The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Technology has called for issue papers to identify top priorities and outline ideas for reforming federal support of science and technology. The agency is seeking papers as a contribution to the development of a long-term action plan for improving federal policies, regulations, and programs to foster science and technology innovation.
President Clinton has issued an Executive Order to develop and promote biobased products and bioenergy as economically viable alternatives to fossil fuel-based production and energy generation. The order calls for the development of a national strategy that includes research, development, and private sector incentives to stimulate the creation and early adoption of technologies needed to make biobased products and bioenergy cost competitive.
The Markle Foundation has announced plans to give away $100 million -- more than half of the Foundation's current endowment -- over the next five years for projects and programs to improve public benefit from the Internet. Recipients will include non-profit organizations as well as for-profit companies.
Awards are concentrated in four areas:
The following people in the S&T field have announced or made career changes over the past few months:
Phil Singerman, the head of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Adminstration, has been named president of the new Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation.
Catherine Renault, managing director of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, has accepted a position with Advantage Consulting.
Phil Singerman, the head of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Adminstration, was named president of the new Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation.
Catherine Renault, managing director of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, has accepted a position with Advantage Consulting.
Cary Nourie has been named Vice President of Policy and Planning for the Illinois Coalition; he previously was with the North Carolina Governor's Washington Office.
Brent Gregory has announced his resignation as Vice President for Technology Development with Enterprise Florida to accept a position in the private sector.
Douglas Goodall has been appointed CEO of Innovation Works, the successor to the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Western Pennsylvania.
Patrick Quinlan, a former staffer for Rep. George Brown, has been selected as the ASME Fellow in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Appropriation bills approved by the U.S. House of Representatives have “decimated the President’s R&D budget,” according to Neal Lane, the President’s Science Advisor and director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Dr. Lane issued a scathing statement earlier this week that condemned the House R&D budget appropriations, which include, according to the statement, the following:
The State Science and Technology Institute’s (SSTI) third annual conference will focus on how to meet the challenge of the New Economy through science and technology programs.
The conference will focus on some of the largest issues facing policy makers and practitioners, including:
On October 1, Texas will begin offering a tax credit for business research and development expenditures. The new law, Texas Senate Bill 441, provides Texas corporations with a franchise tax credit equal to five percent of eligible R&D expenses for up to 50 percent of a company’s total franchise tax liability. Unused portions may be carried forward for up to 20 years.
To help small businesses participate fully in the expected e-commerce revolution, Senator Bingaman (D-NM) has introduced legislation to create a national e-commerce extension program. Senators Rockefeller (D-WVa), Snowe (R-ME) and Mikulski (D-MD) are co-sponsors of the bill, S. 1494.
There is potential trouble ahead for R&D and those states with relatively low levels of federal support will be impacted most severely, according to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Analysis of the Impact of FY 2000 Federal R&D Investment Scenarios on Economic Growth.
Technology-based economic growth can be extremely beneficial to metropolitan areas, but comes with risks, according to America's High Tech Economy: Growth, Development, and Risks for Metropolitan Areas. The report was prepared by the Milken Institute, a non-profit economic think tank founded by Michael Milken.
Among the report's findings are:
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has committed almost $94 million over the next five years in matching funds for five new Science & Technology Centers (STC). The new centers join 23 existing centers that were selected in 1989 and 1991. (Two more original STCs cease to exist.)
Innovation indices or "S&T report cards" have grown increasingly popular over the past few years on both state and local levels. The trend has now reached the national level with the release last week of the Progressive Policy Institute's, The State New Economy Index.
Serious deficiencies in pre-college education and wavering support for basic research may erode the nation's ability to convert science and technology into new products, jobs, and profits and decrease the prospects of better lives for U.S. citizens, according to a new book from the National Research Council (NRC).
The Department of Energy has announced the selection of 204 Phase I awards under the 1999 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The grants were made to companies in the 31 states listed in the accompanying table. More detailed information for each award can be found on the newly redesigned DOE SBIR website: http://www.sbir.er.doe.gov/sbir
Preparation of S&T indicators on a local or regional level continues to increase. The Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Sciences, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, has released Cincinnati's Technology Benchmarking Study. The report compares the technology assets and performance of 24 urban areas across the U.S. using 17 indicators, then makes recommendations for strengthening Cincinnati's technology base. The report is on the Internet at www.iams.org
While more people are connected to the nation's information infrastructure, the "Digital Divide" between those Americans with the information tools to participate in the New Economy and those without is actually widening, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).
Calling it one of the most important economic development activities of his administration, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge recently announced the creation of the "Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse" -- a public/private partnership intended to provide support, infrastructure, and the expertise needed to accelerate the development and re-use of system-on-a-chip (SOC) technology.
Education Secretary Richard W. Riley has established the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which will recommend ways to improve the recruitment, preparation, retention, and support of math and science teachers. John Glenn will chair the 31-member commission. Governors Geringer (WY) and Hunt (NC) also will serve on the commission. Other members will include representatives of business, industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and government.
The NASA Ames Research Center is developing a 200-acre research and development complex at Moffett Federal Airfield in Silicon Valley. NASA hopes to spawn partnerships between scientists at Ames Research Center and the private sector, fostering opportunities for technology transfer and contract R&D. The Complex will ultimately encompass the entire 2,000-acre federal property owned by NASA's Ames Research Center, Ames officials said.