SSTI Digest

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.

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.

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:

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.

Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership is seeking an Executive Director, who will oversee a staff of approximately 20 and a budget of more than $3 million. The successful candidate will be able to create a vision for the growing organization, the leadership skills to achieve that vision, and a strong interest in the growth and success of manufacturing. Applications are due August 9.

In last week's issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest, several of the state rankings for the number of awards received under the DOD SBIR 99.1 selections were incorrect. Following is a list of the states and their correct ranks: Florida was tied for 7th with New Jersey; New Hampshire was tied for 17th with Washington; Hawaii, North Carolina, District of Columbia and Utah were all tied for 23rd.

The Department of Energy has posted its selections for Phase II awards under the 1999 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The 85 Phase II grants were made to companies in the 23 states listed in the accompanying table. More detailed information for each award can be found on the DOE website: http://sbir.er.doe.gov/sbir

State

# of Awards

State

# of Awards

Alabama

1

In a move to increase Hawaii's technology standing, Governor Ben Cayetano signed legislation last week that will create several new initiatives. Most significant for S&T policy is the planned consolidation of the state's technology-related programs under a new special advisor for technology development. The specific state agencies affected by the legislation were not identified in the Technology Omnibus bill.

While there is no uniform federal policy for conducting peer reviews and no written government-wide definition of peer review, there is general agreement among the agencies and the While House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as to what the term means, according to a new General Accounting Office (GAO) report, Peer Review Practices at Federal Science Agencies Vary. OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget encourage funding of research projects that are peer reviewed over those that are not reviewed through the process.

Additionally, GAO found some common criticisms of the peer review process from officials in several agencies. Issues raised included peer review being occasionally elitist (discounting economic considerations over science) and its potential for discouraging the funding of innovative research as peer review practices tend to be conservative.

The House Committee on Small Business approved a bill to extend the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program until September 30, 2007. H.R. 2392, introduced by Representatives Taalent, Bartlett, Kelly and Velazquez, also was referred to the House Committee on Science for consideration. The ASME International Capitol Update reports a House floor vote on the bill is expected in Mid-July.

H.R. 2392 also clarified that companies retain proprietary rights to data developed under the SBIR program for four years following the last federal funding received, which then could include Phase III awards. Other provisions in the bill addressed minor housekeeping issues related to SBA reporting requirements.

Ohio's investment in technology-based economic development will top $50 million in FY 2000 as a result of the biennial budget passed by the Ohio General Assembly this week. Spending for the programs will grow nearly 35 percent from $40.4 million in FY 1999 to $54.4 million in FY 2000.

Most of the increase is as a result of the Ohio Technology Actions Grants (TAGs) Program, growing from $1.9 million in FY 1999 to $14.75 million each year for FY 2000 and 2001.

The Technology Action Grants (TAGs ) provide funding to companies, universities and collaborative partnerships for projects which: