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.

Subscription to the SSTI Weekly Digest is free. If you are reading a forwarded copy of this issue and would like to receive your own copy each week directly, please subscribe at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/digform.htm Requests to unsubscribe should be sent to sstiwd@ssti.org

In the April 17, 1998 Issue:

NSF: R&D ACTIVITY CONCENTRATED IN SMALL NUMBER OF STATES

A recently released data brief from the National Science Foundation, entitled Six States Account for Half of the Nation's R&D, analyzed the distribution of research and development activity by state and found most of the activity is concentrated in a small number of states.

As the data brief reports, six states—California, Michigan, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Texas (in decreasing order of magnitude)— account for half of the nation's R&D. California's level of R&D expenditures was $36 billion and represented approximately one-fifth of the $177 billion U.S. total.

The top ten states (adding, in descending order, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio) accounted for nearly two-thirds of the national effort. The 20 highest-ranking states in R&D expenditures accounted for approximately 85 percent of the U.S. total. The lowest 20 states accounted for five percent.

NSF also examined the states' R&D activity in relation to the size of their economies as measured by the Gross State Product. The proportion of their economies devoted to R&D activities is presented in terms of "R&D intensity." California and Michigan—the two highest ranking states in total R&D—also ranked high in terms of R&D intensity. However, New York (which ranked third in overall R&D performance) had a relatively low 1.8 percent rating for R&D intensity.

NSF suggests that the R&D performance of New York, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida is closely related to the states overall economic size rather than portion of their economies devoted to R&D. In contrast, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland have high R&D levels in relation to their economic size.

Top 10 States
Rank total R&D Performance R&D Intensity (R&D/GSP)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10		 California
Michigan
New York
Massachusetts
New Jersey
Texas
Illinois
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Ohio		 New Mexico
District of Columbia
Michigan
Massachusetts
Maryland
Delaware
California
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Idaho

For a copy of NSF Data Brief 98-306, Six States Account for Half of the Nation's R&D, call 703/306-1772 extension 6938 or visit their web site at www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/databrf/db98306.htm

NEWEST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION CENTER OPENS

The grand opening on April 9 of a new technology education center in the Seattle area marked a milestone for the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program. The new Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET) is the second major ATE center NSF has supported in the fields of information technology and telecommunications.

NSF has funded 10 other such ATE programs on a smaller scale around the United States. NSF initiated the ATE Program in 1994 in an effort to meet the education needs of the high- performance workplace through education programs at two-year and community colleges. The ATE program supports projects in instructional materials and curriculum development; laboratory development and enhancement; faculty and teacher enhancement and preparation; and technical experiences for students.

The awards cover a wide range of advanced technological education fields including biotechnology, environmental technology, computer and information systems technology, chemical technology, manufacturing technology, electronics, geographic information systems technology, telecommunications, instrumentation and calibration technologies, and laser technology as well as mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, and other core courses.

More information on the ATE program can be found at: www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/DUE/awards/ate/atemain.htm

ILLINOIS 1997 HIGH TECH YEARBOOK RELEASED

The Illinois 1997 High Tech Yearbook is a first-ever annual report documenting the people, organizations and infrastructure driving the high technology industry in Illinois. The report was recently released by the Illinois Coalition and KPMG Peat Marwick, in cooperation with the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago.

The Yearbook is the latest addition to a growing number of states or regions that are developing technology indexes.

The state's science and technology strengths are highlighted in the yearbook through a series of indicators tracked by the Illinois Coalition. The indicators identify and explain the ingredients and dynamics of Illinois' technology economy.

According to the report, in 1984 Illinois was tenth in the U.S. for the size of its technology economy. Today, it is fourth. The following outline some of the key indicators the report highlights:

The Illinois Coalition was founded in 1989 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of Illinois' top leaders from business, research, labor and government who joined together to pursue a single overriding goal: to strengthen Illinois' economy through science and technology. For more information on the yearbook, contact the Coalition at 312/814-3482.

State Science & Technology Institute
5015 Pine Creek Drive
Westerville, OH 43081
Phone: (614) 901-1690
Fax: (614) 901-1696
Email: ssti@ssti.org

  © 2002 State Science and Technology Institute. All rights reserved.