In the February 25, 2000 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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Hawaii's Growth Strategy Focuses on Technology, New Economy
Earlier this month, Governor Ben Cayetano released The New Millenium Growth Strategy for Hawaii's Economy, an economic development plan to improve the state's performance in a knowledge-based economy. The 90-page report, penned by the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, includes several new initiatives for developing and growing technology businesses as well as strengthening existing economic development efforts.

The plan hopes to have "high-tech activities permeate all sectors of Hawaii's economy." As a result, separate sections are dedicated to discussing technology-based approaches to building a stronger economy through high technology, information technology, biotechnology, defense and dual-use technology, health care, resource development, environment, and tourism. The plan also identifies and addresses proposals for workforce training and infrastructure capacity needs for a technology-based economy.

New initiatives in the plan include:

Most of the plan's proposals have been included in legislation introduced during the current session of the Hawaii legislature. More information, including link to the plan can be found at: http://www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/news/0008.html

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SSTI's 4th Annual Conference Date Set
Mark Your Calendars! Book your Flights! Make your Reservations! Pack Your Bags!

Planning is underway for SSTI's fourth and largest annual gathering of S&T policymakers and practitioners. The event will be held October 3-4, 2000 in Chicago, Illinois. As in the past, two limited-seating in-depth workshops will precede the conference on Monday, October 2.

SSTI is particularly excited to hold the conference in Illinois – where technology-based economic development has become a focal point of the state's and Chicago's development strategies. The conference will be held at the historic Regal Knickerbocker Hotel (http://www.regal-hotels.com/chicago). The 305-room hotel provides an intimate-yet-formal setting for the event and is conveniently located on the top of Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" – home to the city's finest dining, shopping, and nightlife. A special room rate of $162 has been reserved at the hotel for SSTI conference registrants (mention the SSTI conference to get the discounted rate when calling 1-800-621-8140 to make reservations.)

More details on the conference will be available this summer.

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Berkshire to Offer High-Speed Telecommunications Network
Efforts to transform rural Berkshire County, Massachusetts from an area of economic decline into an equal player for the New Economy through improved telecommunications access are bearing fruit. Berkshire Connect, a consortium of business, cultural, academic, and community leaders has successfully negotiated an agreement with Global Crossing, Ltd. and Equal Access Networks to provide low-cost, equal access telecommunications throughout the region. This agreement will allow area businesses to save 50% over their current rates for T-1 Internet access.

Equal Access Networks and Global Crossing, Ltd. have agreed to invest several million dollars into the construction of a new facility designed to house voice, Internet, data, and video telecommunications services. This introduction of competition into the Berkshire market is expected to improve the cost, quality, and service offered throughout the county. It is also expected to encourage growth and educational development through the use of the new, improved telecommunications services.

The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) organized the Berkshire Connect Task Force in 1997 to analyze the region's existing telecommunications infrastructure and to develop strategies for providing high-quality, cost-effective telecommunications services for the county.

For more information, visit: http://www.bconnect.org/

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Defense Funds Offered for Medical Research
The Army Medical Research and Materiel Command has recently posted in the Commerce Business Daily the following solicitations for research proposals:

Breast Cancer Research Program – the Army has approximately $3.5 million available to fund concept awards of up to $50,000 each for the development of initial concepts or theories that could give rise to testable hypotheses. The awards encourage the exploration of untested, innovative questions in breast cancer. The deadline for electronic, one-page submissions is April 12, 2000. Any individual with a masters or doctoral degree, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or citizenship status, may apply as long as they are employed by an eligible institution, including for profit and nonprofit organizations, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, companies, laboratories, and agencies of local, state or federal government. More information can be found on the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program web site: http://cdmrp.army.mil/?/announce

Prostate Cancer Research Program – the Army has $75 million available to support research into preventing, detecting and curing prostate cancer, as well as improving the lives of those suffering from prostate cancer. Proposals will be accepted for: postdoctoral training ($98,000/2 years); new investigators ($225,000/3 years) idea development ($375,000/3 years); collaborative research focused on minority population ($75,000/1 year); and, mentoring and conference coordination (up to $20,000/1 year). Proposals are due May 17, 2000. Proposal instructions can be found at:
http://cdmrp.army.mil/?/announce

Gulf War Illnessess Research – the Army is seeking proposals for four research topics into Gulf War illnesses. Approximately $5 million is available for each topic. Awards are expected to average $200,000 per year for up to four years. Pre-proposals are due June 14, 2000 More information can be found at: http://www-usamraa.army.mil

Topics include:

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People in S&T

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Several Federal Inventions Available for Licensing
The following agencies have advertised government-owned inventions and software available for licensing: the Department of Energy (2), the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Navy (2). Descriptions of each offering are available on the accompanying web page: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/022500t.htm

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