Industry associations are expressing concern that the diversion of user fees from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is adversely affecting the speed of innovation. The PTO receives no taxpayer dollars and is supported entirely by user fees; however, for the last several years, most of those user fees have gone to the government's general fund to help balance the budget rather than to support PTO operations.
Joel B. Russ was recently named the new president of the Maine Science and Technology Foundation (MSTF). Prior to accepting this position, Russ served as the President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of the Greater Portland Region, as well as serving as a member of the MSTF's Board of Directors. MSTF is a state-chartered, non-profit organization whose mission is to stimulate science and technology-driven economic growth in Maine.
Dr. Jack Gibbons, the President's science advisor and the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, announced late last week that he will resign effective March 15. Dr. Neal Lane, the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), has been nominated by President Clinton to replace Gibbons. Replacing Lane at NSF will be Dr. Rita Colwell, the president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute. Colwell was nominated earlier this year to become deputy director of NSF.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge recently announced the release of The Technology 21 Report — The Keystone Spirit: Putting Technology to Work. Commissioned by Ridge and the Ben Franklin/IRC Partnership Board, the Technology 21 initiative is an industry-led project that will implement a comprehensive technology policy for Pennsylvania.
The Tech 21 report calls for:
The Washington Technology Center (WTC) is seeking an Executive Director. WTC is the state of Washington's enterprise for joint industry-university technology development partnerships. The Center supports technologies for industry application for Washington companies in the areas of advanced materials and manufacturing, biotechnology/biomedical devices, computer systems and microelectronics.
On Monday, the Clinton Administration released its detailed budget proposal for FY99 that requests a 2.57% increase in research and development funding. The FY99 budget proposal calls for increasing spending on R&D to roughly $78.16 billion, up $1.96 billion from FY98.
The Clinton Administration has announced initiatives to finance computer training and retraining programs to meet the dramatically increasing demand for Information Technology (IT) workers. The announcement occurred at the National Information Technology Workforce Convocation, an event to facilitate broad-based solutions to the worker shortage.
The United States could be on the verge of a major resurgence in the funding of research and development (R&D), according to the annual forecast by Battelle Memorial Institute and R&D Magazine. R&D spending in 1998 is expected to reach more than $215 billion, a 4.66 percent increase over the $206 billion that the National Science Foundation estimates was spent in 1997. The prediction comes after years of stagnation in R&D spending.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) has launched a new Internet website entitled the ATP Alliance Network. The website is designed to aid organizations interested in applying for an ATP Joint Venture award.
Dr. Rita R. Colwell, the current President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a former member of the National Science Board, has been nominated by President Clinton to serve as the next deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Rita R. Colwell, the current President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a former member of the National Science Board, has been nominated by President Clinton to serve as the next deputy director of the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Walter Plosila has joined Battelle Memorial Institute as Vice President, Public Technology Management. He served most recently as the executive director of the North Carolina Alliance for Competitive Technologies (NC ACTs).
Joseph Magno, the executive director of the New York State Science and Technology Foundation, has resigned his position. He has accepted a position with the State University of New York Research Foundation.
Dr. Robert Center has retired. Dr. Center was the executive director of the Washington Technology Center.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has decided to reclassify its R&D budget, which will result in a reduction of funding available for its Small Business Innovation Research program (SBIR). The reclassification was recommended by Inspector General Linda Sundro. NSF Director Neal Lane has concurred with the recommendations.
The Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) has released its 1997 Development Report Card for the States. The annual report card assesses the strengths and weaknesses of each state's economy and its potential for future growth. Its rankings are watched closely by state development officials.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced the formation of the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI), a major component of the Intelligent Transportation Systems America program. IVI represents DOT's efforts to merge all vehicle-focused research activities into a multi-agency research and development program. DOT is seeking assistance from industry and stakeholders on the planning of this new initiative.
The December 19, 1997 issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest reported an incorrect FY 1998 appropriation for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The correct amount is $192.5 million.
With all appropriations bills signed into law as of November 26 and the exercise of the final line item veto on December 2, the FY 1998 appropriations picture is coming into focus.
A preliminary analysis by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) of the FY98 appropriations shows that total federal funding allocated to R&D increased to $76.3 billion, 4.1 percent more than FY97.
Price Waterhouse recently announced that venture capital investments hit an all time record in the third quarter of 1997. Total investments exceeded $3.5 billion, eclipsing the previous high of $3.2 billion reported in the second quarter of 1997. Compared to the third quarter of 1996, investments increased 75%, the largest percentage increase measured by the survey.
Research and development expenditures in 1997 are expected to reach $205.7 billion, a 6.5 percent increase over 1996's $193.2 billion in spending. Since 1994, R&D spending has been increasing at a rate of more than 5 percent a year, according to a recent National Science Foundation Data Brief.
The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) report, Transportation Science and Technology Strategy, has been released. The Strategy was written to aid Congress, the White House, and federal Agencies in establishing national transportation R&D priorities and coordinating research activities. The report highlights ongoing federal research efforts in transportation science and technology and identifies areas of new opportunity and gaps for federal support.
The State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI) recently released State Science and Technology Strategic Planning: Creating Economic Opportunity. This report is the first comprehensive study of state science and technology strategic planning processes.
The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) has released a new report that confirms that business incubators are helping to build healthy, long lasting businesses, and they are doing it at minimal cost with a good return on investment to supporters.
Raymond Kammer was sworn in as eleventh director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on November 12. Kammer had been NIST's deputy director since 1993. Robert Hebner had been acting director of the agency since the position was vacated by Arati Prabhakar in March.