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SSTI Digest
People
Dr. Rita R. Colwell, the current President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a former member of the National Science Board, has been nominated by President Clinton to serve as the next deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Walter Plosila has joined Battelle Memorial Institute as Vice President, Public Technology Management. He served most recently as the executive director of the North Carolina Alliance for Competitive Technologies (NC ACTs).
Joseph Magno, the executive director of the New York State Science and Technology Foundation, has resigned his position. He has accepted a position with the State University of New York Research Foundation.
People
Dr. Rita R. Colwell, the current President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a former member of the National Science Board, has been nominated by President Clinton to serve as the next deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
People
Dr. Walter Plosila has joined Battelle Memorial Institute as Vice President, Public Technology Management. He served most recently as the executive director of the North Carolina Alliance for Competitive Technologies (NC ACTs).
People
Joseph Magno, the executive director of the New York State Science and Technology Foundation, has resigned his position. He has accepted a position with the State University of New York Research Foundation.
People
Dr. Robert Center has retired. Dr. Center was the executive director of the Washington Technology Center.
NSF Reclassifies R&D Budget, Cutting SBIR Funds
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has decided to reclassify its R&D budget, which will result in a reduction of funding available for its Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR). The reclassification was recommended by Inspector General Linda Sundro. NSF Director Neal Lane has concurred with the recommendations.
Each agency with an extramural R&D budget in excess of $100 million must set aside a percentage of their extramural R&D funding for the SBIR program. In FY 1997, the SBIR set-aside was 2.5%. Congress also authorized a smaller set-aside, currently 0.15% of the extramural R&D budget, for the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program.
1997 Economic Report Card Available
The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) has released its 1997 Development Report Card for the States. The annual report card assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each state's economy and its potential for future growth. Its rankings are watched closely by state development officials.
The report examines approximately 60 factors important to a state's economic health and development and grades each state on three indexes. The indices measure (1) economic performance -- how well the state's economy is performing; (2) business vitality -- how vital the businesses in the state are; and (3) development capacity -- the state's ability to support future growth or recover from economic adversity. In addition, the states are ranked, but not graded, on their tax and fiscal systems.
The report grades states in several subcategories within the larger indexes. The Technology Resources subindex includes the following measures:
Public Comments & Working Group Sought to Set IVI Research Agenda
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced the formation of the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI), a major component of the Intelligent Transportation Systems America program. IVI represents DOT's efforts to merge all vehicle-focused research activities into a multi-agency research and development program. DOT is seeking assistance from industry and stakeholders on the planning of this new initiative.
IVI's purpose is to accelerate the development, availability, and use of driving assistance and control intervention systems to reduce motor vehicle crashes. These systems may include provisions for warning drivers, recommending control actions, intervening with driver control, and introducing temporary or brief automated control of the vehicle in hazardous situations. IVI systems are also intended to improve mobility and highway efficiency through the application of selected motorist information services.
Correction
The December 19, 1997 issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest reported an incorrect FY 1998 appropriation for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The correct amount is $192.5 million.
FY 98 Appropriations: S&T Highlights
With all appropriations bills signed into law as of November 26 and the exercise of the final line item veto on December 2, the FY 1998 appropriations picture is coming into focus.
A preliminary analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) of the FY98 appropriations shows that total federal funding allocated to R&D increased to $76.3 billion, 4.1 percent more than FY97.
With the exception of Transportation and Agriculture, every major R&D funding agency received increases above the rate of inflation (2.5 percent). The Department of Commerce's R&D programs received the largest percent increase (14.8 percent) to bring the agency to $1.1 billion. Much of the increase is due to a $95 million appropriation to fund construction and renovation of NIST R&D facilities in Colorado and Maryland.
Venture Capital Investments at Record Level for Second Straight Quarter
Price Waterhouse recently announced that venture capital investments hit an all time record in the third quarter of 1997. Total investments exceeded $3.5 billion, eclipsing the previous high of $3.2 billion reported in the second quarter of 1997. Compared to the third quarter of 1996, investments increased 75%, the largest percentage increase measured by the survey. These findings were released in the Price Waterhouse Venture Capital Survey, a quarterly report of venture capital investments throughout the United States.
A total of 675 companies received financing in the third quarter compared to 443 companies in the same period last year which is a 52% increase.
R&D Expenditures Top $200 Billion in 1997
Research and development expenditures in 1997 are expected to reach $205.7 billion, a 6.5 percent increase over 1996's $193.2 billion in spending. Since 1994, R&D spending has been increasing at a rate of more than 5 percent a year, according to a recent National Science Foundation Data Brief.
The federal share of the nation's R&D expenditures is expected to continue declining -- to 30.5 percent of R&D expenditures. The federal share of the nation's R&D funds first fell below 50 percent in 1978 and was consistently between 44 and 47 percent from 1980 to 1990. Since then, the federal share has dropped steadily.