SSTI Digest

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) will hold a series of workshops in January and February to discuss the goals and priorities of Telecommunications Information and Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP), a grant program that funds innovative projects aimed at extending the benefits of advanced telecommunications and information technology to underserved Americans in rural and urban areas. Congress has appropriated $15.5 million for the FY 2000 grant round. The Notice of Availability of Funds announcing the upcoming competition will be published in the Federal Register in early January. The Technical Assistance Workshops will be held in three locations for schools, libraries, hospitals, public safety organizations, state and local governments, and other non-profit organizations eligible to apply for information technology grants. The purpose of these workshops is to provide the public with information about this federal grant program and enable interested parties to establish a partnership with the Commerce Department to enhance access to telecommunications and…

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has released its third annual Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. The report tracks and explores the implications of 30 performance indicators on the long-term growth and stability of the Massachusetts economy. When statistics are available, Massachusetts is compared to its “leading competitor states” of California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. This year’s report includes a special analysis of electronic commerce in Massachusetts. The section highlights policy implications of e-commerce and proposes several recommendations for industry, academia, and government. After preparing the Index for three years, MTC offers two new sections which demonstrate the relationship or relevance of the Index to state science, technology and development policies. “Lessons from the Index” highlights the strengths and weaknesses found through the process. “Implications for Action” focuses on three  concerns for future policy development: a continued shortfall of skilled workers in the face of an extremely tight…

The Federal Highway Administration has requested grant applications and research recommendations for the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot (TCSP) Program. Proposals will be accepted for FY 2001 projects to develop, implement and evaluate transportation strategies which improve the efficiency of transportation systems, reduce environmental impacts of transportation, reduce the need for costly future public infrastructure investments, ensure efficient access to jobs, services and centers of trade, and examine development patterns which achieve these goals. Entities eligible for funding consideration are limited to: states, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, tribal governments, and other local and regional public agencies. Public-private partnerships are encouraged. The Federal Highway Administration also requests that any interested parties submit recommendations for the FY 2001 TCSP research program. The goal of the TCSP research component is to build a knowledge base of related work to enable the development, through transportation activities,…

Colorado Governor Bill Owen has appointed 55 technology executives and public officials to serve on the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology. The Commission’s purpose is to issue a set of recommendations by late-2000 focused on enhancing Colorado's business climate and creating the technological infrastructure necessary to foster statewide growth of the high technology industry. Specifically, the group is tasked to: review Colorado's current tax, regulatory, and Internet policies and offer the Governor a set of recommendations to pursue as a basis for developing state-level governmental policies. assess Colorado's ability to benefit from national and global growth opportunities presented by the explosion in information technology, and to make recommendations designed to leverage public investment by creating more opportunities and incentives to foster the location and growth of high technology businesses throughout the state address the shortage of a qualified high technology workforce and to make recommendations on what industry, educators, and government can do to…

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fuels Development has issued Supplemental Announcement 04 to provide financial assistance in support of the DOE Biomass Program. The agency anticipates making several cooperative agreements in FY 2000 for 12-month research and development projects advancing new technologies that will increase the efficiency or lower the cost of producing and converting biomass to transportation fuels. Three specific interest areas are identified for the solicitation: biomass feedstock collection and storage; conversion technologies; and, pretreatment fundamentals. The deadline for submitting proposals is January 31, 2000. Interested parties must use information from the DOE Broad Based Solicitation (DE-PS36-00GO10482) as well as the Supplemental Announcement 04 when applying. For more information on these solicitations, visit http://www.eren.doe.gov/golden/solicitations.html

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is offering approximately $1 million in financial assistance for the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing Cooperative Research Program (PATH CoRP). PATH encourages the development of innovative housing components and systems, designs, and production methods as well as projects that reduce the amount of time needed to move quality technologies to the market place. PATH CoRP is seeking proposals in support of the four PATH program goals: Reduce the monthly cost of new housing by 20 percent (mandatory for all funded projects) Cut the environmental impact and energy use of new housing by 50 percent or more and reduce the energy use in at least 15 million existing homes by 30 percent or more. Improve durability and reduce maintenance costs by 50 percent. Reduce by at least 10 percent the risk of loss of life, injury, and property destruction from natural hazards and reduce by at least 20 percent residential construction work illnesses and injuries. Funded proposals must demonstrate that the innovation has the potential…

