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.
Gross State Products in the nation, after adjustment for inflation, grew at an average annual rate of 3.9 percent from 1992 to 1998, according to a paper released this week by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Gross State Product measures value added in production.
Registrations for SSTI’s fourth annual conference, Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies, have been brisk. As a result, the Regal Knickerbocker Hotel has no more vacancies at our special conference discount rate -- if any rooms are available at all by the time of this release. The hotel was kind enough to extend our room block by 50 percent before the discount deadline this past weekend.
During its six years in operation, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program has awarded more than $150 million in grants to strengthen the education of technicians for the high tech fields driving our economy. The ATE Program is managed jointly by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Undergraduate Education and the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education.
NASA has released a listing of its 1999 Phase II awards for the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). One hundred ten awards were made to 97 firms in 27 states. The big winner was California with 28 firms garnering 31 awards. For more information regarding these and other NASA SBIR awards, visit http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/
NASA and the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) have announced 49 and 15 inventions, respectively, that are available for licensing. Invention titles and, for DHHS, abstracts for each are posted at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/090800t2.htm
As sponsors of Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies, the Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center, the NASA Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative and the NASA Illinois Commercialization Center will share space in the conference exhibitor’s area. Brief profiles of each organization are provided below:
Unprecedented Goals, Unparalleled Progress, a report released in early August by Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove, calls for the state to address several issues to better position the state to compete in the New Economy. Elements of the plan affecting the state’s science and technology base include:
Through its Digital Village Program, Hewlett-Packard is providing up to $15 million in products and resources over a three-year period to three communities who need assistance to participate fully in the New Economy. East Palo Alto, CA already has been designated as a Digital Village; the remaining two will be selected through a competitive process.
Why do some start-up technology businesses choose to directly commercialize their innovations, taking on the industry titans as is common in the electronics industry, while other new tech firms, such as those involved in biotechnology, choose a path of cooperation with the industry leaders, commercializing through licenses, joint ventures, and outright acquisition?
University-centered technology transfer is not new; however, research institutions have been thrust to the center of much of the discussion for building tech-based economies. A Tutorial on Technology Transfer in U.S. Colleges and Universities, a new paper by the Council on Government Relations (COGR), provides a good primer on the subject from the perspective of the academic institution.