Only 13 percent of midsize manufacturers reported that the growth of the Internet has had "a great deal of" or "some" impact on their companies over the past two years, according to a survey conducted for Grant Thornton LLP. However, the manufacturers expect that to change in the next two years. The survey found that 50 percent of the manufacturers expected the growth of the Internet to have "a great deal of" or "some" impact on their companies.
Last Thursday, the Clinton Administration released its detailed budget proposal for FY98. The requested 2% rise in research and development funding reflects the constraints facing discretionary spending programs: the call to balance the budget while costs for entitlement programs and debt service are growing.
The National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) of the National Institutes of Health is seeking input as it updates its 1994 strategic plan, NCRR: A Catalyst for Discovery.
Calls for an end to "corporate welfare" increased this week with an unusual coalition unveiling a list of targeted programs and nine senators calling for a commission to review federal subsidies to companies.
A coalition of liberal and conservative organizations has agreed to a list of twelve federal programs, including three technology-related programs, that should be terminated or modified because they are "corporate welfare."
The final appropriation for federal science and technology (FS&T) for FY 1997 is $43.4 billion, a slight increase (0.7 percent) over the FY 1996 appropriation, according to a new report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Women and minorities continue to take fewer high-level mathematics and science courses in high school; earn fewer bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in science and engineering (S&E); and remain less likely to be employed in S&E jobs than white males.
The new Guide to NIST, a one-stop information resource on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), is now available. The 164-page volume describes hundreds of different research projects, grants, industry outreach programs, services and facilities. The publication updates a 1993 edition. Requests for the guide can be faxed to 301/926-1630. An electronic version will be available online later this year on the NIST home page at http://www.nist.gov
The National Governors' Association (NGA), the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the Technology Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce are holding two more regional meetings to get input from state officials and others on the direction of the U.S. Innovation Partnership (USIP).
Department of Defense figures show there is approximately 35 percent excess capacity in its laboratory infrastructure, according to a General Accounting Office (GAO) report.
Ohio's Edison Technology Centers generated a direct economic impact for Ohio of more than $730 million from 1992 to 1995, according to a new study prepared by Battelle Memorial Institute for the Edison Centers. The seven Edison Centers are non-profit organizations that combine state, industry and academic resources to solve industrial problems and develop new technologies.
The first recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers were announced earlier this week. The 60 winners will receive up to $500,000 over a five year period to further their research.
Criteria used by one of the largest funders of basic research to evaluate research proposals is slated to change in 1997. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is revising the criteria used to evaluate approximately 30,000 proposals per year and is seeking comments on the proposed criteria.
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."
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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 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 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:
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:
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.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking nominees for Small Business Person of the Year. The deadline for nominations is November 15.
A Small Business Person of the Year is selected from every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Guam. From this pool, one individual is selected as the national Small Business Person of the Year.