In the January 29, 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.

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H.R. 88 INTRODUCED TO RESTORE RESEARCH DATA PROTECTION
Representative George Brown, Jr. (D-CA), Ranking Minority Member of the House Science Committee, introduced legislation on the opening day of the 106th session of Congress to restore protection of federally-funded research data developed within universities and non-profit organizations.  Brown’s bill would repeal a provision quietly inserted without hearings into the final omnibus appropriations bill (Public Law 105-277) by Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL), Trent Lott (R-MS) Ben Campbell (R-CO) and Lauch Fiarcloth (R-NC).

The provision may result in federally-funded researchers — excluding those in for-profit operations — being subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for their raw or pre-published data. Under the provision, the Office of Budget and Management is required to amend OMB regulations to require Federal agencies making research awards "to ensure that all data produced under an award will be made available to the public through the procedures established under the Freedom of Information Act." The guidelines, once drafted will be subject to a 60-day period for public comment prior to final revision and acceptance.

Although Rep. Brown’s bill, H.R. 88, had no co-sponsors when introduced, Brown and 22 other members of Congress (16 Democrats, 7 Republicans) sent a joint letter in December to OMB Director Jacob Lew voicing their opposition to the provision. Their concerns center on protection of intellectual property, violation of confidential agreements with voluntary human research subjects, and misinterpretation or misuse of the raw data prior to it being published or subjected to peer review. The signatories urged OMB to obtain input from the all involved parties, including the federal agencies, universities, research hospitals and non-profit organizations.

Separately, while introducing HR 88, Rep. Brown suggested companies may reconsider entering into research alliances and partnerships with institutions and organizations affected by the provision.

An amendment similar to the provision was defeated in the House during the last session. H.R. 88 was referred to the House Committee on Government Reform for consideration.

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NSF 1998 SBIR PHASE I AWARDS BY STATE
The accompanying table on the SSTI website http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/NSFfy98_SBIR1.htm presents the results of the 1998 SBIR Phase I competition held by the National Science Foundation in rank order by total dollars awards in each state. The award figures were compiled from the NSF Fast Lane website. (There were no Phase I awards reported within the 13 states omitted from the table.

Details on each specific award may be obtained from the NSF FastLane website at https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov

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ENGINEERING DEGREES AT 17-YEAR LOW
The Engineering Workforce Commission (EWC) of the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) has released its latest survey on engineering degrees, which reveals that the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees in engineering in the United States has fallen to a 17-year low.

The 1998 edition of the EWC Engineering and Technology Degrees survey covers data from 340 schools with engineering programs and 284 schools with engineering technology programs in the United States. It is billed as the most comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative source for engineering and technology degree data in the country.

The contrast between students receiving bachelor’s degrees overall and those in engineering is striking. According to the EWC, between 1986 and 1998, the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees in engineering declined by 19.8 percent to 63,262 nationwide while the number of students receiving bachelor’s of science degrees overall increased by nearly 20 percent over the same period of time.

When reviewing the data by state, Paul Torpey, Chair of the AAES, noted "How can a state that considers itself ‘engineered for high performance’ believe that it will be able to fuel technological innovation without an adequate supply of engineers to provide the spark...?"

Additional information on the study is available by contacting Gregory Schuckman, AAES Director of Communications, at 202/296-2237 ext. 207 or 888/400-2237 ext. 207 (toll-free). The study costs $154 for AAES members and $253 for non-members.

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$13.8 MILLION OFFERED FOR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DEPLOYMENT
The Department of Energy’s State Energy Program has announced the availability of $13.8 million for 11 special project categories, offered by a number of end-use sector programs in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

The 11 end-use sector special projects categories are intended to accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies, to facilitate the acceptance of emerging and under-utilized energy technologies, and to increase the responsiveness of federally funded technology development efforts to private sector needs.

Eligible to apply for these funds are those state offices responsible for administering the State Energy Program, a
state-federal partnership to promote the conservation of energy, to reduce the rate of growth of energy demand, and to reduce dependence on imported oil. Fiscal Year 1999 marks the fourth year that DOE has offered the special project funding for end-use technologies under the State Energy Program.

Applications for special projects must be received by April 1, 1999. Recipients of these awards will receive separate grants in addition to their annual State Energy Program funding. All State Energy Program requirements and those of the individual DOE end-use sector program offering the funding must be met.

The programs participating in the State Energy Program special projects option for FY 1999, and the estimated amount of funding available for each are listed below. The match required for each component is listed in parentheses.

Each end-use sector program has identified several specific  types of projects eligible for consideration. More details can be found within the State Energy Program special projects program solicitation.

Additional information may be obtained by calling 202/586-5725 or on the web at: http://www.erendoe.gov/buildings/state_and_community/sep/fy99/sepsp99-forum.

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