SSTI Digest

The Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania has issued a Request for Proposals to develop an asset-mapping study of the nanotechnology sector in the four-state Philadelphia Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. A key objective of the engagement is to facilitate comparison of the region’s Nanotechnology sector with other regions and benchmark performance in this sector to enable longitudinal comparisons in the future. Another primary objective is to provide data and analysis critical to informing policy decisions for the Nanotechnology Institute. The study would secondarily provide information that could be used to promote Greater Philadelphia’s role as an early leader in Nanotechnology. Proposals are due August 15, 2001. More information is available from Robert E. Gittler, Coordinator, Regional Initiatives, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern Pennsylvania at robert@sep.benfranklin.org The RFP can be downloaded at http://www.sep.benfranklin.org/rfp.pdf

The Rhode Island Technology Council (RITEC) is launching a benchmarking survey this week of the state’s information technology (IT) industry to determine how the council and state economic development organizations can be most effective at addressing the sector’s needs in light of the continued restructuring of the national IT industry. The survey includes two components: a company survey to collect demographic and compositional information on the industry; and an IT professional survey for skill and training assessment. Conducted in partnership with the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation and the Economic Policy Council, the survey results will be compiled and released in September. For more information, visit http://www.ritec.org

Brain drains and a lack of technically skilled workers, both scientists and engineers, are commonly heard complaints of state and local tech-based economic development practitioners across the country. But are federal and state innovation policies part of the problem? Paul M. Romer, of the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, says yes in Should the Government Subsidize Supply or Demand of in the Market for Scientists and Engineers? Conclusions drawn from several studies indicate problems on the supply side are likely to continue for some time. A June survey from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) reveals the number of bachelor degrees awarded in engineering peaked at more than 77,000 in the mid-80s. During the past decade, while the demand for technical positions soared, the number of all engineering degrees awarded dropped to 63,000. Things are not bad, however, in all engineering fields; the number of biomedical and chemical engineering degrees granted doubled during the same time period. Romer feels that U.S.…

Women made significant progress in the sciences over the last two decades, but gains have stalled — and in some cases eroded — in engineering and computer sciences, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW). The downturn comes despite effective new programs to increase women's participation in these fields.  Balancing the Equation: Where Are Women and Girls in Science, Engineering and Technology? notes several reasons to advance women in the sciences, including the economic imperative to increase the technological and scientific literacy of America's workforce. At a time when U.S. industry cannot fill openings for technically advanced jobs, the talents of women are underutilized, reports NCRW. Equally important, the report says, are the perspectives women bring to the sciences, often leading to different decisions on allocating research dollars, targeting drug-testing protocols, and developing technology to benefit communities.  The report analyzes strategies to attract women and girls to science and retain them…

With federal support for the National Institues of Health increasing substantially each year -- to the point now that NIH supports more than 50 percent of the federal basic research budget -- and some states directing millions of dollars each year into health and biotechnology research, one might stop to ask: is it worth it? If an objective of states' supporting basic research is economic development, and only five to seven percent of federally funded basic research is conducted by private industry according to the National Science Foundation, then the transfer from universities and additional "spillover" of academic research into the local economy must be significant to warrant long-term investment. So is it?  An increasing library of econometric studies have been prepared looking at the influence of academic spillovers on issues such as corporate patenting and productivity (several have been discussed in the SSTI Weekly Digest: see 6/01/01, 11/17/00 and 8/25/00). A recent discussion paper released by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, using the…

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge will deliver the keynote address at Creating Opportunity: Tools for Building Tech-Based Economies, SSTI’s Fifth Annual Conference, which will be held September 19-21, 2001 at the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh.  Gov. Ridge is recognized nationally as one of the leading governors in technology-based economic development. Under his leadership, the state has implemented a number of technology-based initiatives, including Pennsylvania New Economy Technology Scholarships; the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse; the Pennsylvania BioTech Strategy, which includes the creation of three Life Science Greenhouses; and, Lightning Manufacturing.  With more than 20 sessions and four concurrent sessions running throughout the conference, this year’s conference will be the largest that SSTI has ever held. Topics to be covered include: organizing angel investor networks; slowing the brain drain; extending economic benefits of the New Economy to all regions; developing and implementing a tech-based economic development strategy;…

Albany, New York  The Times Union reports the second coming of the Center for Economic Growth Technology Council, which, after eight years on hiatus, held a kick-off event Wednesday to launch several ambitious goals: establish two business accelerators, develop a technology roadmap of the region’s R&D assets, offer business and technical consulting services, and expand the area’s venture capital networking activities. The paper reports one of the accelerators will be geared toward nanotechnology firms. More information is available at: http://www.ceg.org/ Beatrice, Nebraska  County economic development officials are teaming up with the local power company and Southeast Community College to establish an information technology business park, according to a July 18 Omaha World Herald article. Construction has started on the first 9,100 sq. ft. building which is expected to be attractive for businesses needing space for call centers and data processing divisions, the paper states. The college will offer businesses training services and part-time student labor.…

The National Science Foundation has released Federal Funds for Research and Development: Fiscal Years 1999, 2000, and 2001, Vol. 49, presenting 111 detailed statistical tables.  Tables 56-79 characterize federal R&D and R&D plant obligations at universities & colleges by basic versus applied research, by agency and by field of science for 1999, 2000 and 2001. Tables 82-87 present the 1999 data by geographic distribution (by state). This data can be standardized by population for interpretation.  To present a different, perhaps more meaningful, perspective on the distribution across states, SSTI has prepared a table which provides the 1999 federal R&D and R&D plant obligations as an average per employed doctoral scientist and engineer in the state. The untested hypothesis is that R&D obligations would be a function more of the availability of an appropriately skilled labor pool to conduct research, rather than the total population.  The table presents per capita federal R&D obligations by…

George Atkinson is taking a year-long leave of absence from his position as a professor in chemistry and optical sciences at the University of Arizona to serve as the first American Institute of Physics science fellow at the U.S. State Department.  Margie Emmermann has been named Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce. For the past seven years, Ms. Emmermann has been the state's policy adviser to Mexico and liaison to the Hispanic Community.  The National Science Foundation has named Judith A. Ramaley as the Foundation's new Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources (EHR). A biologist, Dr. Ramaley served most recently as president of the University of Vermont.  New Technology Week reports William Schneider, president of International Planning Services, has been picked to chair the Defense Science Board.  Dennis J. Sysko is serving as interim president of the Anne Arundel County High Technology Council, following the resignation of president John G. Rice. Mr…

George Atkinson is taking a year-long leave of absence from his position as a professor in chemistry and optical sciences at the University of Arizona to serve as the first American Institute of Physics science fellow at the U.S. State Department.&nbsp

Margie Emmermann has been named Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce. For the past seven years, Ms. Emmermann has been the state's policy adviser to Mexico and liaison to the Hispanic Community.&nbsp

The National Science Foundation has named Judith A. Ramaley as the Foundation's new Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources (EHR). A biologist, Dr. Ramaley served most recently as president of the University of Vermont.