SSTI Digest

Technology-based economic growth can be extremely beneficial to metropolitan areas, but comes with risks, according to America's High Tech Economy: Growth, Development, and Risks for Metropolitan Areas. The report was prepared by the Milken Institute, a non-profit economic think tank founded by Michael Milken. Among the report's findings are: A concentration of high-tech output does not guarantee continuing high-tech growth, Technology-based economic growth is causing greater income disparity, reducing job security and job tenure, and increasing the risk of unemployment for workers in their 50s, High-tech manufacturing industries are among the most volatile in the economy, and The high-tech sector has grown on average four times faster than the overall economy during the 1990s. Using a series of applied econometric approaches, the Milken Institute examined the role of high technology industries in explaining the relative economic growth of…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has committed almost $94 million over the next five years in matching funds for five new Science & Technology Centers (STC). The new centers join 23 existing centers that were selected in 1989 and 1991. (Two more original STCs cease to exist.) The STC program funds academic-industry-government partnerships in specific technology areas for fundamental research activities that create educational opportunities. The centers also encourage technology transfer and innovative approaches to interdisciplinary research projects. The five new centers are: Science and Technology Center on Nanobiotechnology (Lead institution: Cornell University) Science and Technology Center for Adaptive Optics (Lead institution: University of California at Santa Cruz) Science and Technology Center for Behavioral Neuroscience (Lead institution: Emory University, Atlanta) Science and Technology Center on the Sustainability of Water Resources in Semi-Arid Regions (…

Innovation indices or "S&T report cards" have grown increasingly popular over the past few years on both state and local levels. The trend has now reached the national level with the release last week of the Progressive Policy Institute's, The State New Economy Index. An effort funded by the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) of the U.S. Department of Commerce is expected to be released this fall. The State New Economy Index is the first collection of 17 indicators of states' relative positions in the changing economy. The indicators are classified into five categories: "Knowledge Jobs"  -- three measures are used: office jobs; jobs held by managers, professionals and technicians; and the educational attainment of the workforce Globalization -- two measures are used: the export orientation of manufacturing; and foreign direct investment Economic dynamism and competition -- three measures are used: the number of jobs in fast-growing companies; business start-ups and failures as a percentage of all companies; and initial…

Serious deficiencies in pre-college education and wavering support for basic research may erode the nation's ability to convert science and technology into new products, jobs, and profits and decrease the prospects of better lives for U.S. citizens, according to a new book from the National Research Council (NRC). Harnessing Science and Technology for America's Economic Future: National & Regional Priorities identifies goals and actions to guide the science and engineering community and government policy-makers in meeting the nation's future economic needs. The book presents the findings, recommendations and papers of the National Forum on Harnessing Science and Technology for America's Economic Future and an NRC committee co-chaired by former governor and SSTI Board chairman Dick Thornburgh and William Spencer, CEO of Sematech. The goals and recommendations outlined by the committee include: Achieve a level of productivity growth that will allow a rising standard of living and non-inflationary economic expansion. The committee…

The Department of Energy has announced the selection of 204 Phase I awards under the 1999 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The grants were made to companies in the 31 states listed in the accompanying table. More detailed information for each award can be found on the newly redesigned DOE SBIR website: http://www.sbir.er.doe.gov/sbir State Awards State Awards CA 44 GA 3 MA 43 AZ 2 CO 17 DE 2 NY 11 MN 2 CT 10 UT …

Preparation of S&T indicators on a local or regional level continues to increase. The Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, has released Cincinnati's Technology Benchmarking Study. The report compares the technology assets and performance of 24 urban areas across the U.S. using 17 indicators, then makes recommendations for strengthening Cincinnati's technology base. The report is on the Internet at www.iams.org

