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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/

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.

Since its inception in 1975, the Alan T. Waterman Award remains the highest honor awarded by the National Science Foundation. The award is conferred annually to the young researcher who has demonstrated exceptional individual achievement in scientific or engineering research of sufficient quality to place them at the forefront of their peers. The awardee receives a $500,000 nonrestrictive grant over a three-year period for continued research.

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP), part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Technology Administration, US. Department of Commerce, partners with the private sector to spur research on to the development stage and into the market. ATP’s early stage investments accelerate the development of innovative technologies that promise significant commercial payoffs and widespread benefits for the nation.

Several state and regional economic development strategies have been released this summer. All recognize the important role of research, science and technology in building tech-based economies. Two states are highlighted this week. 

The Los Angeles Regional Technology Alliance (larta) has released its 2001 Federal Technology Funding Guide which profiles 89 regularly scheduled federal programs that support technology development and deployment. Each profile includes descriptions, contact information, timelines, and examples. Targeted to technology companies, the guide presents only programs with eligibility requirements open to for-profit businesses. 

Research collaboration between companies and academia has grown tremendously over the past two decades and is recognized as one of the key elements of building tech-based economies (see the National Governors' Association, Using Research and Development to Grow State Economies, 2000 or the Milken Institute, Blueprint for a High-Tech Cluster, 2000).

The Department of Education has posted its selections under its FY 2000 Phase I and Phase II solicitations in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. There are 50 new Phase I awards, for a total of nearly $2.5 million, and 14 new Phase II awards, for a total of more than $3.4 million. Specific information concerning each awardee is available on the ED SBIR website: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/SBIR/ 

The Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI) of the U.S. Department of Education is currently embarking on a new and challenging agenda designed to enhance the quality and usefulness of educational research for improved teaching and learning. To help shape and lead this effort, the agency is seeking exceptionally qualified individuals to direct four of its five National Research Institutes.