SSTI Digest

The Maine Science & Technology Foundation (MSTF) has released the 1998 Maine Science and Technology Report Card, a first look at the state’s performance across twenty science and technology related indicators. MSTF will use the report’s findings to develop benchmarks for the next revision of the state’s biennial strategic science and technology plan, due out this fall.

The 20 indicators used in the Report Card are divided among four categories characterizing the state: financial capacity, human capacity, infra-structure capacity, and innovation.

Two indicators of economic growth measuring change in employment and in workers’ wages are used to reflect the effectiveness or outcomes of the four capacity categories.

Major findings include:

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has released a new paper that argues that even with maximum utilization of currently available technologies, the U.S. could not meet its carbon emission reduction obligations under the Kyoto Climate Change Protocol by 2008-2012.

The Kyoto Protocol calls for the U.S. to reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases to a level seven percent below 1990 levels.

ASME contends that in order to make significant progress toward meeting the goals, the U.S. would have to phase out the use of coal and maximize the use of natural gas as the primary fuel for electric power generation.

Copies of the paper can be found on the web at www.asme.org/gric or by calling ASME at  202/785-3756.

The Department of Defense has released statistics for the 98.2 Phase I solicitation of the Small Business Innovation Research Program. The agency announced selection of 363 Phase I awards in 36 states. DOD funded 10.9 percent of the 3,339 Phase I proposals received. An accompanying table on the SSTI web site http://ssti.org/Digest/Tables/DODPhase1.htm provides the distribution of awards and proposal-to-award conversion ratios by state. Abstracts for the selections may be found on the DOD SBIR website at: http://www.acq.osd.mil/sadbu/sbir/

In the state that created the Ben Franklin Centers in the early 1980s - models for several states’ first forays into S&T - Governor Tom Ridge has proposed a wide range of new initiatives to promote R&D investment, technology development, and commercialization within Pennsylvania.

Governor Ridge’s budget request for 1999-2000 identifies $35.5 million for tax cuts expected to benefit start-up technology firms, a new $18.2 million program for high-tech investments, $6.7 million of state funding to leverage private venture capital investments, a SciTech Scholars Program, and $37 million for the state’s "traditional" technology and manufacturing programs: the Ben Franklin Partnership, Industrial Resource Centers, PENNTAP, and incubators.

Seven federal labs from the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s Midwest Region - representing the Air Force, Army, Navy, Department of Energy, NASA, Department of Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) - are cooperating in an initiative to help automotive manufacturers and suppliers access the resources of the federal laboratory system.

These labs have provided technologies that were presented and discussed at an interagency meeting held February 9-10 at the National Automotive Center (NAC) in Warren, MI. NAC is part of the Army's Tank-Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC). At the interagency meeting, lab representatives and a group of industry advisers formed several technology teams whose respective organizations are looking at similar problems from different perspectives. The technology teams are: Safety, Environment, Vehicle Systems, Electrical/ Electronics, Materials, and Powertrain.

The President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science is currently accepting nominations for the year 2000 award. Nominations and supporting information must be postmarked by May 31. The National Medal of Science recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to knowledge in the fields of physical, behavioral, biological, social, mathematical, or engineering sciences. Since the Medal’s establishment in 1959, 362 scientists and engineers have been honored.

Nomination procedures and guidelines are available from the Committee’s Program Manager, Susan Fannoney, by calling the National Science Foundation at 703/306-1096 or by e-mail at nms@nsf.gov.

NASA Lewis Research Center, located in Ohio, has been renamed the "John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field" to honor the contributions John Glenn has made in American space history.

Senators Bill Frist (R-TN) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Co-chairs of the Science & Technology Caucus, issued a joint statement reacting to the Clinton Administration’s FY 2000 budget request for R&D. Calling the President’s request a "mixed blessing," the senators praised the commitment to civilian R&D, while disagreeing with proposed cuts for defense research of nearly six percent.

The senators also raised concern that in future years, according to the President’s projections and citing spending caps, appropriations for much of the civilian R&D program would see only modest increases, remain static or even face reductions. Earlier this month, Senator Frist introduced S 726, legislation calling for doubling federal civilian R&D spending over the next twelve years; Senator Lieberman was a co-sponsor of the bill (see related article).

Investment capital to develop and commercialize new technologies may soon be easier to find in Missouri. The Commerce Committee of the Missouri House of Representatives last week endorsed House Bill 753, a proposal to create a $40 million seed capital fund supported by Governor Mel Carnahan. The fund would be capitalized at $10 million each year for four years. Additionally, private investors would get a 100-percent tax credit for all money they contributed to the new seed capital fund. Investments would be limited to Missouri businesses.

To find money for the new seed capital fund, the bill calls for implementing a temporary suspension of the state’s corporate research and development tax credit, which is capped at $10 million a year. For four years, no new credits would be granted under the R&D tax credit.

BILL REINTRODUCED TO DOUBLE CIVILIAN R&D Senators Bill Frist (R- TN) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced legislation to nearly double civilian and pre-competitive research over the next 11 years. S. 296, titled the Federal Research Investment Act , was cosponsored by 18 other Democrats and Republicans. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation for consideration.

A similar bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent last session; the House did not act on the bill before adjourning.

U.S. House Science Committee Chairman, James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) has introduced H.R. 760, a bill to make the national research and development tax credit permanent. Ranking Minority Member George Brown (D-CA) has agreed to cosponsor the legislation.

Proponents of the bill say making the credit permanent would remove uncertainty and disincentives for companies in pursuing longer-term research projects.

The R&D tax credit is slated to expire June 30, 1999.  The President’s FY 2000 budget request extends the credit for one more year until June 30, 2000. Since it was first enacted in 1981, the tax credit has been extended eight times and modified five times.

The National Science Foundation has issued a call for nominations for the 1999 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). Each award is accompanied by a $10,000 grant.

Awards will be made to individuals or institutions. The award recognizes individuals who have "demonstrated outstanding and sustained mentoring and effective guidance to a significant number of students at the K-12, undergraduate or graduate education level."

Institutions will be recognized for programming that enables "a substantial number of students underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering to successfully pursue and complete relevant degree programs." Post-secondary institutions must demonstrate students have been mentored successfully to either the baccalaureate, master’s or doctoral levels.