For three decades, the SSTI Digest has been the source for news, insights, and analysis about technology-based economic development. We bring together stories on federal and state policy, funding opportunities, program models, and research that matter to people working to strengthen regional innovation economies.

The Digest is written for practitioners who are building partnerships, shaping programs, and making policy decisions in their regions. We focus on what’s practical, what’s emerging, and what you can learn from others doing similar work across the country.

This archive makes it easy to explore years of Digest issues, allowing you to track the field’s evolution, revisit key stories, and discover ideas worth revisiting. To stay current, subscribe to the SSTI Digest and get each edition delivered straight to your inbox.

Also consider becoming an SSTI member to help ensure the publication and library of past articles may remain available to the field. 

NSF Names New Assistant Director for Engineering

Dr. Elbert L. Marsh has been named to head the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Engineering. Dr. Marsh will now assume responsibility for all engineering funding at the federal agency--in excess of $300 million in 1995.

Dr. Marsh has served as deputy assistant director for engineering since 1991. Before joining NSF, he worked as an engineer at the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He holds a B.S. for the University of Pennsylvania, an M.S. from the University of Minnesota, and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.

Read More

NSF STCs Reviewed

The Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (COSEPUP) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and Institute of Medicine (IOM) has completed a review of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Science and Technology Centers (STC) program. COSEPUP recently released its conclusions which call for the continuation of the STC program, with some modifications.

The Committee concluded that most STCs are producing high quality, world class research that would not have been produced without the center structure. It found that the design of the STC program has been effective overall and fits well within NSF's strategic plan. Strengths of the STC program design include the open competition across NSF research directorates and the focus on long term commitment to complex research projects.

Read More

Company R&D Funding Rises as Federal Support Declines

Increased company support of R&D offset reduced Federal funding in 1994 and contributed to an overall increase in U.S. industrial R&D, to $119.6 billion, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Industrial Research and Development for 1994.

The Survey shows that firms spent $119.6 billion on research and development (R&D) in the United States, 2 percent more than during 1993. Company funding continued to increase, from $94.6 billion to $97.1 billion, as it has each year since 1953. Federal funding decreased from $22.8 billion to $22.5 billion, continuing a trend that began in 1988. After adjusting for inflation, company-funded R&D rose 0.6 percent and Federally funded R&D fell 3.5 percent.

Read More

S&E Indicators Available

Science and Engineering Indicators - 1996 is available from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Science Board. The report is both a reference document and a policy document that provides an extensive array of data. The 1996 report has expanded to include output as well as input indicators as well as some indicators of the impact and outcome of science and engineering in the U.S.

Some of the new topics in the 1996 report include:

Read More

Engineering Research Center to Focus on Environmental Issues in Semiconductor Manufacturing

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) have created the NSF/SRC Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing. The new center will study the environmental, health, and safety aspects of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Through the center, which will be housed at the University of Arizona, scientists and engineers from Arizona, MIT, Stanford, and UC-Berkeley will address the semiconductor industry's concern for a more environmentally sound manufacturing process. The Arizona ERC will work in partnership with firms from the semi-conductor industry that will contribute to the strategic planning of the research program.

Read More