SSTI Digest

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has elected 60 new members and 15 foreign associates from 11 countries. Election to membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors to be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) recently released its review of the policies and procedures of the Department of Defense (DoD) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. In FY 1997, approximately $1 billion, government wide, has been set-aside for this program. Approximately $500 million of that amount is projected to be funded by DoD.

The Industry Network Corporation is seeking a Regional Manager for its Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. The position is based in Anchorage, Alaska. The full position description can be obtained from the Institute by calling SSTI at 614/421-SSTI (7784) or through the Institute's home page at http://www.ssti.org

Three regional meetings are being scheduled to receive input on the design of the proposed Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) program. The program is intended to "foster the development of indigenous technology assets in states that traditionally have been under represented in the distribution of federal R&D expenditures."

The State Science and Technology Institute's first conference, "Promoting Economic Growth Through State Science and Technology Programs," will be held June 16-17 in Washington, D.C.

South Carolina Governor David Beasley has appointed a 17-member Technology Advisory Council. The Council is to examine how South Carolina can attract technology-intensive companies, find strategies to promote high technology jobs and identify specific technologies that are important for other industries.

The National Governors' Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) released the results of the annual Fiscal Survey of States. The report incorporates information gathered by NASBO from January through April 1997, and includes actual figures for fiscal 1996, preliminary figures for fiscal 1997, and numbers contained in Governors' proposed budgets for fiscal 1998.

The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) has released an assessment of NASA's technology transfer and Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs.

The recipients of the 1997 National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology were announced last week. The awards are described as the United States' equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

The sunset provision on Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers would be removed under authorizing language approved by the U.S. House of Representatives last week. The action came in authorization language for key U.S. Department of Commerce and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) programs.

In the April 18, 1997 edition of the SSTI Weekly Digest, we reported on Congressional earmarks for research projects involving specific universities. The totals for six states were incorrect and, as a result, the rankings for five states were also incorrect.

A demonstration program using federal loan guarantees to attract venture capital funds to rural areas is being created by the Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). RBS is seeking public comment on the program by May 9.