SSTI Digest

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has several solicitations open currently. Four opportunities of particular interest to the S&T community are highlighted below. These and additional funding opportunities from NSF can be found on a web page that conveniently lists the solicitations by deadline: http://www.nsf.gov/home/deadline/deadline.htm 

This past winter, the National Science Foundation (NSF) released most of the statistical tables compiled from the 1998 surveys of federal, academic and industrial research and development expenditures. Also included are early release tables presenting federal support for science and engineering to universities, colleges and nonprofit institutions. These early releases provide researchers and data users — including state science and technology programs completing innovation indices — the most timely statistics available on the topics. The full reports will be published on the web later this year. Following are brief summaries of early release tables currently available:



Academic R&D

The series of 74 tables of academic research and development expenditures for 1998 include eleven tables presenting the data geographically and/or by state and 34 tables by individual institution. Five more tables address R&D expenditures at university-administered federally funded research and development centers.

Virginia, through its Office of the Secretary of Technology and Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), has created a unique collaborative public-private partnership to increase Internet access and e-commerce capabilities for Virginia's businesses. In December, CIT and Virginia Tech launched VirginiaLink, a multi-vendor, broadband telecommunications program providing businesses with inexpensive advanced telecommunications services such as Internet access and voice, data, and video capacity.



To participate in VirginiaLink, businesses must join the VirginiaLink Consortium, a cooperative permitting individual small companies to bundle their purchases to take advantage of volume discounts available to larger buyers. Companies particularly expected to benefit from the program are smaller firms in rural parts of the Commonwealth.



VirginiaLink is a new approach for a state science and technology program to take to overcome the issue of inequities in Internet access. In concept, VirginiaLink is a twist on the farmers' cooperatives formed to increase the economies of scale and selling power of small farmers. VirginiaLink differs from traditional cooperatives, however, in that all profits from the effort will flow to the contracted service providers, not the Consortium nor its member businesses. CIT will manage the Consortium and administer the individual contracts of the underlying providers. Also, the seven regional CIT offices will serve as marketing agents for the service. Virginia Tech will provide technical assistance and advice to the VirginiaLink program on a cost-recovery basis. No state subsidies are provided to the program.



Through March, CIT is offering an introductory offer for one-year consortium memberships. Any Virginia business can join the consortium for only $100 per location with a maximum cost of $1,000 for any firm. Service resellers and ISPs can join for $500 with a $2500 per year maximum. After the March 31st deadline, CIT may re-evaluate the membership fee structure. Contracted service providers currently include Sprint and MCI Worldcom. More information can be obtained online at: http://www.virginialink.net  

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is offering approximately $1 million in financial assistance for the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing Cooperative Research Program (PATH CoRP). PATH encourages the development of innovative housing components and systems, designs, and production methods as well as projects that reduce the amount of time needed to move quality technologies to the market place.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has made a first round of grants to researchers at 31 institutions nationwide under a new program enabling talented graduate students and advanced undergraduates in science, mathematics, engineering and technology to serve as teaching fellows in K-12 schools.



The grants, made under the NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program, will go to institutions in 24 states from New York to Hawaii, as well as Puerto Rico. The multi-year awards were made after reviewing proposals from 157 institutions in 46 states. Collectively, the 31 new grants, totaling $13.4 million for the first year, will fund about 300 graduate and 100 undergraduate students annually.



Planned as a pilot effort in 1999, the program received such a positive response from colleges and universities that NSF allocated more funds than originally planned. A formal program has been requested and approved by Congress as part of NSF's 2000 budget.



Graduate students in the GK-12 program will receive annual stipends of $18,000, plus a cost-of- education allowance. Undergraduate students will receive as much as $5,000 per academic year, plus up to an additional $5,000 for service in the summer.



Academic institutions that offer graduate degrees in science, mathematics, engineering and technology can apply for two to three-year awards ranging from $200,000 up to $500,000 per year. The institutions are responsible for selecting the teaching fellows.



The accompanying table, http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/110599t.htm,   presents the awards for 1999. For more information on the program, contact Sonia Ortega at (703)306-1697 or by e-mail sortega@nsf.gov  

A five-university partnership led by Vanderbilt University (TN) will develop bioengineering educational technologies and curricula at a new Engineering Research Center funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Through a five-year, nearly $10-million cooperative agreement, the center will support and enhance the education of a new generation of bioengineers needed to strengthen the industry.

Ten individuals and five institutions have received the 1999 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring. The mentoring awards honor those whose personal and organizational activities have increased participation of underrepresented groups in mathematics, engineering and science from kindergarten through graduate level.

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP), managed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, has selected 37 projects from the 1999 solicitation to receive awards. Recipients will share $110 million of ATP funding for high-risk R&D projects with the potential to spark important, broad-based economic benefits for the United States. ATP funds will be matched by at least $102 million from private industry.

Total annual research and development (R&D) expenditures — expected to pass $247 billion in 1999 — have grown 7.2 percent over 1998 levels (adjusted for inflation), according to a recent Data Brief from the National Science Foundation. Growth in R&D expenditures has been accelerating since 1995. The annual real R&D growth for 1995-99 is expected to average 6.1 percent. Almost all of the growth is attributed to a resurgence in industrial R&D.

Anne Armstrong has been named CEO for the Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology.

Catherine Renault, managing director of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, has accepted a position with Advantage Consulting.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has committed almost $94 million over the next five years in matching funds for five new Science & Technology Centers (STC). The new centers join 23 existing centers that were selected in 1989 and 1991. (Two more original STCs cease to exist.)