In the September 22, 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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North Carolina Releases Index and S&T Plan
This summer, North Carolina joined a growing handful of states and regions that have completed innovation assessments or report cards to aid in the development and implementation of state’s science and technology policies. Tracking Innovation: North Carolina Innovation Index 2000 was released in conjunction with a high-tech cluster analysis and a new S&T strategic plan for the state entitled Mapping the Vision.

The plan and index are the culmination of Vision 2030: Science & Technology Driving North Carolina into the New Economy. The Vision 2030 Project was a 15-month effort involving more than 800 people and encompassing several studies, assessments, conferences, task forces, surveys and focus groups. The goal of the project was to both educate and challenge North Carolinians “to begin building the science and technology-based platforms needed to support North Carolina’s economy in the 21st century.”

The Innovation Index documents recent trends across more than 50 specific measures in 26 indicators across five categories: performance measurement outcomes, economic structure, innovation outcomes, innovation inputs, and preparation. For each measure, North Carolina is compared with the states of Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia.

The state's new S&T strategic plan, Mapping the Vision, outlines 11 recommendations, each with several specific action items. The broader recommendations include:

The Innovation Index and Mapping the Vision can be downloaded from the Vision 2030 Project website: http://www.governor.state.nc.us/govoffice/vision2030/index.html

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Information Technology Research Awards Made by NSF
The first $90 million has been awarded through NSF’s new program Information Technology Research (ITR) initiative. The goal of the program is to build US leadership in information technology (IT) through support of fundamental research and innovative applications of IT. The ITR program is designed to strengthen the nation’s IT knowledge base as well as the IT workforce.

Only 210 projects were chosen from the more than 1,400 proposals submitted. Sixty-two large projects, and averaging $1 million per year for three to five years, were funded (involving 41 institutions in 22 states). Each of the remaining 148 projects total $500,000 or less for up to three years; these went to 81 institutions in 32 states. The accompanying table presents the distribution of awards by state.

The focus areas for the program are software; scalable information infrastructure; information management; revolutionary computing; human-computer interfaces; advanced computational science; education and workforce; and social or economic implications of IT.

One of ITR’s major emphases is on “middleware,” software that enhances the interaction of operating systems and their applications. For example, a project funded at the University of Illinois will result in the design of middleware to optimize the efficiency and fault tolerance of network-based computer programs for air-traffic control, smart highways, satellites, remote surgery, and electronic commerce.

Another goal of the ITR program is bridging the digital divide. Projects focused on societal implications include a study by Michigan State University and the City University of New York to identify factors that influence the effectiveness of IT in the classrooms and homes of disadvantaged children. The University of California-Irvine will study the adoption of electronic commerce worldwide, comparing data from technologically advanced countries with newly industrialized and developing nations.

Due to the overwhelming response to the first round of competition and the number of worthy projects which could not be funded, NSF has increased its request for fiscal year 2001 to $190 million.

For a complete list of ITR awards and project abstracts, see: http://www.itr.nsf.gov  Deadlines for the upcoming round of funding also can be found at that address.

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Burns Pushes To Save SBIR Rural Outreach Program
Earlier this week, Senator Conrad Burns from Montana led an effort to save the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Rural Outreach Program, which allows small businesses in rural America, with help from state and local assistance providers, to play an integral role in federal research programs.

The Senate version of the FY 2001 Commerce-Justice-State (CJS) appropriations bill does not include funding for the Rural Outreach Program. Burns and six Senate colleagues asked the author of the CJS appropriations bill to provide $2 million in funding for the Rural Outreach program. Co-signers included Senators Mike Enzi (R-WY), Kit Bond (R-MO), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Burns is the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Small Business Committee.

Burns helped create the SBIR Rural Outreach Program in 1997, when he sponsored legislation annually authorizing $2 million for the program. The program, administered by the Small Business Administration, provides matching grants to state and local SBIR assistance efforts in states that traditionally have not received many SBIR awards. To date, 22 states have participated in the program.

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Federal Funding Opportunities

Department of Energy
National Energy Technology Laboratory: Notice of Availability of a Financial 
Assistance Solicitation, “Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance”
Eligibility: Any non-profit or for-profit organization, university or other institution of higher education, or non-federal agency or entity is eligible to apply, unless otherwise restricted by the Simpson-Craig Amendment.
Deadline: Closing date is October 11, 2000.
Funding Availability: Multiple cost-sharing cooperative agreements; there will be a mandatory cost-share for each phase of the project (20% for Phase I and 50% for Phase II and III). Funds are contingent upon availability of appropriated FY2001 funds.
For more information: The full solicitation is available at http://www.netl.doe.gov/business

Department of Energy
Office of Science: Medical Applications Program
Eligibility: Information may be found in 10 CFR Part 605 or in the Application Guide for the office of Science Financial Assistance Program.
Deadline: Pre-application should be received by DOE by 4:30 p.m., E.D.T., October 16, 2000 and should reference Program Notice 00-20. Send, if possible, by E-mail or fax to Ms. Sharon Betson at sharon.betson@science.doe.gov  or fax 301-903-0567.
Funding Availability: It is anticipated that up to $2 million will be available for multiple awards. Previous awards have ranged from $200,000 to $400,000 per year for up to three years.
For more information: Full text of the Program Notice is available at http://www.sc.doe.gov/production/grants/grants.html

National Cancer Institute
Development of a Method for High Speed Parallel Nucleic Acid Sequencing, Notice of Opportunity for cooperative research and development agreement 
Eligibility: Pharmaceutical or biotechnology company
Deadline: Proposal summary of one page or less is due to NCI on or before November 13, 2000.
For more information: Contact Mr. Kevin Brand, Technology Development & Commercialization Branch, National Cancer Institute – Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Fairview Center, 1003 West Seventh Street, Room 502, Frederick, MD 21701, Telephone: 301-846-5222; Fax 301-846-6820.

