SSTI Digest

The Technology Opportunities Program (TOP) awards for FY 2000 went to 35 organizations in 27 states and  the District of Columbia. Recipients are located in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, California (3 awards), Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts (2), Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico (2), New York (2), North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon (2), South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee (2), Texas, Washington, and West Virginia. The $13.9 million in federal funds will be matched by $18 million raised by the grant recipients from their project partners and sponsors.

This past summer, researchers at Brown University conducted the first nationwide content analysis of state and federal government Web sites. The study, Assessing E-Government: The Internet, Democracy, and Service Delivery by State and Federal Governments, focused on features available on-line, the level of variation across the country and between state and national governmental sites, and how those sites respond to citizen requests for information. Researchers surveyed state and federal chief information officers, performed an e-mail response test, and analyzed 1,813 websites for content in their study.

The researchers report that e-government - the delivery of information and services online through the Internet or other digital means - has not reached its full potential and that quality varies widely from state to state, and from state to nation, and even within each state. Federal web sites were better at providing information and services than were the states.

Less than two years into his first term, Illinois Governor George Ryan has made tech-based economic development a leading priority. The cornerstone of the state's new commitment to science and technology is the $1.9 billion five-year Illinois VentureTech initiative, which was profiled in the February 18, 2000 edition of the SSTI Weekly Digest (see http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2000/021800.htm)

Under the leadership of Director Pam McDonough, the Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs (DCCA) is playing a crucial role in carrying out the Governor's S&T agenda. Several DCCA tech initiatives have been launched or expanded over the past 18 months:

SSTI will be closed October 2-4 to attend our annual conference, Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies. The offices will reopen on Thursday, October 5. Due to the conference, an abbreviated version of the SSTI Weekly Digest will be released on Friday October 6.

This summer, North Carolina joined a growing handful of states and regions that have completed innovation assessments or report cards to aid in the development and implementation of state’s science and technology policies. Tracking Innovation: North Carolina Innovation Index 2000 was released in conjunction with a high-tech cluster analysis and a new S&T strategic plan for the state entitled Mapping the Vision.

The plan and index are the culmination of Vision 2030: Science & Technology Driving North Carolina into the New Economy. The Vision 2030 Project was a 15-month effort involving more than 800 people and encompassing several studies, assessments, conferences, task forces, surveys and focus groups. The goal of the project was to both educate and challenge North Carolinians “to begin building the science and technology-based platforms needed to support North Carolina’s economy in the 21st century.”

The first $90 million has been awarded through NSF’s new program Information Technology Research (ITR) initiative. The goal of the program is to build US leadership in information technology (IT) through support of fundamental research and innovative applications of IT. The ITR program is designed to strengthen the nation’s IT knowledge base as well as the IT workforce.

Only 210 projects were chosen from the more than 1,400 proposals submitted. Sixty-two large projects, and averaging $1 million per year for three to five years, were funded (involving 41 institutions in 22 states). Each of the remaining 148 projects total $500,000 or less for up to three years; these went to 81 institutions in 32 states. The accompanying table presents the distribution of awards by state.

Earlier this week, Senator Conrad Burns from Montana led an effort to save the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Rural Outreach Program, which allows small businesses in rural America, with help from state and local assistance providers, to play an integral role in federal research programs.

The Senate version of the FY 2001 Commerce-Justice-State (CJS) appropriations bill does not include funding for the Rural Outreach Program. Burns and six Senate colleagues asked the author of the CJS appropriations bill to provide $2 million in funding for the Rural Outreach program. Co-signers included Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Kit Bond (R-MO), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Burns is the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Small Business Committee.

An educated populace is a key ingredient for a state's success in competing in a knowledge-based economy. Workforce development, digital divide, and income inequalities are all tied to the educational attainment of a population or group within a population. Educational Attainment in the United States, a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, reveals several positive trends in this area:

The Department of the Navy and NASA have each announced three federally-owned inventions that are available for licensing. Invention titles and contact information for each licensing opportunity are posted at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/092200t.htm

Thank you! The overwhelming response to Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies has resulted in the conference being sold out. With attendees from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, SSTI's fourth annual conference promises to be a great one. Please note, there will be no walk-in registration possible at the conference doors.

The Department of the Air Force will have an exhibit and representatives from two programs, the Dual Use Science and Technology Program (DUS&T) and the Commercial Operations & Support Savings Initiative (COSSI), at SSTI's annual conference. Each offers unique opportunities for technology-related businesses.

The goal of the Air Force DUS&T Program is to cost-share research projects with industry for the development of technologies that have military utility and sufficient levels of commercial potential. Successful projects occur when the service and the private sector identify and develop technologies that meet both defense and commercial needs. These projects are undertaken outside of the Federal Acquisition Regulations, utilizing instead, cooperative agreements thereby allaying some fears attributable to concern over property rights. Competition takes place on an annual basis. For more information, visit http://www.afrl.af.mil/dualuse

In a move designed to significantly improve access to higher education, California Governor Gray Davis signed legislation this week that will significantly expand the state's scholarship programs. Under the new legislation nearly one-third of high school graduates will receive scholarship assistance through the state's Cal Grant program, according to the bill's sponsors. The expansion means that students that maintain a high grade point average and come from middle to low-income families will have their tuition covered by the state of California for all four years of college. Additionally, a new scholarship program was created directed at the state's highest achievers in math and science.