SSTI Digest

NASA has announced the selection of 25 additional 1998 Phase II R&D recipients under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The new awards bring the total for the 1998 NASA SBIR Phase II awards to 128. Twenty-five firms in 12 states were selected for the new awards. Four of the companies selected are considered disadvantaged firms and three are women-owned firms. Each project may receive up to $600,000 over a two-year period. The state distribution of these new awards is available on the NASA SBIR Website: http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/sbir98/98ph2/add98state.html  

The Department of Education has posted 13 white papers presented during its July 1999 Conference on Technology. The conference and papers focused on evaluating the effectiveness of technology in education. Among the titles are two covering the experiences of Idaho and West Virginia: "The Idaho Technology Initiative: An Accountability Report to the Idaho Legislature on the Effects of Monies Spent through the Idaho Council for Technology in Learning" and "WEST VIRGINIA STORY: Achievement Gains from a Statewide Comprehensive Instructional Technology Program." The papers, conference agenda and "spotlight schools" can be viewed at: http://www.ed.gov/Technology/TechConf/1999/  

Virginia, through its Office of the Secretary of Technology and Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), has created a unique collaborative public-private partnership to increase Internet access and e-commerce capabilities for Virginia's businesses. In December, CIT and Virginia Tech launched VirginiaLink, a multi-vendor, broadband telecommunications program providing businesses with inexpensive advanced telecommunications services such as Internet access and voice, data, and video capacity. To participate in VirginiaLink, businesses must join the VirginiaLink Consortium, a cooperative permitting individual small companies to bundle their purchases to take advantage of volume discounts available to larger buyers. Companies particularly expected to benefit from the program are smaller firms in rural parts of the Commonwealth. VirginiaLink is a new approach for a state science and technology program to take to overcome the issue of inequities in Internet access. In concept, VirginiaLink is a twist on the farmers' cooperatives formed to increase the economies of scale and selling…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued several requests for research proposals during the past month that may be of interest to Digest subscribers and their clients. The following are requests whose deadlines occur during the next two months. The Office of Research and Development (ORD)in partnership with NASA’s Office of Earth Science (OES) is soliciting grant applications to establish Estuarine Indicator Research Programs. These programs will be designed to identify, evaluate, recommend, and potentially develop new, innovative indicators of ecological conditions. A total of $6 million in funding will be awarded to four programs that include plans for large geographical areas. The deadline for applications is March 7, 2000. For more information, contact http://www.epa.gov/ncerqa and click on “announcements.” The Pollution Prevention Incentives for States grant program expects to have $5 million available to award in the area of reduction or elimination of pollution across all environmental media and in strengthening state…

The 18 governors who comprise the Western Governors’ Association (WGA) have agreed to create a Western High Technology Council to serve as a strategic alliance among states, technology firms and universities to advance the region's common interests in the technology-driven and knowledge-based New Economy. Hawaii Governor Ben Cayetano, WGA Chairman, proposed the idea at the WGA winter meeting held in Las Vegas during December. The governors asked Intel, Silicon Graphics, and other interested companies to work with university partners and WGA staff to develop a business plan for the proposed council. A concept paper prepared for the governors' discussion suggested the Council's membership initially include 15 to 20 high-level representatives from information, health, and biotechnology industries and leaders from academia and the public sector. The paper also suggests that the council form broad-based work groups comprised of stakeholders and academia to develop recommendations on specific issues. Any council recommendations developed in the next six months…

The SSTI Weekly Digest has typically focused on state and federal activities in technology-based economic development. This special issue of the Digest, however, focuses on the important role that foundations can play in technology-based economic development by: Examining opportunities presented by foundations’ use of “program-related investments,” Suggesting resources for identifying foundations that may be effective S&T partners, Providing an example of foundations’ activities in one sector – the environment, and Announcing a funding opportunity currently available from one foundation.