National Cancer Institute
Development of a Molecular Rotation Engine, Notice of Opportunity for cooperative research and development agreement
Eligibility: Biotechnology, pharmaceutical, or other company possessing the necessary abilities
Deadline: Proposal summary of one page or less is due to NCI on or before November 13, 2000.
For more information: Contact Mr. Kevin Brand, Technology Development 
& Commercialization Branch, National Cancer Institute – Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, Fairview Center, 1003 West Seventh Street, Room 502, Frederick, MD 21701, Telephone: 301-846-5222; Fax 301-846-6820.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services, Office of Research and Applications Ocean Remote Sensing Program Notice of Financial Assistance
Eligibility: Any U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, local or regional resource management agency; college or university; private industry; nonprofit organization; or cooperative research unit.
Deadline: Proposals with completed Grants Applications Package must be received by ORA no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on November 28, 2000.
Funding Availability: Total funding is anticipated to be $350,000. Individual 
annual awards are expected to range from a minimum of $50,000 to $150,000.
For more information: For the standard NOAA grants application go to the 
NOAA Website at http://www.rdc.noaa.gov/grants/index.html  Contact Kathy LeFevre at (301) 768-8127 with administrative questions and Dr. H. Lee Dantzler, Jr. at (301) 763-8184 with technical questions.

U.S. Small Business Administration
Federal Assistance for Women’s Business Centers to Provide Financial Counseling and Other Technical Assistance to Women, Program Announcement OWBO-2001-015
Eligibility: Eligible nonprofit organizations.
Deadline: Application period will be from late September, 2000 to mid-November, 2000, by 4:00 p.m. on the closing date.
Funding Availability: Five year funding, includes some matching requirements.
For more information: Contact Sally Murrell, (202) 205-6673 or Mina Wales, (202) 205-7080.

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Useful Stats: Educational Attainment in the U.S.
An educated populace is a key ingredient for a state's success in competing in a knowledge-based economy. Workforce development, digital divide, and income inequalities are all tied to the educational attainment of a population or group within a population. Educational Attainment in the United States, a recent report by the U.S. Census Bureau, reveals several positive trends in this area:

The accompanying table presents the percentage of each state’s population that has earned a bachelor's degree or more. The complete report can be downloaded from the Census Bureau’s website at: http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/main/newsite

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Tech Transfer Opportunities: Navy & NASA Inventions
The Department of the Navy and NASA have each announced three federally-owned inventions that are available for licensing. Invention titles and contact information for each licensing opportunity are posted at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/092200t.htm

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SSTI Conference Sold Out, Expanded Bookstore Opens
Thank you! The overwhelming response to Beyond the Hype: Tools for Building Tech-based Economies has resulted in the conference being sold out. With attendees from 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, SSTI's fourth annual conference promises to be a great one. Please note, there will be no walk-in registration possible at the conference doors.

A first for SSTI at the conference will be an on-site bookstore offering nearly 100 of the top titles in technology-based economic development. Subjects covered include: performance measurement, e-commerce, industry-university partnerships, entrepreneurial development and assistance, the innovation process, commercializing technology, biotechnology, venture capital, science and technology policy, and many more. For your convenience, we will be able to process credit card orders on-site and will have several copies of each title on hand for reading during your return flight home.

Catalog and website orders from the new expanded bookstore will begin in 
October.

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Conference Sponsor Profile
Air Force Dual Use S&T and COSSI
The Department of the Air Force will have an exhibit and representatives from two programs, the Dual Use Science and Technology Program (DUS&T) and the Commercial Operations & Support Savings Initiative (COSSI), at SSTI's annual conference. Each offers unique opportunities for technology-related businesses.

The goal of the Air Force DUS&T Program is to cost-share research projects with industry for the development of technologies that have military utility and sufficient levels of commercial potential. Successful projects occur when the service and the private sector identify and develop technologies that meet both defense and commercial needs. These projects are undertaken outside of the Federal Acquisition Regulations, utilizing instead, cooperative agreements thereby allaying some fears attributable to concern over property rights. Competition takes place on an annual basis. For more information, visit http://www.afrl.af.mil/dualuse

Through COSSI, the military extends the service life and reduces the costs of ownership of its systems by leveraging technologies developed commercially. Decreased costs are due to increasing component reliability and operating efficiencies and to a reduction in spare parts and maintenance costs. In Stage I, COSSI funds the non-recurring engineering, testing and qualification typically needed to adapt a commercial item to military needs. A prototype is developed and field tested. Applicants must include a firm or team which includes at least one for-profit firm. If Stage I is successful, the military customer can purchase production quantities of the prototype, thus moving to Stage II of the COSSI program. Visit http://www.acq.osd.mil/es/dut/cossi for more details.

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