Technology-based businesses and investors in Alabama may be eligible for several new tax credits if legislation recently introduced passes the state legislature. The Incentives for Targeted Growth Act of 2000, Senate Bill 571, was introduced April 19 to encourage the growth and expansion of Alabama’s technology community.
The National Governors' Association has released the second paper in the New Economy Series. Growing New Businesses with Seed and Venture Capital: State Experiences and Options identifies four basic strategies states pursue to increase venture investing and makes eight observations regarding best practices among state seed and venture capital financing efforts.
During the National SBIR Conference this past weekend, it was announced Jon Baron will be leaving his position as SBIR/STTR Program Manager for the Department of Defense on June 1.
During the National SBIR Conference this past weekend, it was announced Jon Baron will be leaving his position as SBIR/STTR Program Manager for the Department of Defense on June 1.
Washington Governor Gary Locke has named Fred Morris as his new advisor for science and technology. Mr. Morris has been working for Battelle Memorial Institute's Northwest Research Center where he has worked at the Science and Government Center
Rosalie Ruegg has retired from her position as the Director of the Economic Assessment Office for the Advanced Technology Program in the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
On April 19, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court cleared the way for the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust Fund to begin operations with a unanimous ruling that the funding mechanism is constitutional.
More than 240 of the nation’s leading scientists and engineers, including 14 Nobel laureates, will begin sharing their passion for discovery with middle school students across the nation as a result of the “Scientists and Engineers in the Schools” program. Announced last week, the program is a new initiative of the National Science Foundation.
Last Friday, Governor Tommy Thompson signed into law Senate Bill 429, establishing the Wisconsin Technology and Entrepreneurs Council (WITEC).
Purdue University plans to seek $15 million in matching funds from the state to establish and support five technology business incubators or regional technology centers around Indiana. The state also will be asked to provide $6.25 million in funding for administrative support over the first four years of the centers’ operations.
Science and technology issues are well positioned on the radar screen of many governors, based on SSTI review of more than 50 gubernatorial addresses.
Six technology-related programs are among the 96 semifinalists for the 2000 Innovations in American Government Awards. The award, which recognizes innovation and effectiveness in public sector programs, has become one of the most prestigious public-service honors in the country. Innovations in American Government was established in 1986 by the Ford Foundation and is administered by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
In February, the US Patent and Trademark Office released a table of all patent activity in 1999 by state, and the percentage change by state over 1998 activity. Nationally, patents grew by 3.7 percent between 1998 and 1999.
Our thanks to SSTI Weekly Digest subscriber Chris Brantley of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, Inc. <www.ieee.org> for the heads up on this story.
Seeking to strengthen its relationship with academia and industry, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin appointed Spence (Sam) Armstrong, Lieutenant General USAF (retired), as his Senior Advisor. Goldin directed Gen. Armstrong to give first priority to partnerships and cooperation with universities.
The Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science is providing the Southern Technology Council (STC) $150,000 in matching funds over three years to help Southern states increase innovation-driven economic development. A major element of the initiative is annual benchmarking of each state's progress in agreed-upon categories, including: industrial composition, entrepreneurial development, globalization, and human resources.
The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) is seeking proposals to evaluate Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT). EPSCoT was established by Congress in 1998 to improve the technological competitiveness of the states that have historically received less federal R&D funding than a majority of states.
Alan P. Balutis, a 21-year veteran with the U.S. Department of Commerce, to be director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program. Balutis has been serving as the deputy chief information officer for the Department of Commerce since 1994.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Institutes of Health have published lists of inventions that are owned by the federal government and are available for licensing. Foreign patent applications may be filed on selected inventions to extend market coverage for companies and may also be available for licensing.
Alan P. Balutis, a 21-year veteran with the U.S. Department of Commerce, to be director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program. Balutis has been serving as the deputy chief information officer for the Department of Commerce since 1994.
Anna Darin has been named the executive director of the Council of Development Finance Agencies (www.cdfa.org)
President Clinton has announced his nomination of Dr. Mildred S. Dresselhaus to serve as Director of Energy Research at the Department of Energy. Dr. Dresselhaus is currently a professor in the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Technology Innovation Centers (TICs), defined broadly to include incubators, business support programs and web services, direct providers, and facilitators/gatekeepers, can be successful instruments for technology-based economic development if done properly, according to the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance's recent report Technology Innovation Centers: A Guide to Principles and Best Practices.
The Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics of the Department of Defense seeks comments on the department’s design for the new Challenge program. This program, required in the FY 2000 National Defense Authorization Act, is designed to increase the adoption of innovative technologies in acquisition programs.