SSTI Digest

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-…

The following people in the science and technology community have made or announced career changes recently. Jack Haenichen has been promoted to Deputy Director for the Arizona Department of Commerce. Shaye Mandle is the new President of the Illinois Coalition. Bill Sibley has been named as President of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Mike Irby, who has been serving as Acting President for OCAST, will be retiring at the end of the year. Bill Todd, President of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), has announced he will leave GRA early in 2000 to join a new technology seed investment fund. In addition, a couple of new faces have been added to the SSTI team. We warmly welcome Shannon Burnett as our newest Policy Analyst and Ruth Carr as our Executive Assistant.

Jack Haenichen has been promoted to Deputy Director for the Arizona Department of Commerce.

Shaye Mandle is the new President of the Illinois Coalition.

Bill Sibley has been named as President of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Mike Irby, who has been serving as Acting President for OCAST, will be retiring at the end of the year.

Bill Todd, President of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), has announced he will leave GRA early in 2000 to join a new technology seed investment fund.