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.
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.)
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
Case Western Reserve University is seeking an executive director of The Power Partnership for Ohio, one of the new Wright Centers of Innovation funded in part by a $18 million grant from the State of Ohio.
Sam Bodman, presently Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Treasury.
John Calvin, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development, has announced his resignation effective Dec. 15.
Sam Bodman, presently Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has been nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Treasury.
John Calvin, Secretary of the South Dakota Department of Tourism and State Development, has announced his resignation effective Dec. 15.
TechPoint, Indiana's statewide technology council, has named Cameron Carter to serve as president and chief executive officer.
U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Thomas Q. Donaldson, V has been appointed Director of the John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC), effective Jan. 5, 2004.
Carol Ann Dykes is the new president of the National Association of Management and Technical Assistance Centers.
The new position of vice president of research and health services at the University of South Carolina will be filled by Harris Pastides.
By a narrow margin, Ohio voters on Tuesday rejected a constitutional amendment that would have permitted the state to issue up to $500 million in bonds over 10 years to fund technology-based economic development projects. Defeated 51 percent to 49 percent, Issue 1 would have made up the final component of Gov. Bob Taft's proposed 10-year, $1.6 billion Third Frontier project. The remaining $1.1 billion is unaffected by Tuesday's vote.
State budget woes will continue into fiscal year 2005, reports the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. According to the five-page A Brief Overview of State Fiscal Conditions and the Effects of Federal Policies on State Budgets, FY05 estimates released by 21 state budget offices project a combined total shortfall of up to $33 billion — or 9 percent of those states' expenditures.
To stimulate business development and job growth in rural areas, officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) signed on Oct. 31 a collaborative agreement to create the Rural Business Investment Program (RBIP). The initiative will allow newly formed venture capital investment companies to leverage private capital funds with government financial assistance and to obtain both government and private grant resources for technical assistance.