SSTI Digest

Last Friday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded 19 grants through the NIH Institutional Development Award (IDeA) Program to biomedical research institutions located in states that had not fully participated in NIH funding in the past. Created in 1993, the IDeA Program is designed to enhance biomedical research capacity building among academic institutions and research institutions within the eligible 23 states and Puerto Rico.

States eligible to apply for IDeA grants are those that received less than $70 million in NIH funding from 1994 to 1998 or had an NIH grant award success rate of less than 20 percent over that period. In 1998, investigators from the 23 eligible IDeA states and Puerto Rico accounted for only eight percent of the total number of research grant applications received by NIH.

Totaling approximately $165.5 million over five years, the new IDeA grants were made to:

During the past two weeks, the Milken Institute has issued two similar reports documenting the difficulties and successes minority- and women-owned business have accessing capital.

The Minority Business Challenge: Democratizing Capital for Emerging Domestic Markets presents new findings and several specific recommendations to sustain minority businesses growth. The findings include:

The National Science Foundation’s Division of Educational System Reform is funding cooperative agreements with 13 urban school districts: Birmingham, Chattanooga, Chicago, Fresno, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis, Nashville, Newport News, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia to improve K-12 mathematics and technology education. The awards are aimed at districts that already have improvement programs in place. The funds will help them expand current programs in science, mathematics, and technology as well as initiate new activities so all students have access to the programs.

State science and technology initiatives have been given higher profile in California as the state's lead economic development department changes its name to the Technology, Trade, and Commerce Agency. The new Division of Science, Technology and Innovation, led by Deputy Secretary Joe Raguso, will oversee the state's tech-based economic development efforts. In addition to assuming the responsibilities of the Office of Strategic Technology, the new division will also be responsible for science and technology-based strategic planning, developing funding programs to address the state's digital divide issues, and managing the state's Small Business Development Center program. Two new advisory councils, the California Research and Development Council and the Small Business Competitiveness Council will be created to advise and assist the new division.

The Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are offering for license several government owned patents, inventions and a trademark. A description and contact information for each opportunity are posted on the following SSTI webpage:  http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/101300t.htm

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has recommended awards for 24 projects in communities around the country to help translate knowledge gained from basic research into new products, businesses and services, as well as to provide workforce education and training opportunities focused on innovation. Totaling more than $14 million, each averaging about $600,000 over two or three years, the first-ever Partnerships For Innovation (PFI) awards cover projects in 20 states and Puerto Rico.

The PFI program is designed to build creative interactions in local communities between colleges and universities, government agencies, foundations and private corporations. Each partnership is tailored to help a specific community better position itself to accommodate research and development at the local and regional level, with the goal of advancing local economic and educational opportunities.

Projects valued at $274 million in private and federal funding were selected under the Department of Commerce’s Advanced Technology Program. From more than 400 proposals, ATP selected 54 projects in a broad range of technologies including pharmaceutical design, tissue engineering, industrial catalysts, energy generation and storage, manufacturing technologies, electronics manufacturing, computer software and electro-optics. Most of the awards (40) went to small businesses either as stand-alones or as the lead in an industry joint venture. Additionally, some 30 universities will be involved as joint-venture partners or as subcontractors.

Recipients were selected in 21 states: California leads with 13 projects and $34.6 million; in four projects, Texas garnered $27.5 million; Illinois received the next largest amount of funding in its three projects totaling $17.1 million; and Massachusetts received six awards for $11.5 million.

Thirty years of disappointing results in U.S. math and science education is enough, according to Before It’s Too Late, the final report of the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century (commonly referred to as the Glenn Commission, after its chair, former Senator John Glenn). The Commission states in the report that it “makes only a few straightforward points, but it makes them urgently and insistently” if the United States is to improve math and science education.

Through a year-long study, the Commission has concluded the greatest opportunity for change and improvement lies in the quality of the teaching pool for math and science education, “Many classes in these subjects are taught by unqualified and underqualified teachers.” As a result, the Commission has outlined several specific action strategies along three broad goals:

Dr. Norman P. Neureiter has been sworn in as Science and Technology Adviser to Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. In his capacity as Science and Technology Adviser, Dr. Neureiter will work directly with the most senior Department officials to ensure strong leadership on science-related issues. He will chair a senior-level science policy committee at the Department and will serve as the Department's principal liaison with the science, engineering and technology community -- in government, academia, and the private sector -- to promote active, long-term partnerships and to identify common objectives.

Advanced Technology Program The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology is accepting applications for three leadership positions: the Deputy Director for ATP, the Director of the Economic Assessment Office, and Director of Information Technology and Applications. Starting pay for all three positions is $115,811 - $130,200. Position descriptions and application procedures are available at the following webpages:

SSTI will be closed October 9 for observation of Columbus Day. We will reopen Tuesday, October 10.

This week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the establishment of four new Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) and two new Engineering Research Centers (ERCs).

Materials Research Science & Engineering Centers The MRSECs will explore innovative materials and stimulate the integration of research and education in the field of materials science. NSF will invest $24 million over five years in the new centerst to be located at the California Institute of Technology, the University of Oklahoma/University of Arkansas, Pennsylvania State University, and the University of Virginia. Each award is initially for five years, and continued NSF support is possible through competitive review. State governments and industry partners will also contribute substantial support to the new centers.