- U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced yesterday that $30 million in funding from the Recovery Act and FY 2010 budget appropriations will be made available to qualified small businesses to support the commercialization of promising new technologies. Today's funding announcement builds on the Department's existing efforts under the Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer program (STTR) to develop near-term clean energy technologies and support American small businesses that will play an important role in building the clean energy economy of the future. This is the first time DOE has offered Phase III awards under these small business programs.

A number of high-tech manufacturing sectors are emerging in parts of upstate New York despite the impact of the recession, according to a report released today by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The report highlights positive aspects of a sector that has otherwise seen major declines in jobs over the past several decades.

Do you want to hire staff? Are you waiting for the economy to improve?  Stop waiting.  There are new tax breaks for employers who hire unemployed workers. Congress just passed the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment, or HIRE Act, to help businesses begin hiring again.  Businesses who want to hire staff need to:

• hire people who have been unemployed for at least 60 days
• hire new workers between February 3, 2010 and January 1, 2011
• receive a 6.2 percent payroll tax cut (or their share of Social Security taxes) on wages paid between March 18, 2010 and December 31, 2010

For more information about how to qualify and apply visit http://www.labor.ny.gov/hireact.shtm