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
NSF ANNOUNCES COMPETITION FOR NEW ERCs
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced that its Division of Engineering Education and Centers in the Directorate for Engineering is accepting pre-proposals from academic institutions to establish approximately six Engineering Research Centers (ERC) in FY 2000. The ERCs are to be a joint partnership of industry, academia, and government for the purpose of next-generation advances in engineering systems research.
Each center has the potential to be funded for a total of ten years, with the initial award being granted for five years. First year funding will range from $1.5 million to $2.5 million. In subsequent years, NSF's support may grow to between $2.5 to $4 million through year six, again depending upon the scope of the ERC. After year six, NSF support will decline to shift the balance of support to industry and other sources to prepare the ERC to be self-sufficient at the end of ten years.
A proposed ERC will have the following defining characteristics or key features:
- A guiding, strategic vision to produce advances in a complex, next-generation engineered system and a corresponding new generation of engineers needed to strengthen the competitive position of industry and the nation in a global economy;
- A dynamic, evolutionary strategic research plan to focus and integrate the ERC to achieve its vision;
- A cross-disciplinary research program, promoting synthesis of engineering, science and other disciplines, spanning the continuum from discovery to proof-of-concept in testbeds, involving undergraduate and graduate students in research teams;
- An active, long-term partnership with industry and practitioners in planning, research, and education to achieve a more effective flow of knowledge into innovation and a new generation of engineers to benefit the nation;
- An education program for undergraduate and graduate students, enabling an integrative, systems-oriented intellectual environment and curriculum innovations;
- Leadership to guide and develop the ERC and a cohesive team effort, integrating engineering and scientific backgrounds with industrial views, that is also diverse in gender, race, and ethnicity;
- Outreach and connectivity to other institutions to enhance capacity of the ERC to achieve its goals and broaden the impact of the ERC culture in academe and society;
- Supporting infrastructure of management systems; space to facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration in the ERC, experimental and enabling equipment and facilities; and university commitment to facilitate, reward, and sustain the ERC culture; and,
- Funds and in-kind support from industry, academe, and other sources to substantially leverage NSF's support.
Eligible lead institution applicants are U.S. academic institutions with undergraduate and graduate engineering programs, granting the Ph.D. degree in engineering. More than one proposal may be submitted by a university, and a university may be the lead institution on more than one ERC proposal, as long as there is no significant overlap in the faculty and students involved. A university that is a already the lead or a core partner in an ongoing ERC, may submit as a lead institution or core partner in another ERC.
Proposers compete for support from the ERC program in a two-stage process. The first stage consists of a notice of intent and a pre-proposal. At the completion of the review of the pre-proposals, NSF will invite a small number of the most highly qualified proposing ERC teams to prepare a full-scale proposal. All other pre-proposals will be declined at that time. No full-scale proposals will be accepted without a pre-proposal and a subsequent invitation.
Teams intending to submit a pre-proposal should submit a notice of intent, not to exceed 500 words. The notice should be sent via email to: ercintent@nsf.gov by November 2, 1998.
The deadline for pre-proposals is January 14, 1999. Selected teams will be asked to submit a full proposal by June 30, 1999. Awards will be announced by March 2000. More information regarding this solicitation can be found on the Internet at http://www.nsf.gov/home/programs/recent.htm.
NASA AWARDS 25 STTR GRANTS
NASA has selected 25 research proposals for negotiation of Phase I contract awards under the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Seven NASA field centers reviewed 130 proposals from across the country for technical merit and feasibility and relevance to NASA research and technology requirements. The selected firms will be awarded fixed-price contracts valued up to $100,000 each to perform a one-year Phase I feasibility study.
STTR is designed to stimulate technological innovation, help small businesses become better-qualified to assist NASA in its research and development, and increase private commercialization of federally funded research. The program requires small businesses to conduct cooperative joint research and development by partnering with a research institution.
The states in which the small businesses and the research institutions are located are listed below. The business and institution need not be from the same state. Note that on one award, two research institutions are involved — one in Colorado and one in Wyoming. The count for those states, therefore, reflect half an award.
Alabama (2 industry partners)
Alaska (1 industry partner)
California (5 industry partners, 2 research institution partners)
Colorado (1 industry partner, 2 1/2 research institution partners)
District of Columbia (1 research institution partner)
Florida (1 industry partner, 1 research institution partner)
Georgia (1 research institution partner)
Illinois (1 research institution partner)
Iowa (1 industry partner)
Kentucky (1 research institution partner)
Massachusetts (3 industry partners)
Maryland (1 industry partner, 1 research institution partner)
Mississippi (1 research institution partner)
Missouri (1 industry partner)
Montana (2 industry partners, 1 research institution partner)
New Mexico (2 industry partners)
New York (2 industry partners, 4 research institution partners)
Ohio (2 research institution partners)
Pennsylvania (1 industry partner, 2 research institution partners)
Tennessee (1 research institution partner)
Virginia (1 industry partner, 2 research institution partners)
Washington (1 industry partner, 1 research institution partner)
Wyoming (1/2 research institution partners)
TOTAL 25 industry partners, 25 research institution partners
The combined award total for the 25 Phase I contracts is expected to be $2,495,046. Companies which successfully complete the Phase I activities are eligible to compete for Phase II selection the following year. The Phase II award allows for a two-year, fixed-price contract in the amount up to $500,000.
Additional information on NASA's STTR Program and the award recipients can be found on the Internet at http://sbir.nasa.gov.
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.