SSTI Digest

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Science Resources Studies has released three individual data briefs all pertaining to federal research and development funding trends.

Lou Tornatzky has announced that he will be stepping down from his position as Director of the Southern Technology Council (STC), a position he has held since 1993. Tornatzky will be relocating with his family to the West Coast, but will continue to serve as an STC Research Fellow.

The Education Commission of the States has released a report entitled "Transforming Postsecondary Education for the 21st Century." This report is the result of an extensive survey of Governors from the fifty states and Puerto Rico. Their perceptions regarding the need to reshape the higher education system to meet fundamental state needs is the focus of the study.

The environmental technology and services industry, and its contribution to the national economy, have been evaluated in a new report entitled "Survey of Environmental Products and Services." The report is the product of a collaborative effort between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration, and the Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census.

The State of Maine, the University of Maine, the US Navy, and the Maine Science and Technology Foundation (MSTF) have signed an agreement that initiates a partnership to improve the stewardship of the state's natural resources.

Nadia Goodman, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development's Director of Policy, Planning and Technology, has announced that she is retiring effective June 30. In addition to being very active within the Science and Technology Council of the States (STCS), Mrs. Goodman has been a good friend of SSTI's since its creation. SSTI staff trust that she will continue to provide advice and offer insights from her new residence in Mexico.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has favorably reported, with amendments, Senate Bill 1325, the Technology Administration Authorization Act for FY 1998-2000. The bill was originally introduced by Senator Frist (R-TN) in October of 1997.

The U.S. Senate Science and Technology Caucus, chaired by Senator Bill Frist (R-TN), held a roundtable discussion last week on the future of American innovation and competitiveness, specifically how to maintain America's science and technology edge in the world marketplace.

The U.S. Air Force has announced that its Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program topics for FY99 will be released in mid-June. The Air Force is pre-releasing its topics before the Department of Defense's Pre-Solicitation in order to provide small businesses the maximum amount of time to ask technical questions. This early release offers the additional benefit of giving companies enough time to start marketing and networking.

A recent study found that 90 percent of industry participants benefitted in some way by participating in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC) Program. Nearly a quarter of all firms reported having developed a new product or process as a result of their interaction with an ERC, and two-thirds reported that their firm's competitiveness had increased.

The Clinton Administration has unveiled a new initiative entitled Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) which it believes could save consumers $11 billion a year in energy costs by 2010 and reduce annual carbon emissions by nearly 24 million tons.

SSTI has received funding from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense and the National Institute for Standards & Technology (NIST) to complete a study of state SBIR/STTR programs. The project is for the SBIR Working Group of the U.S. Innovation Partnership. As part of the study, SSTI will be interviewing state SBIR/STTR assistance providers and federal SBIR program managers over the next several weeks on a range of issues.