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In the February 21, 1997 Issue:

ATP Opens Four New Competitions


The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced the opening of four new focused program competitions under the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) earlier this week. ATP focused programs target specific technical and business goals in broad technology areas that generally require the parallel development of related R&D projects.

The recently-announced competitions include a new ATP program area: tissue engineering. A relatively new hybrid field, tissue engineering addresses a variety of technologies drawing on biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, biomedical engineering and materials science, according to NIST.

The new competitions will provide a total of up to $57 million in first-year, cost-shared funding. The focused program areas, total first-year funding available for each and deadline for proposals (all by 3 p.m. Eastern time on the date indicated) are as follows:

The ATP will sponsor a public meeting on these competitions on March 17 in Gaithersburg, Md. Attendance at this meeting is not required to participate in the competitions. Additionaldetails and copies of the ATP Proposal Preparation Kit are available from the ATP by phone: 1-800-ATP-FUND, fax: (301) 926-9524, or e-mail: atp@nist.gov. Also consult the ATP World Wide Web site at http://www.atp.nist.gov


Senate Creates Manufacturing and Competitiveness Subcommittee


The U.S. Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has established a new subcommittee to focus on manufacturing and competitiveness issues. Spencer Abraham (R-MI) will chair the Manufacturing and Competitiveness Subcommittee.

Joining Abraham on the subcommittee are: Olympia Snowe (R-ME), John Ashcroft (R-MO), Bill Frist (R-TN), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Richard Bryan (D-NV), Ernest Hollings (D-SC), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV).

The membership of the subcommittee has a large degree of overlap with the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee, which is chaired by Frist. Five of the nine members of the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee are on the Manufacturing and Competitiveness Subcommittee (Frist, Abraham, Rockefeller, Bryan, and Dorgan). The remaining four members are: Conrad Burns (R-MT), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Ted Stevens (R-AK), and John Kerry (D-MA).


NMFS Accepting S.E. Fisheries Proposals


The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announced the availability of approximately $1.10 million in funding under its Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN). The program targets research and development projects related to fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and off the south Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Proposals are due into the NMFS Southeast Regional Office (St. Petersburg, FL) by March 31. For further information on the program, contact Ellie Francisco Roche at 813/ 570-5324.


Internet Has Had Little Impact, Manufacturers Say


Only 13 percent of midsize manufacturers reported that the growth of the Internet has had "a great deal of" or "some" impact on their companies over the past two years, according to a survey conducted for Grant Thornton LLP. However, the manufacturers expect that to change in the next two years. The survey found that 50 percent of the manufacturers expected the growth of the Internet to have "a great deal of" or "some" impact on their companies.

The percentage of manufacturers with sites on the World Wide Web has increased significantly in the past year. In October 1996, 25 percent reported that they had a site, while in November 1995, only 14 percent had a site. Most significantly, 59 percent indicated that they either would have or planned to have a site by the end of 1997.

Yet, less than half of the manufacturers with Web sites expect the Internet to have much of an immediate impact on sales. Just 41 percent rated "providing customers with another way to purchase products" as an important reason for establishing a Web site, and only 17 percent cited starting or enhancing mail-order capabilities as a reason to create a Web site.

Almost two-thirds of those with Web sites, cited "advertising or marketing purposes" as the basis for creating the site. "Being perceived as a leader" was cited by 62 percent for having a presence.

Grant Thornton surveyed 253 U.S. manufacturing companies with annual sales between $10 million and $500 million. Their report can be found on the Web at http://www.gt.com/gtonline/mandist/gtsam/ netnr.html

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