In the September 8, 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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Useful Stats: Gross State Products
Gross State Products in the nation, after adjustment for inflation, grew at an average annual rate of 3.9 percent from 1992 to 1998, according to a paper released this week by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Gross State Product measures value added in production.

Not too surprising, the agency found growth was particularly strong in the sectors driving the New Economy, including software development, communications, and high-tech manufacturing — such as electronics, electronic devices, industrial machinery and computer equipment. Government grew the slowest of the major industry sectors at 0.8 percent on average annually.

The ten states which experienced the greatest average annual growth in GSP over the period were: Arizona (7.5 percent average annual increase in GSP), Oregon (7.2%), Nevada (6.9%), Utah (6.9%), Colorado (6.6%), New Hampshire (6.3%), New Mexico (6.2%), Idaho (6.1%), Georgia (5.8%), and Texas (5.6%).

The 10-page report includes tables presenting GSP statistics for all 50 states and the District of Columbia annually from 1992-1998 and by major industry group. One table also breaks down each major industry sector’s contribution to each state’s growth over the period.

To assist in comparing GSP figures across states and to present a different complexion to the data, SSTI has prepared the accompanying table presenting the 1998 GSP for each state on a per capita basis. At the top of the list is the District of Columbia, with the extreme outlier per capita GSP of $103,754. The next four highest states and their per capita GSP figures are: Delaware ($45,339), Connecticut ($43,421), New Jersey ($39,429) and Alaska ($39,395). Massachusetts, New York, Wyoming, Nevada, and Colorado round out the top ten.

The Bureau’s paper (BEA 00-26) can be viewed at: http://www.bea.doc.gov/bea/newsrel/gsp_0900.htm  The paper notes that detailed GSP estimates for 63 industries for each state are also available on the agency’s website: http://www.bea.doc.gov/bea/regional/gsp/

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SSTI Conference News: Going, Going, Gone?
Registrations for SSTI’s fourth annual conference, Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies, have been brisk. As a result, the Regal Knickerbocker Hotel has no more vacancies at our special conference discount rate -- if any rooms are available at all by the time of this release. The hotel was kind enough to extend our room block by 50 percent before the discount deadline this past weekend. To help those of you planning to attend Beyond the Hype but are without accommodations, we have posted on our web site the phone numbers for several hotels within easy walking distance to the conference site that had rooms available as of Wednesday, Sept. 6.

The deadline for early conference registration is September 15. Please be advised though, that seating is limited at this point: we may have to close conference registration prior to the 15th. If necessary, we will develop a waiting list for cancellations for those registrations not paid or secured by a credit card before September 15. More conference details and the additional hotel list are available on our web site at: http://www.ssti.org/Conf00/amenities.htm

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ATE Announces 1999 Awards and Activities
During its six years in operation, the Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Program has awarded more than $150 million in grants to strengthen the education of technicians for the high tech fields driving our economy. The ATE Program is managed jointly by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Undergraduate Education and the Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education.

The recently released 1999 Awards and Activities for the ATE Program shows the diversity of projects funded in effort to prepare technicians for rewarding careers in strategic technology fields. The program supports the development and dissemination of educational materials and curricula, professional development of college faculty and secondary school teachers, and technical internships for students. In FY1999, 164 projects were funded and 11 Centers of Excellence received continued funding.

ATE-funded projects and centers focus on science-related technologies, engineering and computer technologies, core mathematics and science, and special projects. Two-year colleges are expected to play a role in the projects. Collaboration among secondary schools, two-year colleges, four-year colleges and universities, businesses and industries, and government organizations is encouraged. The Centers of Excellence focus on systematic approaches to technician education usually in a specific discipline.

The 1999 listing includes a brief description of each center of excellence, award amount, its principal investigator, and contact information. The new projects also are listed with the same level of detail as the centers. Other NSF programs co-funded by ATE are described. The document contains notable achievements, maps illustrating the distribution of awards, and awards by field of technology, by state, and by principal investigator.

The full report can be downloaded at http://www.nsf.gov/cgi-bin

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Federal Funding Opportunities
September signals the opening of the new federal research funding season (FY 2001 in this case). A flood of opportunities have been announced in the Federal Register and Commerce Business Daily over the past two weeks. Here is a brief sampling:

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Climate and Global Change Program
Eligibility: "Extramural eligibility is not limited and is encouraged with the objective of developing strong partnerships with the academic community." NOAA and other federal researchers are also eligible.
Deadline: letters of intent must be submitted by September 24, 2000
Funding Availability: 50 percent of the funding will be awarded to external projects. Exact funding levels contingent of Congressional appropriations. Some research priority areas will not be considering new proposals this year.
For more information: See the August 25, 2000 on-line issue of the Federal Register, pages 51799-51803, or contact: Irma duPree at irma.duPree@noaa.gov

Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency: Minority Business Development Centers and Native American Business Development Centers (two separate solicitations)
Eligibility: Any for-profit or non-profit organization, government agencies, educational institutions, and Native American tribes. For the MBDCs, proposals are being solicited for 27 local, regional, and statewide jurisdictions with specific performance goals for each. For the NABDCs, eight statewide, regional or specific service areas are defined for eligibility.
Deadline: September 29, 2000 for both programs
Funding Availability/Number of Awards Expected/Max. Award Size: Maximum award size varies by jurisdiction. The agency anticipates making 3-year awards, reviewed annually for continuation funding.
For more information: See August 28, 2000 on-line issue of the Federal Register, pages 52069-52084 for the MBDCS. For the NABDCs, pages 52084-52096 of the same issue. On-line applications for either can be submitted at: http://www/mbda.gov/e-grants

Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research: Broad Agency Announcement for Long-Range Science and Technology Projects
Eligibility: "Proposal submission is not restricted in any way to any particular entity." (open eligibility)
Deadline: the Broad Agency Announcement is open through FY 2001
For more information: Before preparing proposals, potential offerors are strongly encouraged to contact the ONR Program Officer whose program best matches the offeror's field of interest as listed in the Science and Technology section of the ONR Home Page: http://www.onr.navy.mil/02/bus_op.htm

Department of Energy: Microbial Genome Program
Eligibility: unspecified
Deadline: Preapplications should be submitted by October 2, 2000; Full proposals are due December 14, 2000.
Funding Availability/Number of Awards Expected/Max. Award Size: Anticipated funding of $6 million will be available for 12-25 awards. Multiple-year funding of up to 3 years with award sizes ranging between $200,000 and $1 million per year.
For more information: see Program Notice 00-18 at http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html

Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: Field Initiated Research & Evaluation Program
Eligibility: public and private agencies, organizations, institutions, tribal and Alaskan Native communities and individuals. Collaboration is encouraged. 
Deadline: October 6, 2000 
Funding Availability/Max. Award Size: up to $1.25 million is available. Individual grants will not exceed  $200,000. 
For more information: Application kit and more information is available at: 
http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/about.html

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NASA SBIR Phase II Award Distribution Available
NASA has released a listing of its 1999 Phase II awards for the Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR). One hundred ten awards were made to 97 firms in 27 states. The big winner was California with 28 firms garnering 31 awards. For more information regarding these and other NASA SBIR awards, visit http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/

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Tech Transfer Opportunities: NASA & DHHS Inventions
NASA and the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) have announced 49 and 15 inventions, respectively, that are available for licensing. Invention titles and, for DHHS, abstracts for each are posted at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/090800t2.htm

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Conference Sponsor Profile
GLITeC, GMCI, NASA IL Commercialization Center
As sponsors of Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies, the Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center, the NASA Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative and the NASA Illinois Commercialization Center will share space in the conference exhibitor’s area. Brief profiles of each organization are provided below:

Great Lakes Industrial Technology Center -- One of six NASA Regional Technology Transfer Centers (RTTCs), GLITeC provides technology and business solutions to industry in the Great Lakes region (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin). GLITeC also works to commercialize NASA Glenn Research Center technologies throughout all 50 states. Its services include matching needs with specific expertise, providing business and technology planning and evaluations, and helping companies acquire and adapt technology.

GLITeC works with industry to acquire and use NASA technology and expertise. GLITeC has dedicated in-reach into NASA and bridges the gap between federal discovery and commercial application. GLITeC and its regional affiliates provide industry with tools and methodology to develop new products and enhance processes through the efficient application of technology and related capabilities from NASA.

NASA Glenn Garrett Morgan Commercialization Initiative -- creating a competitive advantage for small, minority- and women-owned companies in the Great Lakes Region by providing access to NASA technology, expertise and other resources. The Initiative provides services that enable companies to grow or strengthen their business by leveraging NASA technology, expertise, and programs.

GMCI services have been designed with the particular needs of small, minority-owned, and woman-owned businesses in mind. Opportunities to grow a business by working with NASA abound, but accessing and making the most of them are not easy for companies operating on tight margins. Through the GMCI, companies can quickly identify promising opportunities and obtain the support they need to build opportunities into better bottom lines.

The GMCI provides qualified companies with comprehensive business assessments, identification of promising NASA opportunities, strategic planning, linkage to resources, partnership and project facilitation, and market development assistance.

NASA Illinois Commercialization Center -- A new partnership of NASA, the Illinois Coalition, and GLITeC, NICC will bring NASA technology and business solutions to Illinois organizations, including large corporations, industry groups, and start-ups.

The NICC will follow GLITeC's successful model in offering a range of technical, management and financial services. Through these services, the NICC will aid the growth of Illinois' most vital technology/industry clusters: software services, energy and environment, telecommunications, electronics, chemicals and life sciences. The Center will help scores of Illinois companies use NASA technology to develop new products and processes and help establish new Illinois companies built from NASA technology. Additionally, the NICC will offer a unique advantage to a few of Illinois' small and disadvantaged companies: commercialization awards to help them over the final hurdle in going to market.

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