SSTI Digest

Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships announces a competition for U.S. citizens in leadership positions with significant professional experience (10-20 years) for Fellowships to: Hungary: Technology in education, economy, and communications; and,  Malaysia: Computer technology and systems in education; science and technology policy; and, telecommunications policy. Fellows will meet with top level authorities in government and business throughout the country for a period of 4-10 weeks.  Benefits include all travel costs and living allowance for Fellow and spouse. Applications are due November 30, 1998. Applications may be requested from: J. Hartl, Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, 256 S 16th St, Philadelphia, PA 19102; e-mail: jhartl@eef.org; and, fax 215/546-4567.

"State-based organizations have considerable advantages over the federal government in assisting in the commercial development of new technologies including their proximity to the firms that will actually employ new technologies, their close relationships with local university systems, and their ability to focus their efforts," says an extensive policy study recently completed by the U.S. House Science Committee. "Unlocking Our Future: Toward A New National Science Policy," which was released last week, is the culmination of a year and a half of work undertaken by a special Congressional Committee created to develop a long-range science and technology policy for the nation. Chaired by Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), the report states that the need to maintain economic strength, which has been driven by continued technological innovation, has taken on primary importance. "The United States of America must maintain and improve its pre-eminent position in science and technology in order to advance human understanding of the universe and all it contains, and to improve the lives, health, and freedom…

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) has issued a request for public comment on several changes to ATP rules. The most important change would simplify the project selection criteria. Although the new selection criteria will retain the major elements required under the old system, the five project selection criteria, each with different "weights" and lists of subcriteria, will be replaced by a two-part system: (1) projects will be evaluated for their scientific and technological merit, and (2) for their potential for broad-based economic benefits, with both parts weighted equally. Under the first criterion, ATP projects are expected to propose highly innovative technological advances, involve a significant technological risk, and have a well-conceived R&D approach. Under the second criterion, projects are expected to have the potential for broad economic benefits that go well beyond the sponsoring company, lay out a clear path from the lab to the marketplace, and require ATP support to proceed because funding is not…

The State Science and Technology Institute 1998 Annual Conference, "Science & Technology Programs: Catalysts for Economic Growth," was a success with over 100 S&T professionals from 30 states and the District of Columbia attending. The conference, which was held in Columbus, Ohio on September 24 and 25, provided practitioners an opportunity to discuss best practices, trends and new developments in technology-based economic development programs. We would like to extend a special thank you to all who attended the conference and those who participated in the pre-conference workshop and tour. We look forward to another successful conference in 1999.

States spent more than $3 billion on research and development in fiscal year 1995, according to a new National Science Foundation-funded report. The report, the most thorough study ever undertaken of state government R&D expenditures, was conducted by Battelle and the State Science and Technology Institute. "This report underscores the importance the states have in the nation’s science and technology system," said Richard L. Thornburgh, former governor of Pennsylvania and chairman of the State Science and Technology Institute Board of Trustees. "To put the figure in context, consider that the state amount is greater than the amount the National Science Foundation spent on R&D and more than the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce combined." According to the report, more than 88 percent of the total state spending came from state funds, which includes general revenue, lottery proceeds, revenue bonds, and specially designated tax funds. Of the total investment, 92 percent was spent on research and 8 percent was invested in facilities.…

Last week President Clinton called on the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) to develop recommendations for achieving greater diversity in the United States’ scientific and technical work force.  By 2010, approximately half of America's school-age population will be from minority groups. As stated by the White House, minority participation in science and engineering careers should keep pace with this growing diversity. Currently, only one-eighth of all high school graduates have the math and science preparation that would permit advanced study in a technical field; for under-represented minorities, that fraction is only half as much. The U.S. Department of Labor projects that the demand for computer scientists, systems analysts and other information technology positions will double over the next 10 years, requiring 1.3 million new workers in this area alone. Expansion of the participation of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in these critical fields is crucial in meeting the growing demand for workers in technology…

