SSTI Digest

A panel of external evaluators has concluded that the National Science Foundation's State/Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers (S/I/UCRC) Program supports NSF's strategic goals. The panel also found that "the development of cooperative research centers involving states, industries and NSF can be an important contributing element to maintaining and developing a competitive US industry." The S/I/UCRC program was established in 1991 as the result of discussions between NSF and the National Governors' Association's Science and Technology Council of the States (STCS). There have been three competitions for awards and a total of 13 awards have been made. This is the first time a Committee of Visitors (COV) has evaluated the program. The COV found that a critical issue in the program is the difficulty in obtaining initial state funding commitments and then assuring the commitments over the duration of the program. The three-part funding requirement (state, industry and NSF) "represents a significant challenge..." and the COV recommended that the funding aspect of the S/I/UCRC…

U.S. Representative Robert Walker (R-PA), the retiring chairman of the House Science Committee, was recently awarded NASA's Distinguished Service Medal. The Medal was established in 1959 and is awarded to any person in the federal service who, by distinguished service, ability, or courage, has personally made a contribution representing substantial progress to the NASA mission in the interests of the United States. The contribution must be so extraordinary that other forms of recognition by NASA would be inadequate. Past recipients include astronauts Alan Shepherd and John Glenn.

The National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) has released a report examining the role of the federal government in economic development activities and proposing a new approach to meet economic development needs. NAPA urges the federal government to help states and localities learn through better information, leverage all available resources, and link multiple federal initiatives to assist local communities. Among the report's recommendations, NAPA encourages the federal government to: Help states and communities learn about state-of-the-art economic development practices Act to reduce the economic losses resulting from unrestrained bidding wars by states and localities to recruit or retain businesses Substantially reduce the fragmentation of the federal economic development effort. Give special assistance to states and communities seeking to create economic opportunities in distressed communities The project was led by a panel, chaired by former Governor Richard L. Thornburgh, who is also chairman of SSTI's Board of Trustees. The report was prepared with…

According to a new report released by the Council on Competitiveness, Competitive Index 1996: A Ten-Year Strategic Assessment, the U.S. has sharply boosted its economic competitiveness over the past decade. The Council attributed the gains to a variety of factors including corporate restructuring, reduction in the budget deficit, a weaker dollar and broadened international markets. The report warns, however, that the U.S. remains vulnerable in several key areas: Wage stagnation and inequality Shortfalls in national savings Weak investment in manufacturing plant and equipment Diminishing edge in R&D outlays Poor returns on educational spending Low productivity growth To compile this year's Competitiveness Index, the Council examined various statistics and surveyed its members -- 123 chief executives from industry, academia and labor. All members were asked a core set of questions regarding national economic competitiveness. They were also questioned about their particular sector (industry/labor or academia). In addition, the…

The Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence, Inc. will receive $1.5 million from the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). The Alliance, a program of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, is an MEP affiliate that received its initial federal funding through the Technology Reinvestment Project.

The Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), a non-profit start-up organization, seeks an Executive Director to build and operate a successful manufacturing services organization. The Executive Director will guide AME in its mission of assisting smaller manufacturers to adopt more advanced manufacturing technologies and management techniques. AME's head office will be located in the greater Seattle area with field staff located in offices throughout the state. Field services begin in the spring of 1997. At full operational levels--anticipated in the third year of operations-- the Director will command a budget of approximately $6 million and a staff of 18 field engineers in addition to technical specialists and management and administrative staff. Requirements include a master's degree/or equivalent and ten years or more of management experience in a manufacturing environment. For application instructions and additional materials please contact: Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence, c/o CTED, Attention: Ariona, P.O. Box 48300, Olympia, WA 98504-8300, (360) 586-0873 or e-…

The Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) has issued a Program Guide to Federally Funded Environment and Natural Resources R&D. The guide describes the types of environment and natural resources R&D currently supported by federal agencies, potential opportunities for funding, the mechanisms used to award funding, and points of contact. Agencies listed in the Program Guide as having major R&D programs in environment and natural resources include the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of the Interior (DoI), the Department of Energy (DoE), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Department of Defense (DoD). Although many of the deadlines for submitting FY96 proposals have passed, the dates have been left in for informational purposes. Many of the research areas noted for 1996 will continue in 1997…

