SSTI Digest

The Department of Commerce budget request as submitted by the Clinton Administration includes language that would exempt the Advanced Technology Program's $239 million budget from inclusion in the 2.5 percent set-aside for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. If passed as written, the result would result in a nearly $6 million cut in the Commerce SBIR obligation, which in FY1998 totaled $6.7 million.

Ann Eskesen, a leading SBIR expert and advocate, brought the Commerce issue to the attention of the SBIR community through the ASBIR Two Cents@ website, sponsored by Ms. Eskesen's firm, Innovation Development Institute (http://www.inknowvationcom/SBIR_TwoCents/). According to information posted on Two Cents, the Commerce budget request is scheduled to go to the Senate for consideration on April 21.

Despite a multi-year upswing in the national economy, the United States is not laying the foundation for its long-term prosperity says a new report issued by the Council on Competitiveness. If current policy and investment trends continue unchanged, the U.S. could lose its status as the world's preeminent innovator, according to The New Challenge to America's Prosperity: Findings from the Innovation Index.

The Montana House of Representatives narrowly approved a measure that, if passed by the Senate, will provide $9-$10 million a year for state research and development projects.

Montana House Bill 260 changes the way in which coal severance taxes are collected to allow a portion of the revenue to be designated for R&D spending.

The new program will support projects conducted at Montana's state universities and at tribal or state technical and community colleges. State agricultural research centers are also eligible for funding and at least 20 percent of the funding must be directed toward production agriculture projects.

The funds may be used for loans or for matching funds for federal or foundation grants.

The state-by-state results for the 1998 SBIR Phase I awards are presented here  -- as reported individually by the ten participating federal agencies and compiled by SSTI. Totals may not reflect new awards or cancellations made by an agency after the initial award announcements. Abstract information for funded SBIR projects may be obtained on each agency's SBIR website or by calling the federal agencies directly. Contact SSTI at 614/ 901-1690 if you need an agency's URL or phone number.

A new report by SSTI finds that 48 states have some structured SBIR promotion or assistance effort underway. States spent $8 million in FY 1998 to promote involvement and encourage success in the federal SBIR program. These are among the findings reported in State and Federal Perspectives on the SBIR Program.

The report has three primary purposes: it provides an overview of state services offered; it reports on state and federal program managers views on key issues facing the SBIR program; and, it suggests options for further action to advance state-federal cooperation on SBIR.

The report also includes: a selected bibliography, a list of state SBIR service providers, and a distribution of Phase I awards and proposals by agency and state for FY 93-97.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service has issued a direct final rule incorporating a series of changes for the popular Distance Learning & Telemedicine Loan and Grant Program (DLT). The rule will become effective on May 10, 1999 unless the agency receives written adverse comments on or before April 26, 1999.

The DLT program provides financial assistance for schools, libraries and rural medical services to acquire equipment and telecommunications facilities for optimal service delivery.

Since the DLT program was created in 1993, USDA has funded 252 projects in 43 states and two US territories, totaling $62.5 million in grants and $3 million in loans.

Three separate public initiatives are underway in Wisconsin which could result in the availability of more than $100 million for new venture capital financing. The efforts are designed to spur venture capital investment in the state (ranked 45th in the 1998 Pricewaterhouse Coopers survey) and to increase entrepreneurial activity in the Wisconsin biotechnology community.

Wheeling Jesuit University invites applications for the position of Chair of the Department of Business and Technology. Among the Chair's responsibilities are recruiting and retaining faculty, overseeing curriculum and budget, developing and maintaining strong ties to the business and governmental community of the Wheeling area, and articulating a vision which leads to widespread recognition of the Depart-ment as offering a premier education program. Applications will be accepted until May 10, 1999. The complete job posting is available on the SSTI website at www.ssti.org

The U.S. Department of Commerce's Technology Administration (TA) has announced the availability of approximately $2 million in funding for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT). The program will provide 6-8 matching grants to support technology development, deployment, and diffusion through public-private partnerships in states which traditionally do not receive significant federal R&D funding.

While EPSCoT is conceptually modeled to parallel the multi-agency EPSCoR, the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, EPSCoT has expanded its eligibility this year to include nine non-EPSCoR states. Alabama, an EPSCoR state and a $300,000 award recipient in the first round of EPSCoT, is not included in the current list of EPSCoT-eligible states.

In his first budget address, Illinois Governor George Ryan outlined a series of initiatives which would catapult Illinois into the top tier of states for technology-based economic development spending. Coupled with the $3-million-plus technology initiative announced earlier this year by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, Illinois S&T investments could grow to $20 million annually, a threshold only six other states have crossed and maintained: Georgia, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Two new, free resources are available that provide access to statistical data that can be used for a wide variety of analytic processes, including impact assessment, regional measurement, strategic planning and program design.

Socioeconomic Data for Understanding Your Regional Economy: A User's Guide, provides an overview of various sources of data valuable in regional economic analysis. The document was designed for people who want to use readily available socioeconomic data to characterize activities and trends, especially at the state, regional or local level.

The User's Guide:

Last week's issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest was our 150th since beginning the publication on March 1, 1996. Since that time, the Digest has grown more sophisticated in its news coverage and value largely due to the input we receive from our readers. Accompanying this week's issue of the Digest in a separate e-mail is a short survey that we hope you will complete and send back to us. [NOTE: survey is not included with the arcvhive version of the Digest.]

Your comments and suggestions are critical tools for making the publication as valuable as possible for your organization. Please fax the survey back to us at 614/ 901-1696.