Innovative manufacturing, plasma and photon processing, and Internet technology will be the focus of three new Centers of Excellence in Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia and Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) recently announced the selection of these three new Centers as the second-generation of CIT’s Technology Development Centers program. The new centers will host research and development efforts focused on existing and emerging technologies of importance to the growth of Virginia’s technology industry. The centers will develop technology, apply and commercialize the technology with industry partners and provide a rapid response capability to assist technology-based companies with short-term needs. Thirteen Technology Development Centers (TDCs) have been funded at Virginia state-supported universities since 1986. The TDCs have focused on such areas as fiber optics, composite materials, advanced computer technology, biotechnology and wireless communications. In FY 1996, six of the centers generated 17 spin-off companies, more than 700 jobs and close to $50 million in new…

Sue Rhoades, formerly of Delaware, has taken a new position with Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin Partnership as State Coordinator. She will be working with the four regional Ben Franklin Technology Centers on a variety of statewide collaborative and strategic initiatives. The Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) is seeking a Manager of Technology Programs to fill Sue’s position. The DEDO is the state agency responsible for economic development in Delaware. The duties of this position include managing the state's Advanced Technology Centers program and acting as liaison to state-supported manufacturing extension, entrepreneurial development, and related technology-based economic development efforts. The position is based in Wilmington, DE. Interested applicants should send a resume to Harold Stafford, Administrative Director, DEDO,   99 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901-7305.

Sue Rhoades, formerly of Delaware, has taken a new position with Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin Partnership as State Coordinator. She will be working with the four regional Ben Franklin Technology Centers on a variety of statewide collaborative and strategic initiatives. The Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) is seeking a Manager of Technology Programs to fill Sue’s position. The DEDO is the state agency responsible for economic development in Delaware. The duties of this position include managing the state's Advanced Technology Centers program and acting as liaison to state-supported manufacturing extension, entrepreneurial development, and related technology-based economic development efforts. The position is based in Wilmington, DE. Interested applicants should send a resume to Harold Stafford, Administrative Director, DEDO,   99 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901-7305.

Connecticut Innovations, Inc. recently allocated $20 million of new state funds and $10 million of its own funds to develop biotechnology laboratory space in Connecticut. Connecticut Innovations’ new facilities fund can be administered using a variety of investment vehicles. The fund may offer loan or lease guarantees, enhancing the credit of companies that would not otherwise be able to qualify for leases. Alternatively, Connecticut Innovations may provide direct financing to high-tech companies or to real estate developers working with high- tech companies that have specific laboratory space requirements. The determination to provide this funding was made primarily due to the financial needs of biotechnology companies. While it costs approximately $100 - $125 per square foot to construct traditional office space, laboratory space can run upward of $200 - $400 per square foot. Projections indicate that existing companies in Connecticut will need 230,000 square feet of laboratory and office space by the year 2000. Add the needs of the emerging companies and the number reaches nearly 400,000 square…

Four industries (aerospace, computers and office machinery, electronics and communications equipment, and pharmaceuticals) are growing at a rate more than twice as fast as other manufactured goods,  thereby driving national economic growth around the world, according  to a National Science Foundation (NSF) Issue Brief, High-Tech Industries Drive Global Economic Activity (NSF 98-319). The study found that since 1980, these industries’ inflation-adjusted growth has averaged nearly 6 percent annually compared with a rate of 2.4 percent for other manufactured goods. Global economic activity in high-tech industries was especially strong from 1992-95, when output grew at over 8 percent per year, once again more than twice the rate of growth for all other manufacturing industries. The report also examines how high-tech industries benefit national economies finding that: * High-tech firms are associated with innovation. Firms that innovate tend to gain market share, create new product markets, and use resources more productively. * High-tech firms are associated with high value-…

The first round of applications for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) have been submitted. Eighteen of the nineteen eligible states participated, either by submitting single-state applications or by collaborating with others to produce multi-state applications. In all, 25 applications were received, requesting over $9.4 million in funding.