SSTI Digest

Dr. Lura Powell, Director of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) since 1995, has decided to take early retirement from the National Institute of Standards & Technology and pursue career opportunities in the private sector. Because of the voluntary early retirement option deadline, Dr. Powell’s retirement was effective September 30.

Dr. Powell joined the then-National Bureau of Standards in 1972 in the Center for Analytical Chemistry and held several research and management positions before being assigned to establish the NIST Biotechnology Division in 1991. She received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for leadership of ATP and the Silver Medal for building the NIST biotechnology research program.

Cita Furlani, who is currently serving as the Acting Deputy Director of the ATP, will take over as Acting Director of the ATP, subject to departmental approval.

With last week’s release of “The Maryland Innovation and Technology Index 1999,” Maryland became the latest state to release an “S&T report card” as they are also sometimes called. Indices have become popular tools for benchmarking a state’s or region’s comparative position across several technological, economic, and social statistical indicators. Interest in using broad metrics to assist in the definition of specific state science and technology policy has grown so rapidly that the subject was one of the most requested sessions for the upcoming SSTI annual conference. The Maryland Index compares the state to five other East Coast states along 42 statistical indicators categorized among three groups:

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology is seeking to fill two positions at its Gaithersburg headquarters. Both positions — an Evaluation Program Leader and an Evaluation Specialist — will work on MEP program evaluation, economic impact measurement, and data interpretation efforts. Resumes will be accepted until the positions are filled. Full position descriptions are available for review on the SSTI website (follow the S&T Job Corner link at http://www.ssti.org )

Phil Singerman, the head of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Adminstration, was named president of the new Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation.

Candidates are sought for a Senior Executive position (Salary $100,000+) to provide visionary and high level leadership for the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, a new statewide technology transfer and commercialization nonprofit organization. Resume and salary requirements must be submitted no later than July 12, 1999.

The full description can be found on the SSTI website (http://www.ssti.org) following the "Job Corner" link.

[Note: The position is filled]

The expected economic benefits from the Advanced Technology Program far outweigh program costs, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The report, Advanced Technology Program Performance of Completed Projects, Status Report Number 1, was prepared by economist William F. Long of Business Performance Research Associates Inc. The report provides the most detailed examination to date of the outcomes of the earliest ATP projects.

The study covers all 38 ATP projects completed by the end of March 1997, documenting research accomplishments, subsequent work by the companies to commercialize the results, and near-term outlooks for the technologies. It also lists the reasons for failure of 12 other terminated projects that were selected between 1991 and March 1997.

The November 20 SSTI Weekly Digest article on the current Advanced Technology Program (ATP) competition should have stated the following information on ATP's indirect cost policy:

for single proposer projects, ATP will fund only direct costs; the company must cover its indirect costs. Large businesses submitting single-company proposals must support 60 percent or more of total project costs which may include both direct and indirect costs. for joint venture projects, industry must pay at least 50 percent of the total project costs. ATP's portion may include both direct and indirect costs.

Two ATP proposers' conferences will answer additional questions on ATP's policy toward indirect costs and many other issues. Those conferences will be held:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) has issued a request for public comment on several changes to ATP rules.

The most important change would simplify the project selection criteria. Although the new selection criteria will retain the major elements required under the old system, the five project selection criteria, each with different "weights" and lists of subcriteria, will be replaced by a two-part system:

(1) projects will be evaluated for their scientific and technological merit, and

(2) for their potential for broad-based economic benefits, with both parts weighted equally.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and its nationwide network of centers are stepping up efforts to help smaller manufacturers avoid being bitten by the "millennium bug." The Stamford, Conn.-based GartnerGroup, a leading authority on information technology issues, has reported that as of 1997, 88 percent of all companies with fewer than 2,000 employees had not yet started Year 2000 remediation projects.

"Many companies that are addressing problems with their computer systems may be overlooking potential problems embedded in other systems such as machine controllers and telecommunications," said Kevin Carr, director of the NIST MEP.

MEP centers nationwide will be conducting seminars to raise smaller manufacturers' awareness and understanding of the problem and helping client manufacturers assess their systems to determine if they have problems. If needed, MEP centers also will help smaller companies plan remediation.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) has launched a new Internet website entitled the ATP Alliance Network. The website is designed to aid organizations interested in applying for an ATP Joint Venture award.

Joint R&D ventures are potentially a powerful tool for attacking difficult research tasks. By collaborating, companies can share the costs and risks associated with long-term, high-risk R&D, and so reduce the burden to each individual firm.

Topics on the ATP Alliance Network include:

Dr. Rita R. Colwell, the current President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a former member of the National Science Board, has been nominated by President Clinton to serve as the next deputy director of the National Science Foundation.

Raymond Kammer was sworn in as eleventh director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on November 12. Kammer had been NIST's deputy director since 1993. Robert Hebner had been acting director of the agency since the position was vacated by Arati Prabhakar in March.