At first glance, the Baltimore-based Abell Foundation’s quiet contribution of almost $25 million over the past ten years to support local economic development may not raise much interest from state and federal technology-based economic development professionals across the country. However, the reaction might be different after learning that most of the investment was to emerging businesses in the form of venture capital. The Abell Foundation has created a venture fund to support a variety of industries, and invests in companies either located in Baltimore City or willing to relocate there. The foundation’s approach is to partner actively with the management teams of their portfolio companies, and often helps in hiring, raising further rounds of financing, refining corporate strategies, and even obtaining space and establishing first offices for seed-stage companies. The amount of capital invested in any one company can vary between a few hundred thousand dollars to about $3 million. Abell’s activities are described by the Foundation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the…

The Foundation Center is an independent, nonprofit organization established in 1956 with the mission to “foster public understanding of the foundation field by collecting, organizing, analyzing, and disseminating information on foundations, corporate giving, and related subjects.” Audiences include grant seekers, grant makers, researchers, policymakers, the media, and the general public. The Foundation Center's extensive online library of the country’s largest 10,000 philanthropic organizations is available by monthly subscription. A CD Rom directory of 50,000 philanthropies, as well as several other directory and guides, are also offered. The Center provides several additional publications, grant writing workshops, and research tools for prospective grant recipients. Philanthropy News Digest, a free electronic newsletter published by the Foundation Center, includes current funding announcements, job announcements, press releases and news information. Last week's edition included several links to additional sources of information on foundations and funding opportunities. Archive editions…

This decade saw a significant increase in public and private investment in environmental technologies and programs. Confronting environmental issues will remain a challenge for many years to come. Many philanthropic foundations are focusing their grants and investments toward environmental concerns. From areas of interest as diverse as sustainable agriculture to eliminating industrial hazardous waste, foundations are funding a variety of environmental programs and projects. State-funded environmental science and technology initiatives, and in some cases, their client technology businesses, are eligible to apply for many different foundation giving programs. The following are two examples with links for obtaining more information. The Heinz Endowments The Heinz Endowments have been formally active in the environment since 1994. In 1997, the foundation provided more than $11 million to support various environmental programs. Four strategic themes guide the environmental program’s grantmaking, including: Eliminating waste; Harnessing the power of the market…

The PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government is offering three funding opportunities that will support new approaches to improving the effectiveness of government at the federal, state, local and international levels. Competitive research grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to individuals working in universities or nonprofit organizations for the development of research papers in one of the following five areas: leveraging technology redefining public service for the 21st century managing for results: the nuts and bolts of government transforming public sector organizations leveraging the private sector The Endowment also will support Thought Leadership Forums, 2-3 day executive conferences bringing together 25-30 participants to address one of the above areas. Forums are to be hosted by academic institutions or nonprofit organizations and may receive up to $20,000 from the Endowment to offset conference costs. Through the Senior Executive Service Leadership Program, the Endowment supports 2-4 month research sabbaticals for…

The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has invited public comments on the draft Statement of Principles for the Government-University Research Partnership. The complete December 21, 1999 Federal Register notice, including the draft Statement of Principles, may be viewed at the following web address: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/122399t.htm   The original draft of the principles was published last spring in the National Science and Technology Council report, Renewing the Federal Government-University Research Partnership for the 21st Century. Since then, OSTP has been working in consultation with major research universities and associations to refine the principles. Some of the correspondence and documentation of that dialogue may be found on the “Policy” webpages of the Association of American Universities: http://www.tulane.edu/~aau/AAUPolicy.html   The intent of the statement of principles is to define the partnership by broader national goals, instead of the current, ad hoc practice of definition by detailed accounting, administrative, and financial…

The Community Development Venture Capital Alliance (CDVCA) currently has three positions available: Investment Officer, Consulting Coordinator, and Director of Research & Training.  CDVCA is an association of community development venture capital funds that provide equity financing to businesses in inner-cities and economically distressed rural areas throughout the United States and around the world. They promote use of the tools of venture capital to create jobs, entrepreneurial capacity, and wealth to advance the livelihoods of low-income people and the economies of distressed communities. Descriptions of all three positions may be viewed on the CDVCA website (http://www.cdvca.org) or the SSTI Jobs Corner webpage.