SSTI Digest

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 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.

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.

In a move to facilitate electronic commerce, President Clinton issued a memorandum this week creating the United States Government Working Group on Electronic Commerce. The Working Group will review current laws and regulations governing, impeding or hindering e-commerce, and will recommend revisions that facilitate e-commerce while ensuring consumer and public protection.

Impediments may include regulatory or licensing requirements and technical standards and other policies that may hinder electronic commerce in particular goods or services. While some of these legal restrictions are the subject of pending legislation, other potential barriers are outside the scope of those legislative proposals.

Most of New York’s science and technology initiatives have been consolidated into the New York Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR), which has received an annual budget of $130.6 million as a result of the Jobs 2000 Plan or “J2K” signed by Governor George Pataki in mid-November.

The new office incorporates the programs, functions, and staff of the NY State Science & Technology Foundation. The foundation, established in 1961, was one of the oldest continuously running state S&T programs. The Foundation had been part of Empire State Development Corp. since 1995; NYSTAR will be a separate entity.

With a total price tag of $522 million, J2K provides funding for projects ranging from NYSTAR and public venture capital to local water development projects.

The Coleman Foundation has allocated up to $1,000,000 for this year's Entrepreneurship Awareness and Education Grant program. The program will award a one-time grant of up to $25,000 to any university, college, community college or community-based nonprofit organization to establish or significantly expand an entrepreneurship initiative that focuses on any of the following areas:

1999 Baldrige Winners Announced Two manufacturers and two service companies have been selected as winners of the 1999 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement. No award recipients were selected in the new education and health care categories.

The winners are: STMicroelectronics, Inc. - Region Americas (Carrollton, TX; manufacturing); BI (Minneapolis, MN.; service); The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. (Atlanta, GA; service); and Sunny Fresh Foods (Monticello, MN.; small business/ manufacturing).

The Sacramento Bee recently ran a story showing there is a downside for California being home of the Silicon Valley phenomenon: 20 percent of the 6,600 computer and telecommunications positions within the California state government are vacant. Some local governments are reporting even higher vacancy rates.

According to the story, the result for California residents is that they do not have the World Wide Web convenience of government service delivery now offered in many other states — such as online vehicle registration or fishing license purchases.

More serious information needs such as tracking child support payments also are not being addressed because of the lack of trained workers. Other sites, once created cannot be updated because the trained staff have left for positions in private business.

Slow government hiring processes and noncompetitive civil salaries and benefits are cited as the reasons for the problem.