SSTI Digest

Last week, the House and the Senate approved the concurrent (final) budget resolution for FY 1997. The $1.63 trillion spending blueprint establishes broad spending targets for the coming fiscal year. Nondefense R&D is budgeted at $32.2 billion in FY 1997, down from the FY 1996 total of $32.7 billion.

The AAAS R&D Budget and Policy Project has calculated the impact of the resolution on nondefense r&d. The impact on the major r&d agencies breaks down as follows:

Agency/Program R&D

FY 1995

R&D

FY 1996 (est.)

The General Accounting Office (GAO) has released a report, "Tax Policy and Administration: Review of Studies of the Effectiveness of the Research Tax Credit," that concludes that much uncertainty remains about the responsiveness of research spending to tax incentives. There was mixed evidence that the amount of research and development spending stimulated by the federal credit equals or exceeds the cost of the lost revenue.

GAO found that it was "unable to conclude from the recent studies that they provide adequate evidence that a dollar of research tax credit would stimulate a dollar of additional research spending."

The International Institute for Management Development has released its annual World Competitiveness Yearbook, and the United States has reclaimed its spot atop the list. The U.S. was followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and Denmark.

World Competitiveness is defined by IMD as "the ability of a country to create added value and thus increase national wealth by managing assets and processes, attractiveness and aggressiveness, globality and proximity, and by integrating these relationships into an economic and social model." National wealth is the end result of world competitiveness.

Milwaukee, St. Louis, and San Diego were named to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for developing system-wide reforms in K-12 science, mathematics, and technology education. The awards are part of NSF's Urban Systemic Initiative. The initiative supports science, math, and technology education reform in cities with the largest number of school-aged children living in poverty.

Each city will receive a five-year, $15 million grant for system-wide reform. Twenty-seven cities have received NSF urban reform grants since 1993. Nine cities received USI funding in 1994. Seven more received funding in 1995. Milwaukee, St. Louis, and San Diego are the first cities chosen to receive funding in 1996.

Thirteen individuals have been named recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology--America's version of the Nobel Prize. Among those honored was a director of one of New Jersey's Advanced Technology Centers.

The National Medal of Science, administered by NSF, honors individuals for contributions to the present state of knowledge in: physical, biological, mathematical, engineering or social and behavioral sciences. The National Medal of Technology, administered by the U.S. Department of Commerce honors individuals and companies for technological innovation and advancement of U.S. global competitiveness.

Recipients of the National Medal of Science are:

A Missouri businesswoman was named National Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration. Phyllis Hannan, president of Laser Light Technologies, received the award last week as part of the SBA's Small Business Week (June 2-8) celebration. Small Business Week is designated each year to honor the nation's small businesses and to highlight their contributions to the national economy and their local communities. SBA also honored leading business owners from each state, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico at the ceremonies in Washington. Contact SSTI for the names of the state or special award winners.

SBA also announced the winners of the First Annual "Tibbetts Awards" in recognition of individuals and organizations that have provided outstanding contributions to the Small Business Innovation Research Program.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) have created the NSF/SRC Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing. The new center will study the environmental, health, and safety aspects of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

Through the center, which will be housed at the University of Arizona, scientists and engineers from Arizona, MIT, Stanford, and UC-Berkeley will address the semiconductor industry's concern for a more environmentally sound manufacturing process. The Arizona ERC will work in partnership with firms from the semi-conductor industry that will contribute to the strategic planning of the research program.

The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (FMEP) is seeking a Director who possesses the skills that are needed for the corporation to excel. The applicant should be an innovator and entrepreneur as well as a leader and a team builder with excellent communication skills.

This position requires a person with vision and the ability to build a shared vision based on basic principles of leadership, management, and finance. The Director will be required to make FMEP self-supporting within six years.

The position will director FMEP in its primary role of assisting small and mid-sized manufacturers adopt appropriate technologies and technique. The Director will coordinate with Enterprise Florida Innovation partnership as well as state and local service providers that bring a complete spectrum of assistance (including management, finance, and marketing) to its clients.

The State Science and Technology Institute has launched its home page on the World Wide Web. The site serves as a one-stop resource for cooperative technology program managers. The site provides information on SSTI activities including information services and research.

One of the key information services provided by SSTI is reporting up-to-date activity from Washington D.C. on matters related to science and technology, particularly as they affect state programs. Our home page has a link to FYI messages from Chris Coburn, President of SSTI, that report Washington happenings.

A major area of the site provides detailed descriptions of state cooperative technology programs. At the end of each state profile is:

Small and medium-sized manufacturers looking for assistance in solving technical and business problems now have improved access to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). MEP is a nationwide network of locally managed centers in 42 states and Puerto Rico offering technical assistance to smaller manufacturers.

Dialing 1-800-MEP-4MFG will directly link companies with the nearest MEP affiliate or to MEP headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Those with access to the World Wide Web can also find information on the MEP home page at http://www.mep.nist.gov. The page, called "The MEP Source", includes a map highlighting centers and field offices. The Source includes information both for companies and for those who operate the centers.

Seed Capital Venture Fund Manager

The newly created Seed Capital Venture Fund in Cleveland, Ohio is seeking a fund manager. The fund will be professionally staffed with experienced managers who have a substantial ability to drive the fund to invest for returns, not perform community service. Key elements of the fund's structure include its focus on seed capital and early stage investment in technology-based companies in the State of Ohio, with heavy emphasis initially on Northeast Ohio opportunities.The structure of the fund is a limited partnership with a 10-year life. Gains will be shared 80/20 with the Fund Manager who will in turn share 3 to 4 points with appropriate nonprofit "intermediaries." A Board of Advisors comprised of members of the venture capital community, representatives of Cleveland Tomorrow (similar to the chamber of commerce) and state-wide members will help in raising capital, but will not make investment decisions.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is accepting applications for the FY96 round of the Saltonstall-Kennedy (S-K) Grant Program. The S-K grant program supports research and development projects that address various aspects of commercial and recreational fisheries including harvesting, processing, and marketing. The program focuses on rebuilding U.S. fisheries for sustainable use. The FY96 base funding for this program is approximately $7.0 million.

Funding priorities are: bycatch reduction; fisheries utilization; fisheries management; aquaculture; and, product quality and safety. Projects primarily involving data collection should be directed to a specific problem or need, and be of a fixed duration. Funding will not be provided for projects primarily involving infrastructure construction, port or harbor development, and start-up or operational costs for private business ventures.