The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has released its third annual Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. The report tracks and explores the implications of 30 performance indicators on the long-term growth and stability of the Massachusetts economy. When statistics are available, Massachusetts is compared to its “leading competitor states” of California, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Texas.
The Federal Highway Administration has requested grant applications and research recommendations for the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot (TCSP) Program.
Colorado Governor Bill Owen has appointed 55 technology executives and public officials to serve on the Governor’s Commission on Science and Technology. The Commission’s purpose is to issue a set of recommendations by late-2000 focused on enhancing Colorado's business climate and creating the technological infrastructure necessary to foster statewide growth of the high technology industry.
Specifically, the group is tasked to:
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fuels Development has issued Supplemental Announcement 04 to provide financial assistance in support of the DOE Biomass Program. The agency anticipates making several cooperative agreements in FY 2000 for 12-month research and development projects advancing new technologies that will increase the efficiency or lower the cost of producing and converting biomass to transportation fuels.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is offering approximately $1 million in financial assistance for the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing Cooperative Research Program (PATH CoRP). PATH encourages the development of innovative housing components and systems, designs, and production methods as well as projects that reduce the amount of time needed to move quality technologies to the market place.
NASA has identified ten government-owned inventions that have been filed in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and are available for licensing. Invention titles and contact information may be viewed at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/121799t.htm
Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull has announced the formation of the Arizona Partnership for the New Economy, a 35-member steering committee appointed to purse the following goals:
On February 3, the Department of Defense will be holding a Dual Use Science and Technology (DUS&T) Investment Strategy Conference at the Superdome in New Orleans. The FY 2001 Solicitation, to be released January 18, will have approximately $60 million available to fund industry projects. The deadline for proposals will be April 28, 2000.
AT&T has made a $1 million grant to support the development of technological expertise in 13 institutions of higher education in Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia.
The grant was made to the Virtual Institute for Technology Advancement in Education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (VITAE- HBCU). The VITAE-HBCU program is a partnership to foster collaboration between Virginia Tech and the HBCUs.
Beginning January 7, the SSTI Weekly Digest will be distributed only by electronic mail. Fax delivery service will end with the December 31 edition.
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Recent issues of the Federal Register and Commerce Business Daily (CBD) have had a number of research and technology funding announcements. Highlights for the Department of Defense include (date of publication in the CBD is provided in parentheses):
The following people in the science and technology community have made or announced career changes recently.
Jack Haenichen has been promoted to Deputy Director for the Arizona Department of Commerce.
Shaye Mandle is the new President of the Illinois Coalition.
Jack Haenichen has been promoted to Deputy Director for the Arizona Department of Commerce.
Shaye Mandle is the new President of the Illinois Coalition.
Bill Sibley has been named as President of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology. Mike Irby, who has been serving as Acting President for OCAST, will be retiring at the end of the year.
Bill Todd, President of the Georgia Research Alliance (GRA), has announced he will leave GRA early in 2000 to join a new technology seed investment fund.
In addition, a couple of new faces have been added to the SSTI team. We warmly welcome Shannon Burnett as our newest Policy Analyst and Ruth Carr as our Executive Assistant.
In a move to facilitate electronic commerce, President Clinton issued a memorandum this week creating the United States Government Working Group on Electronic Commerce. The Working Group will review current laws and regulations governing, impeding or hindering e-commerce, and will recommend revisions that facilitate e-commerce while ensuring consumer and public protection.
Most of New York’s science and technology initiatives have been consolidated into the New York Office of Science, Technology, and Academic Research (NYSTAR), which has received an annual budget of $130.6 million as a result of the Jobs 2000 Plan or “J2K” signed by Governor George Pataki in mid-November.
The Coleman Foundation has allocated up to $1,000,000 for this year's Entrepreneurship Awareness and Education Grant program. The program will award a one-time grant of up to $25,000 to any university, college, community college or community-based nonprofit organization to establish or significantly expand an entrepreneurship initiative that focuses on any of the following areas:
1999 Baldrige Winners Announced
Two manufacturers and two service companies have been selected as winners of the 1999 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's premier award for performance excellence and quality achievement. No award recipients were selected in the new education and health care categories.
The Sacramento Bee recently ran a story showing there is a downside for California being home of the Silicon Valley phenomenon: 20 percent of the 6,600 computer and telecommunications positions within the California state government are vacant. Some local governments are reporting even higher vacancy rates.
Fulfilling a promise made in his 1999 State of the State Address, Idaho Governor Dirk Kempthorne recently announced the formation of the Idaho Science and Technology Advisory Council. The council’s first responsibility will be to develop a state science and technology strategic plan. The Idaho Department of Commerce will provide staff support for the council.
Research and development (R&D) spending in the US by foreign-owned companies has increased to more than $17 billion annually and accounts for nearly 15 percent of total company-funded R&D in the United States, according to Globalizing Industrial Research and Development — Update, a new report released by the US Department of Commerce Office of Technology Policy.
The following people in the science and technology field have made or announced career changes recently:
Pat Valente has been named the Deputy Director of the Technology Division of the Ohio Department of Development.
David Weiss is leaving his post as Maryland State Technology Coordinator.