In the July 20, 2001 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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'Wanted: Women in Science and Engineering,' Report Says  
Women made significant progress in the sciences over the last two decades, but gains have stalled — and in some cases eroded — in engineering and computer sciences, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW). The downturn comes despite effective new programs to increase women's participation in these fields. 

Balancing the Equation: Where Are Women and Girls in Science, Engineering and Technology? notes several reasons to advance women in the sciences, including the economic imperative to increase the technological and scientific literacy of America's workforce. At a time when U.S. industry cannot fill openings for technically advanced jobs, the talents of women are underutilized, reports NCRW. Equally important, the report says, are the perspectives women bring to the sciences, often leading to different decisions on allocating research dollars, targeting drug-testing protocols, and developing technology to benefit communities. 

The report analyzes strategies to attract women and girls to science and retain them in technological fields. It finds that efforts to open up scientific study and work have created new opportunities for women and minorities — but those efforts have been sporadic and disjointed. The report calls for a national commitment to remove the persistent barriers and glass ceilings facing women and girls in the sciences. 

Balancing the Equation reviews hundreds of programs that successfully increase the classroom, laboratory and workplace participation of girls, women and minorities in the sciences. It finds that women and girls excel in environments that encourage hands-on research, include mentoring and role models, and environments that link science, technology and engineering to other disciplines and real world applications. 

The report also provides a blueprint to help leaders make the culture of scientific enterprise inclusive and advance institutional change and includes an extensive resource guide to help educators, business leaders and policy makers promote women's and girls' advancement in the sciences. Findings include: 

Balancing the Equation calls for systemic change and a long-term commitment by top leaders at all levels to advancing women in the sciences, beginning in kindergarten and continuing throughout women's careers. The report recommends that: 

Each chapter concludes with recommendations for specific action steps to advance women and girls in science and technology. An extensive Resource Guide provides information about successful programs, websites, and funding, along with program descriptions of 44 NCRW member centers engaged in the sciences. 

Copies of Balancing the Equation are available for purchase from NCRW, an alliance of 95 university-based research centers, national policy organizations, and educational coalitions. More information and the executive summary is available online at http://www.ncrw.org/research/iqsci.htm 

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Study Finds Public Support of Basic Research Pays Off 
With federal support for the National Institues of Health increasing substantially each year -- to the point now that NIH supports more than 50 percent of the federal basic research budget -- and some states directing millions of dollars each year into health and biotechnology research, one might stop to ask: is it worth it? If an objective of states' supporting basic research is economic development, and only five to seven percent of federally funded basic research is conducted by private industry according to the National Science Foundation, then the transfer from universities and additional "spillover" of academic research into the local economy must be significant to warrant long-term investment. So is it? 

An increasing library of econometric studies have been prepared looking at the influence of academic spillovers on issues such as corporate patenting and productivity (several have been discussed in the SSTI Weekly Digest: see 6/01/01, 11/17/00 and 8/25/00). A recent discussion paper released by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, using the pharmaceutical industry as a case study, suggests that the economic return on publicly funded basic research is substantial but on a time dimension that may be greater than most state and local leaders are anticipating. 

Using micro-level data on product innovation made available as a result of the rigorous review structure required to secure approval from the Food and Drug Administration, Stanford University's Andrew A. Toole found a one-percent increase in public support for basic research ultimately leads to a 2.0 - 2.4 percent increase in the number of commercially available new pharmaceutical compounds. "Ultimately" translates to a lag time between funding and commercialization of 17 to 19 years on average. His analysis is presented in The Impact of Public Basic Research on Industrial Innovation: Evidence from the Pharmaceutical Industry . 

In order to estimate the timing, magnitude, and significance of public basic research on pharmaceutical product innovation, Toole gathered data from the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association. He then used regression analysis to determine lag time in pharmaceutical innovation under several alternative models. 

