- "Most Wired" Colleges and Universities Named
- DOE Research Funding Opportunities
- ATP Benefits Detailed in New Report
- Position Available
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
"Most Wired" Colleges and Universities Named
Yahoo! Internet Life magazine has named its 1999 list of the "100 most wired" colleges and universities. This is the third year in which the magazine has published the list. Listed in the top five are: Case Western Reserve University (OH); Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Wake Forest University (NC); the New Jersey Institute of Technology; and, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY).Compiled in conjunction with Peterson's (known for its expertise in education information guides and services), the rankings are based on a survey of 571 four-year institutions in the U.S. In analyzing the data, Yahoo! noted that schools have made great strides in developing their computer networks. Of the "100 Most Wired" Colleges:
- 98% offer online course schedules
- 90% allow electronic applications
- 82% allow students to register online
- 54% offer distance learning courses
- 48% offer alumni free access to the campus network
The Top 100 rankings, by state are:
Rank
State
# of Schools
1
Pennsylvania
12
2
New York
11
3
Massachusetts
9
4
California
7
5
Virginia
5
6
New Jersey
4
7
Connecticut
3
7
Florida
3
7
Georgia
3
7
Illinois
3
7
Michigan
3
7
North Carolina
3
7
Ohio
3
7
Texas
3
7
Washington
3
16
Indiana
2
16
Maine
2
16
Maryland
2
16
Missouri
2
16
Oregon
2
16
Vermont
2
22
Colorado
1
22
Delaware
1
22
Idaho
1
22
Iowa
1
22
Minnesota
1
22
Mississippi
1
22
Nebraska
1
22
New Hampshire
1
22
South Carolina
1
22
South Dakota
1
22
Tennessee
1
22
Utah
1
22
Wisconsin
1
The criteria for the rankings, additional information about the schools, and related educational sites are available in the May issue of Yahoo! Internet Life and on the web at www.zdnet.com/yil/
DOE Research Funding Opportunities
The Department of Energy has issued several research solicitations during the past two weeks. Highlights of solicitations in the technical areas of fuel cells, automotive research and mining are:
Cooperative Automotive Research for Advanced Technology (CARAT). CARAT provides small businesses and higher education institutions a means to research, develop, and validate advanced automotive technologies resulting in vehicles that are extremely fuel efficient, have low emissions and/or are fuel flexible. There are 15 topics offered under the solicitation. Proposals are due to the DOE Chicago Operations Office on or before June 10, 1999. This and several other solicitations may be downloaded from http://www.ch.doe.gov/business/acq/open.htm
Fuel Cell/Hydrogen Production Reformer/ Vehicle Refueling System. The Nevada Operations Office will select one award of $3-4 million to support the development and validation of an integrated reformer technology, 50 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell generating system and vehicle refueling system. Cost-share requirement on the project is a minimum of 50 percent. Proposals are due May 18. The solicitation may be down-loaded from http://www.nv.doe.gov/business/procurement/solicit.htm.
Also available at this site is a solicitation supporting R&D for an automotive electric motor drive.
Mining Industry of the Future. The Office of Industrial Technologies is accepting proposals to support R&D which will enhance economic competitiveness, reduce energy consumption and reduce environmental impacts of the mining industries. DOE has requested $2.0 million in FY 2000 to support selected projects from the private sector. All projects must include a minimum 50 percent cost share. Proposals are due May 17, 1999. The solicitation and several other research funding opportunities may be downloaded at http://www.fetc.doe.gov/business/solicit.
ATP Benefits Detailed in New Report
The expected economic benefits from the Advanced Technology Program far outweigh program costs, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology.The report, Advanced Technology Program Performance of Completed Projects, Status Report Number 1, was prepared by economist William F. Long of Business Performance Research Associates Inc. The report provides the most detailed examination to date of the outcomes of the earliest ATP projects.
The study covers all 38 ATP projects completed by the end of March 1997, documenting research accomplishments, subsequent work by the companies to commercialize the results, and near-term outlooks for the technologies. It also lists the reasons for failure of 12 other terminated projects that were selected between 1991 and March 1997.
The 38 projects surveyed in Long's report cover a broad range of ATP investments. Most (34) were single-company projects, though many of them involved subcontractors. Of these, almost all were projects by small companies (28). The technologies were distributed over seven broad technical areasCchemicals and chemical processing; materials; discrete manufacturing; energy and environment; biotechnology; information, computers and communication; and electronicsC with the majority in electronics.
ATP contributed $64.6 million to the 38 projects. Industry provided more than half the funding.
According to Long, the potential benefits forecasted for just three of the projects in the study for which detailed economic analyses have been done far exceed the total ATP expenditures for all 50 projects in the report and, in fact, will likely exceed the total costs of the program to date.
Other results noted in the study include :
Technology acceleration Sixty-six percent of the projects reported that they would not have proceeded at all without ATP support; the remaining projects reported gains of a year and a half or more due to ATP support.
Gains in technical knowledge as measured by technical achievement awards seven projects figured in technical achievement awards for their companies, often for more than one award.
Commercialization of new technology For 24 of the 38 completed projects, a new product or service is on the market, or a new process is being used to improve the quality or reduce the cost of an existing product or service.
Company growth Of the 27 small, single-applicant companies, nearly 60 percent have more than doubled in size since their ATP award began, one from 20 employees to 400.
Terminated projects Twelve projects were terminated during the study period (out of 280 announced projects). Of these, financial consideration or changes in management led to the termination of five projects, five were canceled due to organizational problems in joint ventures, and two because of difficulties in achieving the technical objectives.
Copies of the Advanced Technology Program Performance of Completed Projects, Status Report Number 1 (NIST SP 950-1) may be obtained from the ATP Economic Assessment Office, (301) 975-2064, or e-mail to atp@nist.gov . The report is available on the web at www.atp.nist.gov/atp/pubs.htm
Position Available
A Wichita, Kansas-based venture capital firm seeks a broadly qualified leader to commercialize technology, develop start-up businesses, manage pre-seed and seed capital funds, and raise capital. Resumes with a personal statement of interest and five professional references to Mary Breakstone at the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation (KTEC). The full position description is available on the SSTI home page at www.ssti.orgReturn 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.