SSTI Digest

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), received $7.6 billion in FY09, $174 million above the 2008 appropriation. Science and Technology activities, including research and development activities, are funded at $790 million in FY09, $30 million above the FY08 appropriation. Science and Technology programs include: Air Toxics and Quality - $106 million Climate Protection Program - $17 million Enforcement - $15.5 million Homeland Security - $64 million Indoor Air - $1 million IT, Data Management and Security - $4 million Pesticide Licensing - $6 million Research - $496.5 million Clean Air - $99 million Clean Water - $105 million National Priorities - $5 million Human Health and Ecosystems - $228 million Land Protection - $13 million Sustainability - $20 million Pesticides and Toxics - $26.5 million Climate Change programs received $232 million in FY09, $39 million above the 2008 level. The new appropriation includes: $68 million for priority climate change research at the U.S. Geological Survey; $50 million for EPA's Energy Star Program; $16 million to implement the Energy Independence and Security Act, including $10 million to…

NASA received $17.8 billion in FY09, a 2.2 percent increase from the previous fiscal year's amount of $17.2 billion. It is distributed as follows: Science - $4.5 billion for work in the themes of earth science, planetary science, heliophysics, and astrophysics; Aeronautics - $500 million to expand aeronautical R&D; Exploration - $3.51 billion for facilities, operations and R&D of space exploration; Space Operations - $5.76 billion to support operations like the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station; Cross-Agency Support Programs - $3.31 billion for necessary expenses not otherwise provided; and, Office of the Inspector General - $33.6 million to prevent and detect waste, fraud, waste and mismanagement within NASA. Under the Science Directorate, $1.44 billion supports earth science projects, $1.33 billion goes to  planetary missions, $1.2 billion is for astrophysics work (which includes $207 million for the Hubble telescope), and $606 million is allocated for research into stars. NASA's Constellation program, which includes building the next generation of manned space vehicles, received $2.9 billion, the Space Shuttle program…

In FY09, the National Science Foundation received $6.49 billion, a 5.9 percent increase of $363 million over FY08. More than three-fourths of the total supports non-defense research and related activities, 13 percent will be for education and human resources, and 2.3 percent of the total is for major research equipment and facilities construction. While the omnibus bill does not specify the funds going towards the various research components within the NSF, it mentions by name certain projects and their levels of funding: The EPSCoR program is appropriated $133 million, of which $70 million is to go towards track 1 research infrastructure improvement awards. Additionally, the NSF is directed to provide no less than $600 million for investments and activities in the 26 ESPCoR jurisdictions. $102 million for the Plant Genome Research Program (PGRP). $82.3 million for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), an international astronomy facility in Chile. $51.4 million for the AdvLigo project to improve the detection of gravitational waves. $49.8 million for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). $11.3 million for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory to be…

Several regional commissions and authorities receive annual federal appropriations for economic improvement activities within specific geographic regions, including the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority and Denali Commission. Appalachian Regional Commission - $75 million to achieve socioeconomic parity in the 13-state, 420-county region concentrated around the Appalachian Mountains; Delta Regional Authority - $13 million to assist transportation and public infrastructure, skill training, and economic development projects in the eight-state, 252-county region in close proximity to the Mississippi River; and, Denali Commission - $11.8 million for the purchase, construction, and acquisition of plant and capital equipment, as well as job training and economic development services in rural Alaska.

The enacted budget sets funding for the Small Business Administration (SBA) at $546.6 million for FY09, excluding funds for the disaster loan program. Most of SBA's capital programs and its contracting and counseling programs have had their appropriations boosted above FY08 levels. The budget act grants SBA the authority to back $17.5 billion in 7(a) loans and $7.5 billion in 504 loans to provide long-term capital for small businesses. SBA's Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) program, received authority to back $3 billion in investments in private equity funds. The Surety Bond Guarantee Fund, which guarantees bond for small contractors, received $2 million in funding to leverage $1 billion in surety bonds. SBA's Microloan program was allocated $2.5 million to leverage more than $21 million in microloans to help provide entrepreneurs with access to small loans. Other TBED-related SBA programs include: Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) - $110 million, including $1 million for Veterans Assistance and $1 million for energy efficiency programs; Women's Business Centers - $13.8 million to assist women-owned firms; Microloan Technical Assistance - $…

SSTI has an effective new learning tool for TBED policymakers and practitioners seeking guidance in approaches to building and sustaining tech-based economies. Through exclusive interviews with Excellence in TBED Award recipients, find out first-hand how these award winning initiatives successfully responded to a critical need by applying innovative approaches to generate substantial economic gains for their region. Connecticut Innovations Eli Whitney Fund 2007 Winner for the Increasing Access to Capital category Listen to a nine-minute clip of SSTI's interview with Peter Longo. Connecticut Innovations, through its Eli Whitney Fund, provides critical early-stage funding of up to $1 million to support research, development and marketing efforts in emerging technology companies. Applying private sector…

