SSTI Digest

Increasing globalization of research and development (R&D) and the prolific growth of information technology (IT) are major elements in a "science and engineering enterprise that is in transition," the National Science Board (NSB) reports in Science and Engineering Indicators 2000.

The new S&E Indicators report emphasizes a changing context for the National Science Foundation, and for science and engineering, generally. According to Science Board chair Eamon Kelly, there has been rapid worldwide growth and emphasis in science and technology, heightened by broad collaboration among nations. Recognizing the trend, the NSB devoted portions of each of the nine chapters in the new S&E Indicators to international comparisons and global patterns in science, engineering, education and technology.

A call for action for states from the Northwest region was the result of Linking Regional Resources, a conference of approximately 150 business, government, national laboratory, and university representatives held in Seattle.

The roles for the states and federal labs were identified after two days of updates and brainstorming on the status of five Northwest market sectors: information technology, biotechnology, extractive industries, agriculture and food processing, and forest products. Participants discussed challenges and strategies for technological success. The group agreed that there is a need for states “to play a role in coordinating and integrating technology commercialization and development” within the region.

According to the conference proceedings, participants identified the three concepts with potential for the greatest impact:

How does E-commerce and the Internet affect copyrights for businesses, universities, organizations, and individuals in your state? The United States Copyright Office and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration invite public comments on the issue before August 4, 2000. Comments are sought specifically for the effects of the amendments made by Title 1 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, (``DMCA'') and the development of electronic commerce on the operation of Sections 109 and 117 of Title 17, United States Code.

The objective of Title 1 of the DMCA, enacted on October 28, 1998, was to revise U.S. law to comply with two World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaties and to strengthen protection for copyrighted works in electronic formats. The DMCA establishes prohibitions on circumventing technological measures that control access to a work protected under the U.S. Copyright Act.

The most comprehensive accounting of federal R&D investment in each state was released by the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy last Friday. Discovery and Innovation: Federal Research and Development Activities in the Fifty States, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico offers a wealth of information on federal research activity and investment in each state. 

The 700-page on-line publication provides a level of detail for federal research and development in each state that was not easily accessible before. For example, the individual state profiles, ranging in length from six to 32 pages, provide the following information: 

Oklahomans need “to make fundamental changes in the way we see ourselves and the way we do things...to prevent us from slipping farther and farther behind, languishing on the sidelines of the New Economy,” according to a 14-member committee of public and private sector leaders. 

Co-chaired by the State Treasurer and the Governor’s Chief of Staff, the committee was formed by the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) to study publicly-funded seed and venture capital initiatives around the country and make recommendations for Oklahoma. The committee found that “unless Oklahomans address some core perception and infrastructure issues, the existence of adequate and growing investment capital is impossible.” 



The committee identified five strategic directions to pursue: 

The Partnership for a New Generation of Vehicles (PNGV) remains in the news this week as the National Research Council released a report calling the program "an unqualified success." The report is the sixth completed by NRC since the inception of PNGV in 1993. For more information or to order a copy of the report, visit: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/9873.html 

The Rural Policy Research Institute, a consortium of Iowa State University, the University of Missouri, and the University of Nebraska, has published a Directory of State Assisted Venture Capital Programs on-line. The 17-page directory includes five sections listing: 16 publicly funded and publicly managed venture capital funds; 31 state-assisted private venture capital funds and quasi-public venture capital funds; 22 state tax credits or incentives for individuals or businesses making venture capital investments; 58 state sponsored or assisted angel networks; and 27 state-sponsored or assisted venture capital fairs. Each list is organized by state and includes contact information. The Directory can be downloaded from:

http://www.rupri.org/front.html

(Editor's Note: our thanks to NASVF for uncovering this story)



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Two venture capital associations and the Southern Technology Council are offering free electronic newsletters to the general public that may be of interest to SSTI Weekly Digest readers. Occasionally stories offered in these publications overlap with Digest articles, however, each provides additional information and perspectives for the S&T community.

The Community Development Venture Capital Alliance (CDVCA) distributed the first issue of its periodic e-mail newsletter this week, which includes updates on the organization and a discussion of the status of the Clinton Administration’ New Markets initiative and the Republican’s Renewal Communities proposal.