Applications and nominations are invited for the position of Executive Director of the Vermont Technology Council. The Council is a voluntary association of community leaders from the public and private sectors who are concerned with the economic vitality of Vermont and believe that the state's prosperity depends on the successful commercialization within the state of scientific and technological advances and innovations. The Council promotes cooperation between the R&D resources of Vermont's colleges and universities and its industrial and commercial sectors. The end objectives are new, free-standing commercial businesses evolving from this cooperation. The Executive Director will be responsible for all activities of the Council, assuring progress towards the fulfillment of its mission, including: securing public and private support for the establishment and enlargement of scientific and technological R&D centers; creating and fostering linkages between research facilities, governmental bodies and the business sector; providing policy guidance to Vermont EPSCoR; generating plans for the…

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has developed the Angel Capital Electronic Network (ACE-Net) to link small companies and investors through the Internet. Entrepreneurs will be able to put their prospectus on a secure database that can be searched by approved individual or "angel" investors. The goal of the network is to improve access to equity capital for small companies that need capital in the $250,000 to $5 million range. All offering listings will be available by an on-line search engine that will permit the "angels" to identify companies in which they want to invest. The investors can look for a specific type of company, technology or market, investment size, geographic location, and minority-/women owned status. ACE-Net will also permit investors to place specific search criteria on the network and it will send an e-mail when a company is listed that meets their interests. Info on ACE-Net is available on the World Wide Web at <http://www.sbaonline. sba.gov> and <http://ace-net.unh.edu&gt; More information is also available by…

All incumbent governors that ran for re-election on Tuesday were re-elected. Only four gubernatorial races were for open seats (Indiana, New Hampshire, Washington, and West Virginia) and those elections resulted in no net gains for either the Democrats or Republicans. In New Hampshire, a Democrat was elected governor succeeding Republican Steve Merrill, while in West Virginia, a Republican will replace Democrat Gaston Caperton. Governors elected on Tuesday: Delaware -- Incumbent Democrat Thomas Carper Indiana -- Democrat Lieutenant Governor Frank O'Bannon succeeds Democrat Governor Evan Bayh, who could not run for a third term Missouri -- Incumbent Democrat Mel Carnahan Montana -- Incumbent Republican Marc Racicot New Hampshire -- Democrat State Senator Jeanne Shaheen succeeds Republican Governor Merrill, who did not seek re-election North Carolina -- Incumbent Democrat Jim Hunt North Dakota -- Incumbent Republican Edward Schaefer Utah -- Incumbent Republican Michael Leavitt Vermont -- Incumbent Democrat…

As with other races this year, there was little overall change in the control of state legislatures, although the Democrats did make some progress, based on figures compiled by the National Council of State Legislatures. Prior to the election: Republicans controlled both houses in 18 states Democrats controlled both houses in 16 states Control was split in 15 states After Tuesday's voting: Democrats control both houses in 20 states Republicans control both houses in 17 states Control is split in 12 states In three states, the House of Representatives changed from Republican to Democrat (California, Illinois, Michigan). In Nevada, the House had been tied, but is now led by the Democrats. In Indiana and Oregon, Republicans had a majority, but the membership is now tied between Republicans and Democrats. In Florida, the House changed from Democrat majority to Republican. In four states, the Senate also…

Advanced Technology Program (ATP) officials announced that they have received 309 proposals in the 1996 ATP general competition, which closed in mid-September. Preliminary analysis of the proposals shows strong concentrations in a wide variety of technology areas, including biotechnology, electronics, chemical processing, computer hardware and software, energy and manufacturing. Competitions in each of the last three years have received an average of 300 applications. Between $20-25 million in funding is expected to be distributed to winners. The announcement of projects selected for funding is expected in early 1997.