Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2002. Information in this issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest was prepared under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. Redistribution to all others interested in tech-based economic development is strongly encouraged — please cite the State Science & Technology Institute whenever portions are reproduced or redirected. Any opinions expressed in the Digest do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
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R&D MAGAZINE RELEASES BASIC RESEARCH WHITE PAPER
R&D Magazine has released the results of a survey in which more than 80 percent of respondents think America will lose its competitive edge in industry within 25 years unless basic-research funding is increased. The survey consisted of a combination of research questionnaires and individual interviews with 4,000 researchers representing industry, academia, and government.The survey findings are part of R&D Magazine's Basic Research White Paper. Overall, the report found that the research process, although not in immediate peril, has lost its long-term planning agenda in the face of global competition. If action is not taken to support a basic-research infrastructure to act as a foundation for the future, American innovation will suffer.
The major conclusions of the study are: Industrial research will not increase except in very large corporations; basic research is on a shortened time horizon; grant applications consume an increasing amount of researchers' work time; and, academic research may not be a viable replacement for industrial basic research because of equipment and personnel limitations.
An eight-point Action Plan recommends the following solutions: Support basic research within the research continuum; nurture resource of high-quality researchers; pursue a consistent federal research policy; explain research to the public, especially to children; maintain some industrial basic research in-house; encourage programs between basic and applied research; compare appropriate federal research figures; and, analyze research incentives and stay competitive globally.
The report will be forwarded to the President, members of Congress, the governors of all 50 states, executives of American's largest research corporations, and officials of U.S. and international science and technology agencies.
A complete copy of the Basic Research White Paper can be found on the Web at http:// www. rdmag.com.
DOE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR GLASS INDUSTRY INITIATIVE
The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Industrial Technologies is accepting applications for research and development projects in support of its Glass Industry Initiative.DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies supports industry efforts to increase energy efficiency, reduce waste, and increase productivity. According to DOE, the key objectives of this solicitation are improvements in the competitive position of, and employment opportunities in, the U.S. glass industry.
Funding priorities for the FY 1998 round of awards will focus on four aspects of improvements in glass manufacturing: production efficiency, energy efficiency, innovative types or uses of glass, and environmental protection and recycling.
DOE anticipates that $2 million will be available in FY 1998. The Department expects to award three to eight cooperative agreements. Pre-applications are due into the DOE's Chicago Operations Office by July 7, and application are due September 15. The solicitation (DE-SC02-97CH10875) is available on the Web at http://www.ch.doe.gov/ business/glass.htm. For further information, contact Barbara Lewandowski, at 630/252-5045 or by e-mail at barbara.lewandowski@ ch.doe.gov
GAO REVIEWS PROSPECTS FOR EFFECTIVE GPRA IMPLEMENTATION
The Government Accounting Office (GAO) recently released its assessment of federal agencies' progress towards implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). GPRA requires that executive agencies prepare multi-year strategic plans, annual performance plans, and annual performance reports. The agencies must submit a strategic plan to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress by September 30, 1997.GAO found that agency efforts have produced mixed results that will lead to highly uneven government-wide implementation in the fall of 1997. Although agencies are likely to meet the upcoming statutory deadlines for producing initial strategic plans and annual performance plans, GAO found that the documents will not be of a consistently high quality or as useful for congressional and agency decision making as originally intended.
GAO determined that agencies are confronting five key challenges: (1) establishing clear agency missions and strategic goals, especially when program efforts are overlapping or fragmented; (2) measuring performance, particularly when the federal contribution to a result is difficult to determine; (3) generating the results-oriented performance information needed to set goals and assess progress; (4) instilling a results-oriented organizational culture within agencies; and (5) linking performance plans to the budget process.
Copies of the report, The Government Performance and Results Act: 1997 Government-wide Implementation Will Be Uneven, (GAO/GGD-97-109) and related testimony (GAO/GGD-97-113) are available from the GAO at 202/512-6000. The publications are also available on the GAO home page at www.gao.gov
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