Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology has promoted Dan Mills to vice president for regional operations.

Randy Burge has announced his resignation as director of the New Mexico Department of Economic Development's Office of Science and Technology. Mike Orshan will serve as acting director beginning Sept. 29.

Two new grants, each greater than $1 million, have been awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study the societal implications of nanotechnology — the emerging discipline that seeks to control and manipulate matter on a molecular scale. The grants are the largest awards the foundation has ever devoted exclusively to research in societal implications.

Meeting short-term budget demands are consuming more and more of state, local and academic tech-based economic development practitioners' time. However, keeping an eye on the long-range funding picture is critical for sustained success. One of the most important federal sources for supporting the research enterprise is the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The new executive director of the Virginia Piedmont Technology Council is Gail Milligan.

With a combined annual research budget totaling $4.8 billion, New Mexico's 12 largest research facilities signed a Memorandum of Agreement on May 30 to help turn intellectual property into jobs for New Mexicans. Members of the newly formed New Mexico Technology Research Corridor (TRC) include:

The Board of Directors for Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced last week their selection of Peter Jobse as the new president of CIT. Jobse has been CIT’s executive vice president and chief operating officer since joining the organization in October 2002.

Noreen Scott, former economic development division director for the New Mexico Department of Economic Development, is the executive director for the Rio Rancho Economic Development Corp.

As states and communities consider how to build a tech-based economy, the prospects of centering efforts around hydrogen fuel cell technology has become an increasingly appealing option. Fuel cells may have huge implications for the future, and the technology already is the focus of some states' multi-billion economic development strategies.

A strategic plan issued in 2002 by the Fifth Planning District Regional Alliance in Virginia may officially have completed the first phase when the Alliance recently awarded $273,342 in grants and earmarked funds.

Gov. Bill Richardson has appointed his chief of staff, David Harris, to serve as executive director of the New Mexico Finance Authority.

New and re-elected Governors gave inaugural addresses in Alabama, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas during the past 10 days. Additionally, State of the State addresses were made in Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah. Building tech-based economies remains a high priority for many Governors, as evidenced in the following:

Nevada

Ellen Hemmerly has been named president of the nonprofit Association of University Research Parks.

Charles W. Steger, President of Virginia Tech. has been elected chairman of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology. Paula S. Gulak, Founding Partner of SyCom Technologies, is the new Vice Chairman.

Since reaching a high point of almost 27,300 in 1998, the number of science and engineering (S&E) doctorates has dropped by 7 percent to just over 25,500 in 2001, reports a 2001 nationwide survey conducted for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The decline since 1998 has led to a rollback of total Ph.D.s to pre-1994 levels, the report states.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) plans to fund $9 million in new FY 2003 awards under the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program, according to the program solicitation's recent release. To promote PFI, NSF will sponsor 15-25 partnerships among academe, government and the private sector that explore new approaches to innovation.

The purpose of the program, as defined in the PFI solicitation, is threefold:

The risks of identity theft, e-mail viruses, denial-of-service attacks, system glitches and other online hazards can make the average person's reliance on computer systems more of a leap of faith than a bond of trust. To promote research into more dependable, accountable and secure computer and network systems, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a solicitation for the Cyber Trust program, which expects to fund up to $30 million in awards.

Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced on Monday a new investment initiative to help close the capital gap for the state's early-stage technology businesses. CIT, a state-chartered nonprofit corporation, will launch the Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) on Dec. 15, 2003, to address the funding void created by a recent shortfall of angel capital.

Virginia's Institute for Defense and Homeland Security recently named Henry Connors Jr. as its business development director.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released a statistical report on Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2002. The data show trends in science and engineering (S&E) doctorate awards by S&E field and recipient characteristics, institutions awarding doctorates, and postgraduation plans of recipients.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently announced 24 awards under the new Math and Science Partnership (MSP) Program — an anticipated investment of $240 million over five years in projects to improve the achievement of K-12 students in science and mathematics. The Department of Education is an NSF partner in this effort, co-funding two projects involving state education agencies.

NASA has announced the Langley Research Center in Hampton, VA, will team with the National Institute of Aerospace Associates (NIAA), Reston, VA, to create the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) to perform aerospace and atmospheric research, develop new technologies for the nation and help inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.