In the January 22, 1999 Issue:

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

EPSCoT SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED
The Technology Administration of the Department of Commerce has announced the selection of seven awards under the first round of funding for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT). Matching grants, totaling $1.6 million, will be made to the following seven lead organizations and their partners:

More detailed descriptions of the projects can be found on the EPSCoT website, http://www.ta.doc.gov/epscot. EPSCoT is a new Commerce initiative to support technology development, deployment and diffusion through partnerships among state and local government, universities, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector. EPSCoT is intended to help state and local efforts to build statewide capacity to support technology commercialization, to create a business climate more conducive to technology development, and/or to compete in federal R&D programs.

Each EPSCoT award must be matched by the recipient organizations. The Commerce Technology Administration may provide up to 50 percent of the total costs for single-jurisdiction projects and up to 75 percent of the costs for multi-jurisdictional projects. In-kind match was restricted to activities which would not have been performed otherwise and could not exceed 25 percent of the total project costs.

The seven EPSCoT awards were selected from 25 applications received last August from 18 of the 19 eligible EPSCoR/EPSCoT states. Total funds requested exceeded $9.4 million, nearly six times the funds available.

The 1999 request for proposals for EPSCoT is expected to be released soon.

Return to the top of this page

TIIAP FY99 GRANT ROUND OPEN
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has announced the sixth annual round of the Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance Program (TIIAP), a competitive matching grant program. TIIAP was created to promote the development, widespread availability, and use of advanced telecommunications and information technologies to serve the public interest.

Approximately $17 million is available for the FY 1999 grant round. Based on previous grant rounds, TIIAP anticipates that the average size of a grant award will be approximately $350,000 and last between two and three years. Non-profit entities; state, local, and tribal governments; and colleges and universities are eligible to apply.

In Fiscal Year 1999, TIIAP will support projects in five application areas: Community Networking; Education, Culture, and Lifelong Learning; Health; Public Safety; and Public Services. TIIAP is especially interested in projects developed by smaller, locally-based organizations that both serve and represent technologically underserved communities across the nation.

Applications for this program are due on March 11, 1999.  NTIA has scheduled the following series of regional technical assistance workshops for the grants:

January 26 --- Albuquerque NM
January 29 --- Memphis TN
February 3 --- Boston
February 11 --- Chicago

More information is available on the NTIA website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov

Return to the top of this page

SHAVERS NOMINATED FOR COMMERCE UNDER SECRETARY FOR TECHNOLOGY
Last Friday, President Clinton announced his intent to nominate Dr. Cheryl L. Shavers as Under Secretary for Technology at the Department of Commerce. Dr. Shavers is currently a senior manager at Intel Corporation and has more than 20 years of experience within the technology industry, holding various engineering and managerial positions at several Fortune 500 companies such as Motorola, Varian Associates, and Hewlett-Packard. She has a B.S. degree in Chemistry and a Ph.D. in Solid State Chemistry from Arizona State University.

The Under Secretary for Technology serves as the principal advisor to the Secretary of Commerce and as the Department's spokesperson for science and technology matters. The Under Secretary develops and promotes federal technology programs to increase U.S. commercial and industrial innovation, productivity and growth, and to improve the competitiveness of U.S. firms in the global economy.

As head of the Commerce Department's Technology Administration, Shavers would oversee the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the National Technical Information Service, and the Office of Technology Policy.

Shavers would replace Mary Good, who left the post in June 1997.

Return to the top of this page

ASTF SEEKS GROUP PROJECTS ADMINISTRATOR
The Alaska Science and Technology Foundation (ASTF) seeks a Group Projects Administrator to work with industry on R&D projects to benefit the Alaska economy and to track project results. The position requires training and experience in project management with sufficient technical and/or business background to work productively with scientists or engineers to identify economically feasible projects. The position description can be found on the SSTI website at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm

Return to the top of this page

PEOPLE
Dr. Phillips Bradford the Executive Director of the Colorado Advanced Technology Institute has resigned his position. Lenie Roos-Gabridge has been appointed Interim Chief Operating Officer. Bradford’s resignation is the latest in an unprecedented turnover of state technology-based economic development officials. In the last year alone, the leaders of 14 states’ technology efforts have left their positions.

Other recent departures include those of:  Dr. Diana Weigmann, director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Science, Education and Technology; and, Dr. Carolyn Sales, the long-time president of the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).  Dr. Sales was also a member of the SSTI Board of Trustees; her place on the SSTI Board has been filled by Del Schuh, president of the Indiana Business Modernization and Technology Corp.

Return to the top of this page

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.