SSTI Digest

The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) has released a new report that confirms that business incubators are helping to build healthy, long lasting businesses, and they are doing it at minimal cost with a good return on investment to supporters.

Raymond Kammer was sworn in as eleventh director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on November 12. Kammer had been NIST's deputy director since 1993. Robert Hebner had been acting director of the agency since the position was vacated by Arati Prabhakar in March.

A new industry association, the Small Business Technology Coalition (SBTC), has been organized to represent the interests of small, high technology firms in Washington, D.C. and in individual states. Since its creation, SBTCs membership has grown to 300, with members from 30 different states.

Former Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to India last week. Celeste has been a leader in the field of technology-based economic development for the last 15 years. While governor, Celeste established Ohio's Thomas Edison Program.

The House Committee on Science has begun a year-long study of the nation's science and technology policy in order to determine funding priorities for federal support of research. The study will be the first attempt by the House to systematically assess the nation's research and development needs since the end of the Cold War.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) recently testified before a Congressional committee on the changing missions of the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories and perceived weaknesses in the management of the labs. According to GAO, DOE's efforts to meet the requirements of Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) offer an opportunity to achieve fundamental change in the way in which the department manages the national labs.

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure (OSTI) has announced that funds will be available for additional Science and Technology Centers (STC). NSF is currently soliciting proposals from qualified candidates for the Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships Program.

Sixty young researchers have been selected for the second annual Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their careers.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is having a significant impact in accelerating the pace of technology development, according to a new study of 28 early ATP award winners.

A coalition of science, engineering, and mathematics organizations endorsed a statement calling for a doubling of research funding over the next ten years. In total, 106 organizations offered their support of a "Unified Statement on Research" at a Capitol Hill Press Conference on October 22.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has released a new study entitled Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. This assessment of the Massachusetts economy provides data on 33 quantitative indicators.

Two manufacturers - one for a second time - and two service firms have received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for their achievements in quality and business performance. The 1997 awards, announced by the Department of Commerce on October 15, went to 3M Dental Products Division, St. Paul, MN (manufacturing); Solectron Corp., Milpitas, CA (manufacturing); Merrill Lynch Credit Corp., Jacksonville, FL (service); and Xerox Business Services, Rochester, NY (service). Solectron Corp. also won the award in the manufacturing category in 1991.