SSTI Digest

More than $800 million for science, engineering, research, and commercialization activities



Each year a few state legislatures are more active than others on issues affecting efforts to grow tech-based economies. With $385 million for research infrastructure, $45 million committed to commercialization and seed financing, nearly $150 million for university and life science research, more than $300 million for college scholarships, authorization to create university commercialization centers, a series of tax credits, and $20 million for a biotech park, the recently concluded 77th legislative session in Texas was one of the busiest and most aggressive proponents nationally for technology-based economic development (TBED).

Collaborative partnerships between universities and industry, a long-standing element of many states’ tech-based economic development strategies, are not without significant issues that threaten to hamper their effectiveness and limit the promises of research, according to Working Together, Creating Knowledge: The University-Industry Research Collaboration Initiative. In addition to identifying the issues, the paper, based on a two-year study by the Business-Higher Education Forum, also presents different courses of action to overcome the challenges.



The report examines issues such as intellectual property, confidentiality, indirect costs, conflicts of interest, and background rights. Ownership of intellectual property, particularly when federal funding is involved, was cited as the most problematic area.



The report outlines recommendations and best practices for developing and maintaining successful partnerships, including:

The placement and retention of women in apprenticeships and positions in nontraditional occupations (A/NTO) has posed significant challenges in fields requiring high technology skills, including computer-based information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, transportation, utilities, and general services.



Now in its third year, the U.S. Department of Labor Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Grant Program promotes increased participation by women in these fields through placements and apprenticeships in NTO positions. Non-traditional occupations are defined as those in which women account for less than 25 percent of all persons employed in a single occupational group.



The 2001 solicitation for proposals in the program is currently open. Grants will be awarded to community-based organizations, or private non-profit organizations, through a competitive process. Proposals should document the following eligibility requirements:

On Thursday, the Department of Health & Human Services and NASA announced respectively 4 and 30 government-owned inventions available for licensing. SSTI has consolidated the announcements on the accompanying webpage: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/061501t.htm

The President intends to nominate John J. Young to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. Mr. Young has been with the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense since 1991.



Ann Lansinger, the director of the Baltimore's Emerging Technology Center, has been named the first president of the Maryland Business Incubation Association, a new organization representing the state's eight publicly funded incubators in the state.



SSTI has learned through the KTEC SBIR Bulletin that Clyde Engert will be retiring as Vice President of Innovation & Market Research at KTEC on July 1, 2001. Mr Engert has been a long-active champion of state SBIR outreach and financial assistance. His services will be missed by Kansas companies and the national SBIR community.