SSTI Digest

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that 61 individuals representing all fifty states and the District of Columbia will be honored this year as recipients of the Tibbets Award.  The Tibbets Awards recognizes the technological innovation, economic impact and business achievements of those involved in the federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. For an alphabetized listing of the recipients, search the SBA’s Tibbets website at http://www.inknowvation.com/Tibbets/Tibbetts98winners.html

NGA Leadership --- At its 1998 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee,  the National Governor’s Association (NGA) named its new leadership to steer the initiatives and agenda for the association.Delaware Governor THOMAS R. CARPER was named NGA’s chairman, and Utah Governor MICHAEL O. LEAVITT vice chairman. The positions are for a term of one year. At the meeting, the nation’s governors focused primarily on initiatives for the new millennium, and resolved to continue trying to fortify the federal-state partnership. The centerpiece of the August meeting was state innovations in technology which included 30 state technology exhibits. ASME/USIP FELLOW -- Susan Ipri Brown began her term as the United States Innovation Partnership (USIP) Fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) on September 1. The fellowship is funded by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Ms. Brown most recently served as Science Research Analyst in the Michigan Legislative Science Bureau. In her new capacity as USIP Fellow in OSTP's Technology Division, Brown will support USIP activities aimed at…

Significant changes to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program were proposed on July 31, 1998 by Senator Christopher Bond (R-MO), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business, when he introduced Senate Bill S. 2407, the Small Business Programs Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998. First, S. 2407 proposes to make the SBIR Program permanent. The SBIR program is currently authorized through FY 2000. At that time, the program will either need to be reauthorized or it will cease to exist. This bill would eliminate the need for continued reauthorization by making the SBIR program permanent. Second, the bill would increase the allocation of funds to the SBIR Program from federal agencies' extramural R&D budgets from 2.5% to 3.5%. This increase would occur over four years beginning in FY 2001. Finally, the bill would make a significant change in the program to encourage better outreach to states that receive few awards each year. The bill would permit up to 2% of the SBIR set aside pool of funds to support an outreach program, to promote better commercialization of…

Before leaving for its August recess, the Senate confirmed Neal Lane to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Bill Richardson to be Secretary of Energy. On July 31, Lane was unanimously confirmed as OSTP Director, taking over the vacancy left when John Gibbons retired. According to the White House press release on Lane's confirmation, "Dr. Lane also serves as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and is responsible for providing the President with advice in all areas of science and technology policy and works to coordinate science, space, and technology policy and programs across the federal government. The Director also co-chairs the President's Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology and serves on the National Science and Technology Council." Lane has served as Director of NSF since 1993. Prior to that, Lane was Provost of, and physics professor at, Rice University. He was also Chancellor of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs from 1984 to 1986, and Director of NSF's Division of Physics from 1979 to 1980. Lane is a member of the…

Just a reminder that early registration for SSTI's Second Annual Conference, Science and Technology Programs: Catalysts for Economic Growth, are due August 31. The conference will be held September 24 & 25 in Columbus, Ohio. Full details can be found on SSTI's home page at www.ssti.org or by calling SSTI at 614/421-SSTI (7784).

During the month of August, the SSTI Weekly Digest will be published every other week. The Digest will be published August 14 and August 28. It will resume weekly publication September 4.

The most comprehensive source of statistical information on science and engineering issues has been released by the National Science Board. "Science and Engineering Indicators: 1998" is the 13th report in a biennial series. The 800-page report contains a wealth of information on a variety of topics, including four cross-cutting themes: increasing globalization of science, technology, and the economy greater emphasis throughout the world on science and engineering education and training structural and priority changes in the science and engineering enterprise increasing impact of science and technology on our daily lives. Among the findings reported in Indicators are: R&D funding patterns have changed substantially with most of the R&D increases occurring in the industrial sector, which is now providing two-thirds of the nation's R&D funds. Academic institutions undertook 12 percent of the nation's R&D activity with two-thirds of its activity focused on basic research. Links are increasing between industry and academia.…

A Washington, D.C.-based think tank has issued a call for the creation of a $250 million fund to be directed to the states for Technology Innovation Challenge Grants. The fund would be used by the states to invest in university- industry and other technology and innovation network programs. Under the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) proposal, states would be required to match the federal funds at a ratio of at least one-to-one with industry required to match all public funds one-to-one. The net effect would be to leverage the federal money into at least $1 billion in funding. The proposal is contained in a PPI Policy Briefing, "Innovation, Social Capital, and the New Economy: New Federal Policies to Support Collaborative Research," which asserts that investment in innovation is critical and the federal government must develop a targeted and expanded investment program for R&D of scientific and technological advances. PPI contends that the federal government should modify and restructure its existing technology policy tools to promote the use of networks and consortia in…

The Research and Experimentation Tax Credit expired on June 30, and there is concern that it may not be renewed this year. Reports indicate that the most likely vehicle for the tax credit would be a general tax bill, but according to the American Institute of Physics, the chances of a tax bill being agreed to by Congress and signed by President Clinton before the end of the session are considered slim.

The State Science and Technology Institute is sponsoring its second annual conference "Science and Technology Programs: Catalysts for Economic Growth" on September 23 and 24. The conference will explore best practices, trends, and new developments in technology-based economic development programs. The conference program includes the following sessions: The Evolution of a Successful S&T Program will address how two programs have adjusted through the last decade, as the science and technology base and political climate have changed dramatically. Introduction to State S&T Programs will present an overview of the types of science and technology programs offered by the states. Conducting an Industry Cluster Analysis will offer a toolkit that explains exactly what industry cluster analyses are and the steps required in conducting this type of analysis. The Role of State S&T Programs in SBIR will examine methods of leveraging the SBIR program to meet state economic development goals and the latest trends in state SBIR programs. Marketing Your…

NASA announced the award of cooperative agreements to establish new technology business incubators at three NASA Centers: the Goddard Space Flight Center (MD), the Langley Research Center (VA), and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), combined with the Dryden Flight Research Center, (CA). The incubators will provide U.S. start-up or small existing technology firms and U.S. educational institutions with a wide array of critical business development support services for the primary purpose of commercially applying NASA technology. Each new business incubator will receive funding from NASA in the amount of $400,000 per year for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, and will in turn match (or exceed) NASA's contribution through cash or in-kind funding from non-federal sources. The awards were made to Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), California State Polytechnic University, and a team led by the Maryland Economic Development Corporation. Catherine Renault, managing director of CIT, indicated they would begin an immediate search for an incubator manager. Interested candidates…

Updates on activities the United States Innovation Partnership (USIP) are now available through an e-mail distribution list. To subscribe, send an e-mail to USIP@asme.org USIP establishes a new working relationship between the states and the federal government as an integral part of enhancing a National Innovation System to promote economic growth. USIP strategies include: building strategic partnerships among federal and state governments, universities and industry; strengthening the national S&T system; defining the role of states in the S&T system; maximizing the return on investment from technology; creating mechanisms to promote innovation; building national excellence in manufacturing; and supporting product development and commercialization. USIP is embodied in a memorandum of understanding between the National Governors' Association, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.