While more people are connected to the nation's information infrastructure, the "Digital Divide" between those Americans with the information tools to participate in the New Economy and those without is actually widening, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Falling Through the Net: Defining the Digital Divide is the third study NTIA has prepared examining Americans' access to telephones, computers, and the Internet. The report provides more than 100 charts and tables outlining the state of the problem across several measures and presents trends over the period 1984-1998. NTIA's new study finds minorities, low-income persons, the less educated, and children of single-parent households, particularly those in rural areas and central cities, are less likely to have computer and Internet access. At the end of 1998, 40 percent of American households owned computers, and one-quarter of all households had Internet access. Some of the evidence provided in the report for the growing disparities includes…

Calling it one of the most important economic development activities of his administration, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge recently announced the creation of the "Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse" -- a public/private partnership intended to provide support, infrastructure, and the expertise needed to accelerate the development and re-use of system-on-a-chip (SOC) technology. The Greenhouse — a partnership of three Pittsburgh universities, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, the Commonwealth, and three international corporations — is intended to make southwestern Pennsylvania a worldwide leader in the development of SOC technology. Sony Corporation, Oki Electric Industry, and Cadence Design Systems will work with the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse to help develop next-generation digital video and digital networking. IBM will help to design and operate an e-business network for Greenhouse. The Greenhouse will work to attract the involvement of other companies. Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania State University will provide undergraduate and…

Education Secretary Richard W. Riley has established the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which will recommend ways to improve the recruitment, preparation, retention, and support of math and science teachers. John Glenn will chair the 31-member commission. Governors Geringer (WY) and Hunt (NC) also will serve on the commission. Other members will include representatives of business, industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and government. The U.S. is expected to need an additional 2.2 million teachers over the next decade due to a record number of retirements and the increase in the number of school-aged children. Math and science teachers are anticipated to be in particularly short supply. The Commission will report its recommendations to Secretary Riley by the Fall of 2000.

The NASA Ames Research Center is developing a 200-acre research and development complex at Moffett Federal Airfield in Silicon Valley. NASA hopes to spawn partnerships between scientists at Ames Research Center and the private sector, fostering opportunities for technology transfer and contract R&D. The Complex will ultimately encompass the entire 2,000-acre federal property owned by NASA's Ames Research Center, Ames officials said. NASA has developed agreements with the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale to establish the California Air and Space Center (CASC), and with Stanford University and the University of California at Santa Cruz on research partnership planning. CASC will be a science and technology learning center and teacher institute supported by futuristic NASA technologies. It will showcase Silicon Valley cutting-edge technologies and NASA missions. The complex may include an expanded small business incubator program, possibly targeting biotechnology firms. NASA already has two incubators serving Silicon Valley firms. More information can be found at: http://www.arc.nasa.…

Ninety-five percent, or $102 million, of all royalties received by six technology related federal agencies during fiscal years 1996-1998 were for licenses issued by the National Institutes of Health, according to a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) study. Technology Transfer: Number and Characteristics of Inventions Licensed by Six Federal Agencies is a compilation of statistics collected from a survey of the National Institutes of Health, the departments of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, the Department of Energy, and NASA. The report provides information on: Government-owned inventions licensed by the six agencies during FY 1996 through 1998, including the royalties received during that period, and the total number of active licenses these agencies had as of October 1, 1998; The number of licenses that were exclusive or non-exclusive; The number of licensees that were small businesses, individuals, large businesses, or nonprofit organizations; and, The number of licensees that were foreign or domestic. The six agencies reported that they granted a total…

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the National Institutes of Standards (NIST) and Technology have awarded a $350,000 grant to the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) for a technology-based economic development project to boost the growth of Michigan businesses. The pilot project is expected to serve as a model for possible state and nationwide efforts on behalf of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). ITI will assess the technology needs of the state's rural and inner-city SMEs. ITI also will study ways in which technical assistance can best be provided to these businesses. Deficiencies in resources related to manufacturing technology have contributed to the slow growth of many SMEs. Factors include a depleted number of skilled, reliable and available workers; little access to technology both regionally and among disadvantaged population segments; the lack of an R&D base linking technology development with the local business community; and, a lack of a cost-efficient and effective means of providing small manufacturers with technical…