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$5 Million in Community Technology Projects Announced

On Tuesday, WorldCom and Brown University announced grants for 20 programs in 19 states to link public schools or community organizations with local colleges or universities to develop educational technology projects for youth in underserved areas. The grants were awarded through Making a Civic Investment, a $5-million, five-year program funded by WorldCom and administered by Campus Compact, a national coalition of nearly 700 college and university presidents based at Brown. 

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People

Marty Grueber has left the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council (RIEPC) to join Battelle Memorial Institute and the Environmental Technology Commercialization Center. Beth Ashman Collins has been named director of research at RIEPC.

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Atkinson to Leave R.I.; Position Available

Rob Atkinson, the executive director of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, has announced his resignation. He has accepted a position with the Progressive Policy Institute, leading a new initiative on science and technology. As a result of his departure, the Council is seeking an executive director.

The Council is a non-profit corporation, co-chaired by the Governor and a business CEO, with a 19-member board from business, labor, higher education and government leadership of Rhode Island. The Council is equally funded by industry and the state. It provides objective, in-depth analysis of the state's economy; develops and implements creative strategies; recommends policies; and advises the Governor, Administration and General Assembly.

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Rhode Island Plan Calls for Action

The Rhode Island Economic Policy Council has concluded a year-long examination of the state's economy with a call for nine recommendations to be implemented.

The Council found,"Our economy has performed poorly in this decade. We have lost population every year because large numbers of people have moved out of state in search of economic opportunity. Five years into a nationwide economic recovery, key economic indicators in Rhode Island...are all still below their peak from the late 1980s."

To strengthen the state's economy, the Council suggests that several steps be taken, including:

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Rhode Island Announces State's First Centers of Excellence

The State of Rhode Island has selected two Research Centers of Excellence designed to expand research initiatives and encourage investment and job opportunities. The Rhode Island Center for Cellular Medicine and the Ocean Technology Center are the state's first technology centers.

The Rhode Island Center for Cellular Medicine, which will receive a $500,000 grant, will support activity in the field of cell-based medical therapy. The Center is designed to initiate, test and manufacture cell-based technologies as well as provide specialized treatment facilities. Partners include Brown University Medical School, the Lifespan Hospitals, Cyto Therapeutics and three Rhode Island biotechnology start-up firms (BCR, Multi-Cell, and Cell Kinetics). In addition, matching funds totaling nearly $300,000 will be contributed by Lifespan, Brown University, and Cyto Therapeutics.

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