NASA has identified ten government-owned inventions that have been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and are available for licensing. Invention titles and contact information may be viewed at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/121799t.htm

Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull has announced the formation of the Arizona Partnership for the New Economy, a 35-member steering committee appointed to purse the following goals: Define the New Economy and its importance to Arizona; Assess Arizona’s current readiness and establish benchmarks for measuring progress; and, Develop strategies for correcting any perceived deficiencies in responding to the opportunities presented by the New Economy. Alan Hald and Ted Ferris were named as co-chairs of the committee. Hald is co-founder of MicroAge and Ferris serves as the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff and policy advisor on economic matters. Other members of the committee come from high-tech industry, financial and investment firms, business and trade associations, academia, the media, and the general public. The Governor asked the Partnership for the New Economy to conclude its work by October 2000, so that she can present a comprehensive set of recommendations to the Legislature seated in January 2001. More information may be found on the web at: http://www.governor.state.az.…

On February 3, the Department of Defense will be holding a Dual Use Science and Technology (DUS&T) Investment Strategy Conference at the Superdome in New Orleans. The FY 2001 Solicitation, to be released January 18, will have approximately $60 million available to fund industry projects. The deadline for proposals will be April 28, 2000. During the conference, attendees will learn about opportunities to: Leverage their investments in new technology by partnering with the Department of Defense; Do business with the Department of Defense using commercial approaches; Access new technologies; Expand markets; and, Network with companies with related areas of interest. The DUS&T Investment Strategy Conference will provide information on how to participate in the Dual Use S&T Program as well as provide information on the technical topics contained in the solicitation. The conference is designed to answer companies’ questions about the FY 2001 DUS&T solicitation and to provide an opportunity to speak directly with technical representatives for each topic area. More information on…

AT&T has made a $1 million grant to support the development of technological expertise in 13 institutions of higher education in Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia. The grant was made to the Virtual Institute for Technology Advancement in Education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (VITAE- HBCU). The VITAE-HBCU program is a partnership to foster collaboration between Virginia Tech and the HBCUs. Specifically, the grant will be used to improve teaching and learning through the effective use of technology. The initiative will be funded for three years and will support faculty training for the use of information technology and the development of technology-based curricula. It will also support outreach activities by VITAE-HBCU to communities with limited technological resources. More information on VITAE-HBCU can be found on its website: http://www.vitae.vt.edu/hbcu

Beginning January 7, the SSTI Weekly Digest will be distributed only by electronic mail. Fax delivery service will end with the December 31 edition. Because the Digest is available to its readers through subscription revenues, we ask that redistribution be limited to your immediate, internal staff. Forwarding or redistributing of the Digest outside the offices of our subscribers is considered a breach of our copyright. We retain the right to cancel any subscription when this request is violated. We are open to negotiating rights for greater redistribution.

Recent issues of the Federal Register and Commerce Business Daily (CBD) have had a number of research and technology funding announcements. Highlights for the Department of Defense include (date of publication in the CBD is provided in parentheses): The Air Force has issued a Broad Agency Announcement for Air Base & Environmental Technology. Research proposals addressing the extensive list of topics identified in the announcement may be submitted until September 30, 2000. Projects may last up to two years. (11/17/99, CBD) The Air Force Air Expeditionary Force Battlelab (AEFB) seeks ideas from industry and academia to demonstrate the benefits of using common interchangeable Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells in place of diesel and JP-8 fueled engines. More info can be found at: http://www.mountainhome.af.mil/aefb/contract/contract.htm   (11/15/99 CBD) The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is interested in supporting R&D in Water-Based Space Propulsion and Power Concepts using new, novel or unconventional fuels with properties enabling satellite-to-…