SSTI Digest

TOP Reauthorized and To Grow, Says Senate Commerce Committee

The Technology Opportunities Program (TOP), a highly-competitive, merit-based grant program for stimulating digital network technologies in the U.S., might survive after all. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation adopted S. 1478 on July 31, reauthorizing the National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) for four years and effectively restoring funding for TOP. Under the reauthorization act, NTIA would receive $18.9 million in 2004 and $21.2 million annually by FY 2008. TOP, which was proposed for elimination by the Bush Administration, would receive $15.9 million in FY 2004, $16.3 million in FY 2005 and $17.9 million in FY 2008.

Climate change. Global warming. Foreign oil dependency. Natural gas prices. Ozone alerts. Brownouts. Increasingly, energy related items grab the headlines, copy space and news coverage across America.

Strategies for dealing with energy issues vary — and spark some of the most heated debates in federal public policy. More and more sides of the energy discussion see research, development and commercialization of renewable energy technologies, while historically receiving negligible federal funding relative to traditional energy R&D, as playing more prominent roles toward solutions to the country's energy issues.

Recently released information on per capita income by state reveals the dramatic impact the dot-com boom and bust, plus the economic slowdown has had on income levels. Analyzing per capita income from 1998 to 2002 indicates that during that time every state but Nevada saw their per capita income increase. However, almost half of the states (23) peaked in 2000 and their per capita income has declined since.

Two of the most critical issues in today's tech-based economic development (TBED) involve money — funding for companies and funding for TBED programs. That's why preceding SSTI's 7th Annual Conference, Building Tech-based Economies: From Policy to Practice, two intensive workshops will be held on October 20, 2003, that focus on financing: developing angel organizations to help increase the amount of capital available for entrepreneurial companies and exploring new strategies in financing TBED programs.

Large-Scale Biomedical Science: Exploring Strategies for Future Research

The Human Genome Project, considered by life scientists to be their first foray into "big science," has paved the way for future large-scale projects that promise to lead to faster improvements in human health. But no guidelines on how to organize and fund such initiatives in the biomedical sciences have been available — until now.

A new report from the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies fills this gap by describing how the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies should select, fund, launch and evaluate large collaborative biomedical projects, and how their scientific staff should be trained and retained.

Rod Casto was recently appointed to the position of Associate Vice President for Economic Development in the University of South Florida's Office of Research. Mark Laurenzo also has been named the new Deputy Director of the Division of Patents and Licensing in the USF office.

The nonprofit Challenger Learning Center of Alaska Board of Directors recently announced the hiring of Sharon Gherman as its new Executive Director. Gherman was the former K-12 program executive for the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation.

Rod Casto was recently appointed to the position of Associate Vice President for Economic Development in the University of South Florida's Office of Research. Mark Laurenzo also has been named the new Deputy Director of the Division of Patents and Licensing in the USF office.

The nonprofit Challenger Learning Center of Alaska Board of Directors recently announced the hiring of Sharon Gherman as its new Executive Director. Gherman was the former K-12 program executive for the Alaska Science and Technology Foundation.

Jacques Koppel, president of Minnesota Technology, Inc. since 1991, announced his resignation on July 28. Under Mr. Koppel's leadership, MTI worked with more than 5,600 manufacturing and technology companies around Minnesota, helping the state's economy realize gains of more than $700 million in the process. MTI's Board of Directors has appointed Frank Starke interim President to lead the organization during its transition from a quasi-state corporation to a private nonprofit corporation.

The SSTI Weekly Digest will be taking a brief summer break and will resume publication on Friday, August 22.

Before ending its 2003 session, the Rhode Island legislature signed off on nearly all of the technology-based economic development (TBED) initiatives at the core of Gov. Donald Carcieri's strategy to help the state rebound from the down economy. First outlined in his Feb. 4 State of the State Address (see the Feb. 14 Digest), the governor's multi-faceted approach includes many key pieces to building a stronger tech-based economy: business-university partnerships to advance and commercialize technology, entrepreneurial assistance for tech firms, increased investments in academic R&D capacity, incentives to encourage tech commercialization, access to early-stage capital, and the tech-skill competence of the workforce.

Specifically approved by the state legislature were:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced earlier this week the availability of $6 million in USDA Rural Development grant funds to support rural economic and community development efforts.

USDA's Rural Community Development Initiative provides funds to help nonprofit, community-based development organizations, federally recognized Indian tribes and low-income communities improve their ability to develop rural housing and community facilities and to improve economic growth. Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. Recipients are required to obtain matching funds from non-federal sources.