Toole chose the pharmaceutical industry for this analysis, due to the industry's structure and orientation toward science. He warns, unfortunately, that the unique structure of the pharmaceutical innovative process makes it difficult to apply the report's findings to other areas, but also urges future research to be directed at improving the understanding of innovation and R&D in other technological areas.

The full report can be obtained from SIEPR at: http://siepr.stanford.edu/papers/pdf/00-07.html

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Gov. Ridge to Keynote SSTI’s Fifth Annual Conference 
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge will deliver the keynote address at Creating Opportunity: Tools for Building Tech-Based Economies, SSTI’s Fifth Annual Conference, which will be held September 19-21, 2001 at the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh. 

Gov. Ridge is recognized nationally as one of the leading governors in technology-based economic development. Under his leadership, the state has implemented a number of technology-based initiatives, including Pennsylvania New Economy Technology Scholarships; the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse; the Pennsylvania BioTech Strategy, which includes the creation of three Life Science Greenhouses; and, Lightning Manufacturing. 

With more than 20 sessions and four concurrent sessions running throughout the conference, this year’s conference will be the largest that SSTI has ever held. Topics to be covered include: organizing angel investor networks; slowing the brain drain; extending economic benefits of the New Economy to all regions; developing and implementing a tech-based economic development strategy; creating successful business-university partnerships; and, emerging ideas in tech-based economic development. 

This year, in addition to 12 great sessions on policies and practices for tech-based economic development, two separate tracks of inter-related sessions on critical themes have been added: 

Universities in today’s tech-based economy 
Whether they are educating future workers, conducting basic research, or creating technology that is commercialized, universities and colleges play a vital role in any tech-based economic development strategy. Creating Opportunity offers six breakout sessions this year to explore, develop, and refine the vital contributions of the academic research enterprise to a knowledge economy. 

Resources for building tech-based economies 
A flagging economy puts pressure on a company's bottom line and research budgets can feel the pinch at a time when increasing businesses' future technological competitiveness is most critical. State and local government revenues also tighten. Fortunately, there are billions of federal dollars available to assist companies and communities alike in all aspects of competing in the New Economy. Creating Opportunity is offering six sessions to conveniently learn the nuts and bolts of more than a dozen federal programs -- even veterans can learn something as the agencies discuss the priorities of the new Administration. 

For the full conference agenda and to register, visit: http://www.ssti.org/Conf01/conf01.htm [expired]

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State & Local Tech-based ED Round Up 

Albany, New York 
The Times Union reports the second coming of the Center for Economic Growth Technology Council, which, after eight years on hiatus, held a kick-off event Wednesday to launch several ambitious goals: establish two business accelerators, develop a technology roadmap of the region’s R&D assets, offer business and technical consulting services, and expand the area’s venture capital networking activities. The paper reports one of the accelerators will be geared toward nanotechnology firms. More information is available at: http://www.ceg.org/

Beatrice, Nebraska 
County economic development officials are teaming up with the local power company and Southeast Community College to establish an information technology business park, according to a July 18 Omaha World Herald article. Construction has started on the first 9,100 sq. ft. building which is expected to be attractive for businesses needing space for call centers and data processing divisions, the paper states. The college will offer businesses training services and part-time student labor. 

Cleveland 
The Cleveland Biotechnology Park has selected a site for its headquarters and a new incubator facility near the park’s founders: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and University Hospitals of Cleveland. The park, anticipated to cost $100 million when completed, received an initial appropriation of $8.5 million from the state legislature in FY 2001. The selected location is adjacent to two other state-supported technology incubators. Additionally, Crain’s Cleveland Business reported this week that the Cleveland Clinic plans to launch a biotech incubator to serve European biotech firms establishing offices in the U.S. 

Newnan, Georgia 
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution reported earlier this month that the city of Newnan plans to build a two-story business incubation center just outside of the central business district. The city recently purchased two of potentially five lots needed for the project. 

