SSTI Digest

Jeffrey Skolnick has been named executive director of the new Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics based at the University of Buffalo. In introducing Skolnick, Governor Pataki confirmed the new state budget includes $50 million for the center, according to the May 10 issue of the Buffalo News.

Members of the House Science Committee introduced legislation this week that would place the National Science Foundation (NSF) on a track to double the agency's budget in five years. The bill, H.R. 4664, authorizes a 15 percent increase for NSF for each of the next three years.

The proposal is similar to the bipartisan effort to double the budget for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which should be completed with the FY 2003 appropriations. While doubling the NIH budget included support from both the Clinton and Bush Administrations, proponents for doubling NSF's budget have yet to win over key people in the Bush White House, including John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science & Technology Policy.

SSTI has compiled the 2001 statistics from the ten federal agencies participating in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program to help states gear up for the next round of competition for the Federal and State Technology Partnership and Rural Outreach Programs (FAST and ROP, respectively). SBIR statistics are also used by several states as one measure or indicator for innovation indices and S&T report cards.

For each of the 10 agencies, 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the table provides the number of awards, number of proposals, and the award-to-proposal percentage or conversion ratio as a measure of success or futility. SSTI's table of 2001 SBIR Phase I statistics is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/050302t.htm

Earlier this week, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Michigan Business Roundtable released a benchmarking study that used 140 indicators across seven areas to compare the state's competitiveness with 17 other states.

Entitled Benchmarks for the Next Michigan: Measuring Our Competitiveness, the study reveals Michigan ranks 2nd among Midwest/northern states and 9th in terms of overall competitiveness. Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, Virginia and California are the top five states overall. Using a Competitiveness Foundations Web Model developed by SRI International, the study reveals that high business costs continue to be Michigan's greatest competitive weakness, ranking 42nd of all 50 states.

According to the report, the states included in the analysis were selected by the following criteria:

Savannah, Georgia CyberGeorgia, a pilot effort of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism (GDITT) and the Business and Education Technology Alliance of Southeast Georgia to create more tech-based companies outside the Atlanta metro region, was launched last month in Savannah. According to the April 17 issue of the Augusta Chronicle, the program will include an incubator, investment matching services, intellectual property assistance, and a connection between the area universities and new tech businesses. If successful, GDITT anticipates creating similar centers in other regions of the state, the paper reports.

Washington Technology Center is seeking someone to become the first full-time program manager for the Northwest Energy Technology Collaborative. The Collaborative is a public-private partnership committed to accelerating the emergence of the Pacific Northwest's energy technology industry. The Collaborative seeks to build market-based programs that support businesses, entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and policymakers to address challenges facing this emerging industry. The successful candidate will have demonstrated his/her effectiveness in building high-impact, effective partnerships and will bring exceptional communication skills, energy and business understanding to the position. Responsibilities will include raising additional funds to make the position permanent. The full job description can be found at: http://www.watechcenter.org/wtc/employment.html

Marv Clement, former manager of Entrepreneurial Programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, retired in April 2002.

Bob Filka, vice president of strategic initiatives for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is leaving to become chief operating officer of the Michigan Broadband Authority Board. William Rosenberg will become the new board's first director.

Alex Fisher, chief of staff for Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, is leaving to become the director of technology transfer and economic development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Marv Clement, former manager of Entrepreneurial Programs at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, retired in April 2002.

Bob Filka, vice president of strategic initiatives for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, is leaving to become chief operating officer of the Michigan Broadband Authority Board. William Rosenberg will become the new board's first director.

Alex Fisher, chief of staff for Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist, is leaving to become the director of technology transfer and economic development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Molly Lambert, secretary of the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development since 1998, is resigning July 1 to become head of the Vermont Captive Insurance Association. The Agency is comprised of the Departments of Economic Development, Tourism and Marketing, and Housing and Community Affairs.

Dramatic increases in research and development (R&D) investments during the past decade, largely from industry, have contributed to U.S. standing as a global economic power, according to Science and Engineering Indicators 2002, a biennial report of the National Science Board. The U.S. had $244.1 billion in R&D investments in 1999, an increase of nearly $33 billion from 1997, the report shows. In addition, the U.S. accounts for 44 percent of the total worldwide investment in R&D — an amount equal to the combined total of Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany and Italy. R&D investments by U.S. industry, S&E Indicators reports, have contributed to a steady stream of innovations and spurred economic growth, increasing per-capita income. The report adds that changes in the conduct of research and development also have led to transformations in other areas, including a growth in science-based patents and an increased level of high-tech exports.