This past summer, researchers at Brown University conducted the first nationwide content analysis of state and federal government Web sites. The study, Assessing E-Government: The Internet, Democracy, and Service Delivery by State and Federal Governments, focused on features available on-line, the level of variation across the country and between state and national governmental sites, and how those sites respond to citizen requests for information.
Less than two years into his first term, Illinois Governor George Ryan has made tech-based economic development a leading priority. The cornerstone of the state's new commitment to science and technology is the $1.9 billion five-year Illinois VentureTech initiative, which was profiled in the February 18, 2000 edition of the SSTI Weekly Digest (see http://www.ssti.org/Digest/2000/021800.htm)
SSTI will be closed October 2-4 to attend our annual conference, Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies. The offices will reopen on Thursday, October 5. Due to the conference, an abbreviated version of the SSTI Weekly Digest will be released on Friday October 6.
This summer, North Carolina joined a growing handful of states and regions that have completed innovation assessments or report cards to aid in the development and implementation of state’s science and technology policies. Tracking Innovation: North Carolina Innovation Index 2000 was released in conjunction with a high-tech cluster analysis and a new S&T strategic plan for the state entitled Mapping the Vision.
The first $90 million has been awarded through NSF’s new program Information Technology Research (ITR) initiative. The goal of the program is to build US leadership in information technology (IT) through support of fundamental research and innovative applications of IT. The ITR program is designed to strengthen the nation’s IT knowledge base as well as the IT workforce.
Earlier this week, Senator Conrad Burns from Montana led an effort to save the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Rural Outreach Program, which allows small businesses in rural America, with help from state and local assistance providers, to play an integral role in federal research programs.
An educated populace is a key ingredient for a state's success in competing in a knowledge-based economy. Workforce development, digital divide, and income inequalities are all tied to the educational attainment of a population or group within a population. Educational Attainment in the United States, a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, reveals several positive trends in this area:
The Department of the Navy and NASA have each announced three federally-owned inventions that are available for licensing. Invention titles and contact information for each licensing opportunity are posted at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/092200t.htm
Thank you! The overwhelming response to Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies has resulted in the conference being sold out. With attendees from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, SSTI's fourth annual conference promises to be a great one. Please note, there will be no walk-in registration possible at the conference doors.
The Department of the Air Force will have an exhibit and representatives from two programs, the Dual Use Science and Technology Program (DUS&T) and the Commercial Operations & Support Savings Initiative (COSSI), at SSTI's annual conference. Each offers unique opportunities for technology-related businesses.
In a move designed to significantly improve access to higher education, California Governor Gray Davis signed legislation this week that will significantly expand the state's scholarship programs. Under the new legislation nearly one-third of high school graduates will receive scholarship assistance through the state's Cal Grant program, according to the bill's sponsors.
The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy in the U.S. Department of Commerce has requested public comments on proposed changes to the rights to inventions made by non-profit organizations and small businesses through cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) between government-owned and -operated laboratory and a collaborating party.
One of the federal government's most potent programs for building tech-based businesses is two weeks away from expiration. Authorization for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program is due to expire September 30, and as of today, no date has been set for a House vote to reauthorize the program.
Jon Baron, formerly Manager of the Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, has taken a position as the Director of the Presidential Commission on Offsets.
Jon Baron, formerly Manager of the Defense Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program, has taken a position as the Director of the Presidential Commission on Offsets.
Vic Johnson, Director for Policy, Planning & Technology in the Louisiana Department of Economic Development (LDED), is taking the position as manager of the Technology Transfer Office of the Louisiana Business & Technology Center. Mark Galyean will be handling Vic’s responsibilities at LDED.
After many years with the variously named New York offices for science & technology, Bruce Layton is moving to Illinois to become the Director of Government Relations for Northwestern University.
SSTI wishes Shannon Burnett good luck as she leaves our team to take a position with the Ohio Air Quality Board.
NASA and the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) have announced 3 and 14 inventions, respectively, that are available for licensing. Invention titles and, for DHHS, abstracts for each licensing opportunity are posted at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/091500t.htm
State Industries of the Future, a partnership strategy of the Department of Energy’s Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT), has successfully facilitated development of industry visions and roadmaps for the Agriculture, Aluminum, Chemicals, Forest Products, Glass, Metalcasting, Mining, and Steel industries. Beginning with a pilot project in West Virginia, OIT is now partnering with states to pursue these industry-defined visions and roadmaps on a state level.
As part of his FY 2001 budget request, Illinois Governor George Ryan announced a five-year, $1.9 billion package of technology-related initiatives intended to put Illinois in a leadership position among states in science and technology. Illinois VentureTech includes several education and computer technology acquisition programs and the following S&T and research-related initiatives:
The most recent PricewaterhouseCoopers Moneytree™ survey reported $35.6 billion in venture capital investments were made in 1999 – 150% higher than the record survey results collected in 1998. In fact, at $14.69 billion, fourth quarter 1999 investments alone surpassed the survey results for all of 1998.
Kentucky Governor Paul Patton and House Speaker Jody Richardson have announced a new technology bill to help Kentucky develop an innovation-driven economy. House Bill 572, the Kentucky Innovation Act, is a result of the Science and Technology Strategy designed by the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation in August, 1999 (see September 3, 1999 SSTI Weekly Digest (http://www.ssti.org/Digest/1999/090399.htm).
The Department of Energy has announced the selection of 32 grants under National Industrial Competitiveness Through Energy, Environment, and Economics Program (NICE3) and Inventions and Innovations Program (I&I). NICE3 grants support projects for commercial demonstration of innovative industrial technologies that reduce energy consumption, waste production, and operating costs. Eight NICE3 projects will share $3.8 million from DOE; industry will contribute $6.4 million in match.
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act (NITRD), nearly doubling federal information technology (IT) research over the next five years. Introduced by House Science Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., (R-WI), H.R. 2086 focuses federal IT resources towards fundamental basic research and establishes the National Science Foundation (NSF) as the lead agency for federal civilian IT programs.