SSTI Digest

The state-by-state results for the 2000 SBIR Phase I awards — as reported individually by the 10 participating federal agencies and compiled by SSTI --- are presented in the accompanying table. Totals may not reflect new awards or cancellations made by an agency after the initial selection announcements. Abstract information for funded SBIR projects may be obtained on each agency’s SBIR website. Easy links are available from the DOEd SBIR web side: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/SBIR/links.html 

Editor’s Note: For the skeptical Digest reader that viewed our assertion in last week’s issue that there is an average of at least one incubator-related article published somewhere in the country each day. Since we have several clippings on hand, it is easy to provide more examples of the continuing explosion of communities and states using non-profit incubators as tools for developing and expanding tech-based economies. Due to space considerations, a list of 17 more local incubator stories published in the last nine days alone is provided on the accompanying web page.

President Bush has nominated Los Angeles resident Hector Barretto to serve as Administrator of the Small Business Administration.  Philip Psilos is the new Director of Economic & Technology Policy for the National Governors' Association.  Timothy A. Klein has been selected to become the Associate Administrator for Innovation, Research, and Education for the U.S. Department of Transportation.  SSTI extends its congratulations to Bruce Gjovig, Director of the Center for Innovation in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for his induction into the North Dakota Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. 

President Bush has nominated Los Angeles resident Hector Barretto to serve as Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

Philip Psilos is the new Director of Economic & Technology Policy for the National Governors' Association.

Timothy A. Klein has been selected to become the Associate Administrator for Innovation, Research, and Education for the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

SSTI extends its congratulations to Bruce Gjovig, Director of the Center for Innovation in Grand Forks, North Dakota, for his induction into the North Dakota Entrepreneur Hall of Fame. 

With the slowdown in the economy, there is widespread concern about the kind of painful belt-tightening which occurred in the states in the early 1990s. Because of this perception and the rapid change in so many states’ fiscal situations, the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) released this week a new survey to update its January 4, 2001, State Fiscal Outlook for 2001. NCSL found that 33 states -- down from 44 reported only seven weeks earlier -- still report that revenues are on target or above forecasted levels for the current fiscal year. The likely reason for the 11-state decrease is lower than anticipated November and December revenues. Medicaid and increased funding for education are the two main expenditures pressuring states’ budgets.  States most affected by the slowdown are located in the South and in the Great Lakes region: Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. 

On February 26, President Bush issued a memorandum to 21 departments, agencies and other executive offices to create an Interagency Working Group on Federalism. The group is to:  a) Identify initiatives that promote principles of federalism, such as: 

Release of the first solicitation of proposals for the new $3.5 million Federal and State Technology Partnership (FAST) has been delayed until the end of March, according to attendees of the National Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Conference held in Tulsa this past week. SSTI's March 1 presentation regarding FAST (a 16-slide Powerpoint file) is available by email request to skinner@ssti.org

The headlines of many tech and business publications scream of massive Internet incubator layoffs, closures, and restructuring. The rapid rise and fall of these organizations has left some local tech-based economic development practitioners wondering if encouraging the growth of incubator facilities is a worthwhile strategy to pursue. Closer scrutiny of the incubator phenomenon of the last few years, however, reveals many communities and states are increasing their investments in facilities to encourage technology start-ups at the same time for-profit incubators are closing. 

The National Science Foundation has published online the latest edition of the annual series: Science & Engineering State Profiles: 1998-99. By presenting one-page statistical summaries for each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, Profiles provides rankings, state and US figures for easy reference across 30 science and engineering statistics as well as the distribution of federal R&D obligations by department and performer.