The Maine Science & Technology Foundation (MSTF) has issued a request for proposals to conduct an "Initial Evaluation of Maine's Public Investments in Research and Development." The study, to be completed by July 1, 2001, will provide baseline data for the first comprehensive evaluation MSTF is required by law to prepare for the state legislature and Governor by July, 2006. Subsequent comprehensive evaluations are to be completed every five years. The effort will:

Organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area will spend more than $20 million this year to bridge the digital divide, according to Who's Funding the Digital Connect?, a report released this month by the San Francisco Foundation. More than 54 organizations will provide computer access and/or training to more than 75,000 low income and underserved individuals in one of the most technology-savvy regions in the country, according to the study.

Twenty researchers supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) received the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers award late last month. The award is the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of building their independent research careers. To receive the award, nominees must be NSF CAREER (Faculty Early Career Development) awards recipients.

The commercialization of academic research in 1999 resulted in more than $40 billion in economic activity that supported more than 270,000 jobs, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). The 1999 AUTM Licensing Survey reports that business activity associated with sales of products from academic research last year is estimated to have generated $5 billion in tax revenues in the U.S.

Venture-based investments in the third quarter of 2000 reached $17.6 billion, a decrease of 12.5 percent drop from the record $19.8 billion reported in the second quarter of 2000, according to the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers MoneyTreeTM Survey results. Investments, however, are still nearly double the $8.9 billion reported in the third quarter of 1999.

The SSTI Weekly Digest has a new sponsor, making the publication free to any and all parties interested in tech-based economic development. The Economic Development Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, selected SSTI as one of three awardees in a competitive solicitation for national information dissemination projects. SSTI proposed dramatically expanding the content and distribution of the Digest and establishing a web-based resource center.

Downtown office vacancy rates are at all-time lows, leasing rates are rising, and your city is increasingly a hub for business activity. Even the old, historic structures have been rehabbed and are at capacity. Sounds like dreams for most urban economic developers, right? For a growing number of communities, however, meeting these goals is leading to “New Economy ghost towns” devoid of the foot traffic, night life, and other human activity necessary for a thriving community.

The recipients of the 2000 National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology, the nation's highest science and technology honors, were announced this week. The National Medal of Science, established by Congress in 1959 and administered by the National Science Foundation, honors individuals for contributions to the present state of knowledge across a variety of science frontiers.

During the past few weeks, the Department of the Navy, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Commerce have announced the availability of 22 inventions for license. Descriptions and contact information for each invention/patent are presented on the accompanying SSTI webpage

While the Presidential election remains up in the air, the eleven state gubernatorial and 5,918 state legislative races produced more definitive results. Here is a brief summary.



Governors

Several ballot initiatives that affect technology-based economic development were approved by voters around the country on Tuesday, including:

The National Science Foundation has released the final version of State Science and Engineering Profiles and R&D Patterns: 1997-98 (Early Release Tables were made available in May). The special report includes several statistical tables of value to states developing Innovation Indices, S&T Report Cards, or other comparative studies.

Mike Koop, deputy commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Community & Economic Development, is resigning effective March 1 to return to the private sector.

Richard Lunak is the new CEO of Innovation Works and Ron Bianchini has been named chairman of the organization.

Envision Utah appointed Alan Matheson as executive director of the Coalition for Utah's Future, the sponsor of Envision Utah.

Johns Hopkins University has named Jill Tarzian Sorenson to serve as associate provost and director of the Office of Licensing and Technology Development.

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin has appointed Nancy Sturm and Jay Cole to serve, respectively, as the state’s education technology coordinator and governor's liaison for education policy, both new policy positions.

Jason Williamson is leaving his position as vice president of community development for the South Carolina Technology Alliance to become a founding partner in a new start-up tech firm.

The Special Federal Budget Issue of SSTI's Weekly Digest, published electronically in three parts on Feb. 10, is now available for download as a 25-page PDF. As readers are aware, the Administration's budget request proposes significant changes to the federal government's role in supporting economic development, research, investment and community development.

For those interested in technology-based economic development, you'll be hard-pressed to find any good news in the President's Budget Request for FY 2006 unless, that is, you're hoping to go to Mars or heavily involved in homeland security. It's become a matter of routine to expect bad news when the federal budget comes out.

Strengthening America's Communities Grants Program The Strengthening America's Communities Grants Program is a new $3.7 billion initiative proposed within the Department of Commerce to provide performance-based grants for both community and economic development.

Opportunity Zones - While the Administration's FY06 budget request proposes eliminating all other geographically-based tax credit programs (e.g. Enterprise Zones), it is requesting $10 billion over 10 years in tax incentives to competitively select 28 urban and 12 rural economic Opportunity Zones in areas transitioning to new and emerging industries.

Taking one of the largest percentage cuts of all agencies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) FY 2006 discretionary budget level of $19.4 billion calls for an 11.8 percent reduction, or $2.6 billion below the FY 2005 level.

The Administration's FY 2006 $9.4 billion discretionary budget request for the Department of Commerce reflects a 48 percent increase above FY 2005 estimated expenditures of $6.33 billion. If one excludes the proposed $3.71 billion Strengthening America's Communities Grant Program (see description under Multi-Agency Initiatives above), the agency is actually facing a 5.6 percent cut of more than $357 million.

The Administration's FY 2006 budget request for the Department of Defense (DoD) totals $419.3 billion, an increase of 4.8 percent from the FY 2005 appropriation level. However, the budget proposes significant cuts for Defense science and technology (S&T). The FY06 budget provides $10.5 billion for S&T, a 19.5 percent decrease from the FY05 funding level of $13.1 billion. This includes cuts in basic research, applied research and advanced technology development.