Providence, Rhode Island 
A $1 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration will be used to convert an abandoned 25,000 square-foot factory into new business incubator in south Providence, reports the Providence Journal-Bulletin. The Gordon Avenue Environmental Incubator will be an energy-saving, “green” facility in a distressed urban core. Ninety-five percent of the required matching funds are being provided by the city; private sources are contributing the balance. 

Sioux Falls, South Dakota 
Forward Sioux Falls, the economic development arm of the Souix Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Sioux Falls Development Foundation is committing more than a third of its $5.5 million budget to build a technology-based incubator and business park, according to a July 19 Associated Press wire story. 

Georgia 
The Augusta Chronicle reported the Georgia General Assembly has appropriated $6.4 million for matching endowments to support and equip five Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholars in cancer research and an additional $4.8 million to attract and support 30 additional eminent cancer researchers in the state’s research universities and hospitals. For more information: http://www.gra.org/scholars.html

Tennessee 
The Tennessee state legislature’s decision to use three years’ worth of tobacco settlement money to balance an anticipated FY 2002 budget deficit captured the headlines, but some cuts and unfunded items related to tech-based economic development may have a longer-term impact on future revenues. According to a July 15 article in the Tennessean, among the unfunded items are $3.57 million for the Tennessee Industrial Infrastructure Program, $400,000 for the Tennessee Technology Development Corp., $12.5 million for the university research initiatives, and $10 million for faculty recruitment and retention efforts. 

Williamsburg, Virginia 
The College of William & Mary has opened a Technology and Business Center to assist companies with their information technology needs, according to a July 18 article in the Daily Press. Funding to establish the $160,000 center was provided by Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology and two local development groups. 

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Useful Stats: 1999 Federal R&D Obligations by State 
The National Science Foundation has released Federal Funds for Research and Development: Fiscal Years 1999, 2000, and 2001, Vol. 49, presenting 111 detailed statistical tables. 

Tables 56-79 characterize federal R&D and R&D plant obligations at universities & colleges by basic versus applied research, by agency and by field of science for 1999, 2000 and 2001. Tables 82-87 present the 1999 data by geographic distribution (by state). This data can be standardized by population for interpretation. 

To present a different, perhaps more meaningful, perspective on the distribution across states, SSTI has prepared a table which provides the 1999 federal R&D and R&D plant obligations as an average per employed doctoral scientist and engineer in the state. The untested hypothesis is that R&D obligations would be a function more of the availability of an appropriately skilled labor pool to conduct research, rather than the total population. 

The table presents per capita federal R&D obligations by state as well for comparison: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/072001t.htm 

The full NSF statistical report, Federal Funds for Research and Development: Fiscal Years 1999, 2000, and 2001, Vol. 49 is available at http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf01328/start.htm

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People 
George Atkinson is taking a year-long leave of absence from his position as a professor in chemistry and optical sciences at the University of Arizona to serve as the first American Institute of Physics science fellow at the U.S. State Department. 

Margie Emmermann has been named Director of the Arizona Department of Commerce. For the past seven years, Ms. Emmermann has been the state's policy adviser to Mexico and liaison to the Hispanic Community. 

The National Science Foundation has named Judith A. Ramaley as the Foundation's new Assistant Director for Education and Human Resources (EHR). A biologist, Dr. Ramaley served most recently as president of the University of Vermont. 

New Technology Week reports William Schneider, president of International Planning Services, has been picked to chair the Defense Science Board. 

Dennis J. Sysko is serving as interim president of the Anne Arundel County High Technology Council, following the resignation of president John G. Rice. Mr. Sysko, who is currently serving as the group's treasurer, will perform both roles until a replacement president is elected in January. 

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NIH Offers Eight Licensing Opportunities 
The Office of Technology Transfer in the National Institutes of Health has published abstracts of eight government-owned patents that are available for licensing. To help bring these commercialization opportunities to the attention of a wider audience, SSTI has reprinted the abstracts on the following webpage: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/072001t2.htm

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