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In the September 5, 1997 Issue:

OCAST to Create Commercialization Center


The Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST) is creating the Oklahoma Technology Commercialization Center. The Center will help technology-based firms assess their commercialization needs, guide them through the commercialization process, and link them to a network of technology sources and commercialization assistance services.

The Center will provide access to specialized business development services, early-stage risk financing, and help in transferring technology.

"OCAST's goal for the project is to increase per capita income in Oklahoma by achieving a critical mass of technology-oriented companies and entrepreneurs within the state, thereby attracting other similar firms," said Sheri Stickley, OCAST's director of Technology Development Programs.

Stickley said the Center will accomplish this by:

Initial state funding for the new center is approximately $900,000.

A request for proposals (RFP) for a contractor to provide oversight for the new center will be released within the next few weeks, and proposals will be accepted for approximately 90 days following the release. The RFP will be distributed nationally. Those interested in receiving a copy should contact OCAST at 405/524-1357. The RFP will also be available on the OCAST home page: www.odoc.state.ok.us/ocastweb.htm.


Virginia Plans for the Future


Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) has adopted a new strategic plan through the year 2000. The new plan considers the appropriate balance between short-term and long-term goals and places CIT in a position to serve Virginia as it builds its 21st century knowledge-based economy.

The most significant change in the plan is the development of CIT's role in shaping Virginia's plans for technology. CIT will be a leader in the Commonwealth's efforts to develop and implement a technology strategy. Toward that goal, CIT has already assisted in the development of A Blueprint for Technology-Based Economic Growth in Virginia.

The Blueprint analyzes four key issues related to technology development. It also outlines specific actions Virginia must take to strengthen its economic competitiveness.

The Blueprint defines four areas as critical to Virginia's technology competitiveness: development of a highly-skilled workforce; implementation of a knowledge-based infrastructure; the nurturing of an entrepreneurial environment; and the deployment of manufacturing and information technologies.

The Blueprint is a collaborative effort designed to evaluate the importance of technology to Virginia's economic growth and to craft a plan of action for the Commonwealth's emergence as a national and global technology leader. Seven industry groups and six regions contributed to the development of the Blueprint.

To review the Blueprint, visit CIT's website at www.cit.org and click on the Virginia Technology Summit icon. To receive a copy of the Blueprint call 703/689-3034. To receive a copy of the strategic plan, call 703/689-3049.


Commerce Examines Global Context for U.S. Technology Policy


The Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy (OTP) recently released a policy paper that suggests the global environment affecting U.S. technology policy is changing rapidly, and policymakers are operating without current data or up-to-date conceptual frameworks.

The new report, The Global Context for U.S. Technology Policy, points out that "today's global competitive and technology landscape is profoundly different from the situation during much of the post-World War II period, when most of our current technology policies were developed."

The shifting balance between the U.S. and the rest of the world with respect to research and development activities in the last 40 years has been especially dramatic. In 1950, the U.S. performed 70 percent of the world's R&D activity. By 1994, the rest of the world was performing twice as much R&D as the U.S.

Despite a more dynamic and competitive global economy, the report cites several key industries in which U.S. performance is strong. Information technology and biotechnology are two areas where sustained public investment has been a major contributor to U.S. technological leadership.

Government's primary role, according to the report, is to focus investments on building assets that remain largely within the nation's borders -- people, infrastructure, and business climate.

The report suggests that, in response to the competitive challenges, the U.S. should continue to pursue federal technology policies that encourage fuller and faster exploitation of publicly-supported R&D by American firms. These policies, launched in the 1980s, involve efforts "to create partnerships between government-funded creators of technology, principally government laboratories and universities, and U.S. industry to speed the development and commercialization of new technology."

Still, the report cautions, all partners -- industry, academia and government -- should be alert to new policies and models that are appropriate to the current competitive and technological environment.

Copies of the report are available by calling OTP at 202/482-3037. The report is also available at www.ta.doc.gov/Reports.htm

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