SSTI Digest

The Clinton Administration FY2000 budget proposal, submitted to Congress on Monday, calls for a 2.5% increase in civilian R&D spending. Total R&D spending, however, would decline by 1.3% to $78.24 billion, due to a proposed 5.8% drop in defense-related R&D. For comparison, the Consumer Price Index for last year was approximately 1.6%. The 21st Century Research Fund remains the centerpiece of the Administration’s R&D investment strategy, representing $38 billion and nearly half of the federal government’s total FY2000 R&D budget request. The Fund, a packaging of several existing and new R&D initiatives, would grow by 3% over the FY1999 total of $36 billion. While total R&D spending would increase, the news is mixed for technology-based economic development programs. The Manufacturing Extension Partnership would be cut by $8.1 million; the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) would have no funds available to make awards in FY2000; and, most of the National Science Foundation’s centers programs would increase…

Representative George Brown, Jr. (D-CA), Ranking Minority Member of the House Science Committee, introduced legislation on the opening day of the 106th session of Congress to restore protection of federally-funded research data developed within universities and non-profit organizations.  Brown’s bill would repeal a provision quietly inserted without hearings into the final omnibus appropriations bill (Public Law 105-277) by Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL), Trent Lott (R-MS) Ben Campbell (R-CO) and Lauch Fiarcloth (R-NC). The provision may result in federally-funded researchers — excluding those in for-profit operations — being subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for their raw or pre-published data. Under the provision, the Office of Budget and Management is required to amend OMB regulations to require Federal agencies making research awards "to ensure that all data produced under an award will be made available to the public through the procedures established under the Freedom of Information Act." The guidelines, once drafted will be subject to a 60-day…

The accompanying table on the SSTI website http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/NSFfy98_SBIR1.htm presents the results of the 1998 SBIR Phase I competition held by the National Science Foundation in rank order by total dollars awards in each state. The award figures were compiled from the NSF Fast Lane website. (There were no Phase I awards reported within the 13 states omitted from the table. Details on each specific award may be obtained from the NSF FastLane website at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

The Engineering Workforce Commission (EWC) of the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) has released its latest survey on engineering degrees, which reveals that the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees in engineering in the United States has fallen to a 17-year low. The 1998 edition of the EWC Engineering and Technology Degrees survey covers data from 340 schools with engineering programs and 284 schools with engineering technology programs in the United States. It is billed as the most comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative source for engineering and technology degree data in the country. The contrast between students receiving bachelor’s degrees overall and those in engineering is striking. According to the EWC, between 1986 and 1998, the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees in engineering declined by 19.8 percent to 63,262 nationwide while the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees overall increased by nearly 20 percent over the same period of time. When…

The Technology Administration of the Department of Commerce has announced the selection of seven awards under the first round of funding for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT). Matching grants, totaling $1.6 million, will be made to the following seven lead organizations and their partners: Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs: $300,000 for developing and implementing technology-based economic development in Alabama, including analysis of the state’s industrial base and private sector technology investments. Boise State University: $72,820 for the creation of the Idaho Technology Business Development Network to link and cross-train several economic development and technology service organizations. Dakota State University: $80,000 for EPSCoT West, a four state technology business network (SD, ND, MT, and WY), to conduct critical needs assessment and technology business inventory. Eastern Maine Development Corporation: $…

Last Friday, President Clinton announced his intent to nominate Dr. Cheryl L. Shavers as Under Secretary for Technology at the Department of Commerce. Dr. Shavers is currently a senior manager at Intel Corporation and has more than 20 years of experience within the technology industry, holding various engineering and managerial positions at several Fortune 500 companies such as Motorola, Varian Associates, and Hewlett-Packard. She has a B.S. degree in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Solid State Chemistry from Arizona State University. The Under Secretary for Technology serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and as the Department's spokesperson for science and technology matters. The Under Secretary develops and promotes federal technology programs to increase U.S. commercial and industrial innovation, productivity and growth, and to improve the competitiveness of U.S. firms in the global economy. As head of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, Shavers would oversee the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National…

The Alaska Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) seeks a Group Projects Administrator to work with industry on R&D projects to benefit the Alaska economy and to track project results. The position requires training and experience in project management with sufficient technical and/or business background to work productively with scientists or engineers to identify economically feasible projects. The position description can be found on the SSTI website at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm

Dr. Phillips Bradford the Executive Director of the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute has resigned his position. Lenie Roos-Gabridge has been appointed Interim Chief Operating Officer. Bradford’s resignation is the latest in an unprecedented turnover of state technology-based economic development officials. In the last year alone, the leaders of 14 states’ technology efforts have left their positions. Other recent departures include those of:  Dr. Diana Weigmann, director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Education and Technology; and, Dr. Carolyn Sales, the long-time president of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).  Dr. Sales was also a member of the SSTI Board of Trustees; her place on the SSTI Board has been filled by Del Schuh, president of the Indiana Business Modernization and Technology Corp.

NASA announced the selection of 125 Phase II awards, totaling approximately $73 million, for its FY 1997 SBIR Program. The agency funded 40 percent of the 312 Phase II proposals received from small businesses completing Phase I NASA research. Each NASA SBIR Phase II award may receive up to $600,000 to cover research costs over a two-year performance period. Contracts for the awards will be negotiated with 113 companies located in 26 states. The accompanying table provides the distribution of awards and firms by state: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/NASAfy97_SBIR.htm More detailed information on the selections may be found on the NASA SBIR website at http://sbir.nasa.gov

The Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC) has released the Kansas Innovation Index 1999. The major finding of the report is that "Kansas has a realistic opportunity to create a competitive advantage for economic growth and high wage industries by supporting its emerging innovation economy." The report examines 33 performance indicators in four broad categories: Economic Structure, Innovation, Competitiveness, and Human Resources and Infrastructure. For each indicator, Kansas is compared to neighboring states and U.S. averages. The KTEC report is the latest in a series of states’ reports on innovation indices. Massachusetts and Illinois have previously published reports, and Maryland is expected to release one soon. Copies of the Kansas Innovation Index are available by contacting KTEC at 785/296-5272.

Connecticut Innovations, Inc. (CII) is seeking a manager for its Renewable Energy Investment Fund. Responsibilities of the position include providing strategic planning and program direction for the Renewable Energy Investment Fund program. The full position description can be found on the SSTI website at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm

The National Institutes of Health also released state award statistics for the FY 1998 Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). The accompanying table presents the SBIR Phase I and Phase II results in rank order by total dollars awarded for each state in which awards were made: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/NIHfy98_SBIR.htm No awards were made in states omitted from the table. More detailed information for each award may be obtained at the NIH SBIR/STTR website: http://www.nih.gov/grants/funding/sbir.htm