SSTI Digest

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.

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,…