Inconceivable? Unconscionable? Inexcusable? Which word best conveys what is happening to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program? Perhaps all of them. The SBIR program will expire March 20 unless Congress acts before that date. No SBIR-related legislation has been considered by either chamber of Congress since the current session began in early January, and without action by Congress by March 20, the program expires. SBIR could be attached to some other bill before the deadline, but there is no indication at this point that that is going to occur. It is inconceivable that one of the most successful federal programs to support the commercialization of innovation will be allowed to expire at the same time the country is desperately seeking investments to prepare the nation for the next economy. As SSTI has reported, significant portions of the Recovery Act are focused on investing in the future. Green technologies. Alternative energy. Information and communication technologies. Smart tech. SBIR should play an important role in that - just as it has supported the early development of a number of important technologies and tens of thousands of…

Several of Gov. Tim Kaine's energy and job creation proposals were included in the approved revisions to Virginia's current two-year budget passed by the General Assembly last month. Lawmakers, faced with a projected $ 3.7 billion deficit, made revisions and incorporated federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to amend the budget. Legislators passed a measure proposed by Gov. Kaine to merge the Innovative Technology Authority (ITA) and the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission into a single entity named the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority. The new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Investment Authority will continue the work of the ITA - the governing body of the Center for Innovative Technology - with heightened responsibilities regarding the oversight of R&D efforts, according to the governor's office. The authority is charged with developing a strategic roadmap for the state identifying research areas worthy of institutional focus and incorporating the strategic plan for each of Virginia's research universities. The revised budget uses federal stimulus money to boost funding…

On Monday, President Obama signed an executive order concerning embryonic stem cell research in addition to signing a presidential memorandum that strengthens the influence of science-based decision making in the executive branch of the federal government. The executive order consists of three main points. It revokes previous presidential executive orders limiting federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, it supports the NIH conducting responsible and scientifically worthy research with human embryonic stem cells, and it requests the Secretary of Health and Human Services to review and issue new guidelines concerning human stem cell research within 120 days. Instead of restricting access for scientists who receive federal funds to 21 embryonic stem cell lines created before August 2001, researchers can now use federal support to access other stem cell lines. While President Obama's order broadens opportunities for federal stem cell research funding by lifting previous executive orders issued by former President Bush, it remains to be seen if Congress will impose new or additional restrictions through legislation. But how will the president's…

Savannah's Creative Coast Alliance (TCCa) and the Savannah Economic Development Authority recently announced that they would provide up to one year of free rent for game designers to take up residence at the region's new Game Development and Digital Media Center. The offer is intended to promote the city's image as a center for game design and help provide local opportunities for graduates from the Savannah campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Savannah College of Art and Design's (SCAD) Interactive Design and Game Development Program. For the past five years, SCAD has sponsored the annual Game Developers eXchange, a national event for the industry that has drawn greater attention to the region. In the press release announcing the free rent offer, TCCa bills Savannah as an alternative for companies looking to establish an East Coast presence with a low cost-of-living, high quality-of-life and a rich talent pool. The release also highlights the incentives the state of Georgia has put in place over the past few years to entice game developers. Last year, the Georgia Department of Economic Development expanded the Entertainment Industry Investment Act to…

The following overview is a synopsis of select recent announcements from research parks across the nation, including groundbreakings and development plans to support vibrant regional economies based on science, technology and innovation.  The University of Missouri Mizzou Innovation Center is the anchor research tenant in the new Missouri Innovation Park - a 500-acre knowledge-based science and technology park being developed by the City of Blue Springs and the university. The project will support public research organizations, private businesses, and other research-related organizations establishing business clusters that focus on commercializing technological innovations. Initial seed capital is provided by the Blue Springs Economic Development Corporation, the City of Blue Springs and Kansas City Power & Light. Tenants are expected to move into the research park within the next five to 10 years, reports the Columbia Daily Tribune. Plans for a 350-acre biomedical research campus in Kansas City were unveiled last month by Oxford Redevelopment Company. The proposed development, which is called Oxford on the Blue, is part of an overall concept…

The SBA's Office of Advocacy has produced its 2008 Small Business Profiles for every U.S. state, which assembles from a variety of sources the most recently available data across a number of topics. For example, the quarterly impact of firm openings, expansions, contractions, and closings on the number of establishments and employment in 2007 is provided. Also for 2007, demographic information on each state's workforce, bankruptcies, bank branches, and value of business loans is available. Other features, such as the breakdown of the number of firms and level of employment across different industry categories in 2006, and the net job change by firm size from 2002 to 2005, comes from the U.S. Census Bureau. The profiles, which are published in various forms back to 1995, are available at: http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/profiles/