SSTI Digest

Candidates are sought for a Senior Executive position (Salary $100,000+) to provide visionary and high level leadership for the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, a new statewide technology transfer and commercialization nonprofit organization. Resume and salary requirements must be submitted no later than July 12, 1999.

Maine Governor Angus King, Jr. and Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology Gary Bachula signed a letter of partnership last week that links the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) with a variety of organizations in Maine. Bachula heads the Department of Commerce's Technology Administration (TA), which includes NIST.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has released the program description and request for proposals for the FY 2000 Commercial Operations & Support Savings Initiative (COSSI). COSSI, a joint program of the Army, Navy and Air Force, is designed to develop and test a method for reducing Defense operations and support costs by inserting commercial items into fielded military systems.

The Federal Energy Technology Center (FETC) of the Department of Energy has released the "Multi-Layer Ceramic Fuel Cell Research" Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit basic and applied research applications to advance the art of high temperature solid state fuel cell design and manufacturing.

The agency anticipates awarding a total of $1.8 million in first-year funding through the solicitation. There is a mandatory 20 percent cost share required for each proposal. The contemplated award instrument is a cost-reimbursement cost sharing contract. The solicitation is open to individuals, educational institutions, large and small businesses or all other organizations.

In the June 11, 1999 SSTI Weekly Digest, a mistake was made. The Great Midwest Venture Capital Conference has not yet selected any of the 30 presenting companies for the 1999 conference. The deadline for applications is August 27. More information on the registration process can be found at the conference website: www.greatmidwestvcc.com 

The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Utilities Service has released the application guide for the 1999 Distance Learning & Telemedicine (DLT) Program. The DLT program provides financial assistance for schools, libraries, and rural medical services to acquire equipment and telecommunications facilities for optimal service delivery.

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences Division of Materials Research has announced that approximately $22 million will be awarded in FY 2000 for grants to support 10-15 Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs).

Adjusted for inflation, state R&D expenditures grew at an average annual rate of 3.3 percent between 1965 and 1995, compared with the nationwide R&D spending growth of 2.5 percent per year for the same period, according to What is the State Government Role in the R&D Enterprise? This report was issued by the Research and Development Statistics Program of the National Science Foundation's Division of Science Resource Studies.

The Ninth Annual Great Midwest Venture Capital Conference will be held November 8-9, 1999 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Indiana Business Modernization & Technology Corp. (BMT) is seeking applications from emerging technology businesses to present their business profiles and capital needs to a variety of potential investors at the event.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies has issued the solicitation for the Inventions and Innovations Program (IIP). The competitive program provides financial assistance for establishing technical performance and conducting early development of innovative ideas and inventions. Selected projects must have significant energy savings and future commercial market potential.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking nominations for the fourth annual Tibbetts Awards. Named after Rowland Tibbetts, who established the first Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program at the National Science Foundation more than 20 years ago, the award recognizes outstanding contributions of small firms, projects, organizations and individuals involved in SBIR.

The Global Venture Forum is a business development event sponsored by the Osaka Chamber of Commerce to help Japanese and foreign firms find Japanese partners for investment, trade, distribution, and global business.