In the August 14, 2006 Issue:

Copyright State Science & Technology Institute 2006. 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.

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Benefits of Undergraduate S&E Programs Not Limited to High-Tech Economy, According to Report
Students who receive a bachelor's degree in science or engineering (S&E) frequently find themselves on non-technical career paths, but according to a recent study, most of these graduates later report that their S&E education plays an important role at work. Nearly 73 percent of people whose highest level of education is an S&E bachelor's degree do not work in traditional S&E occupations. However, almost two-thirds of that group report that their current job is related to their degree. This finding suggests that there are benefits to additional state and university investment in S&E programs beyond filling jobs that have traditionally been considered part of the high-tech economy.
 
The study, conducted by the National Science Foundation, examines the careers of people who earned an S&E bachelor's degree more than 10 years ago. NSF reports that only one-quarter of S&E grads work or pursue an additional degree in their original field of study. Though these results suggest that the pipeline between university S&E programs and the private sector needs to be strengthened to prevent the underemployment of educated workers, the study also finds that 72 percent of these graduates are using the knowledge acquired during their S&E education in the course of their daily work. Since this knowledge is being applied in jobs not typically included as part of regional technology economies, the findings indicate that state and university leaders should take a wider view of the economic benefits of strong university STEM programs.
 
The most common type of occupation held by S&E graduates, regardless of their number of degrees, is in non-S&E management. Among S&E grads, nontechnical managers outnumber technical managers by a 10-to-one margin. This is particularly true among those who have been in the workforce 25-34 years. It appears that many new graduates begin their careers directly involved in public or private R&D, but later move into new roles as nontechnical managers. Despite this gradual drift away from scientific and technical work, 71 percent of non-S&E managers with a technical background report that their jobs are related to their academic study.
 
S&E bachelors degrees also are being applied in a greater variety of graduate programs. Though the S&E bachelor's is the highest level of education attained by a small majority of S&E grads, almost half earn additional degrees. Of this group, a greater percentage has gone on to earn degrees in non-S&E fields (57 percent) than in all S&E fields. Graduates are flocking to professional programs in law, business and medicine (which is not considered an S&E field in the NSF study), and most report that they are putting their scientific and technical knowledge to use.
 
NSFs Science and Engineering Indicators for 2006 suggest, however, there is a also growing need for these graduates in science and technology jobs. Over the past 20 years, the number of S&E degrees has grown at an average annual rate of 1.5 percent. This figure is higher than the rate for the entire labor force, but significantly less than the 4.2 percent growth in S&E occupations. Despite the need for professionals with a higher ed background in science and technology in nontechnical fields, sustained economic growth will require a larger number of S&E graduates working in technical jobs.
 
For local leaders, this means expanding higher education programs in S&E to provide a steady influx of skilled researchers, as well as strengthening campus-wide requirements in S&E in light of the growing importance of these skills in the professional world.
 
The NSF InfoBrief What Do People Do After Earning a Science and Engineering Bachelor's Degree? is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf06324/

To access NSF's 2006 report on Science and Engineering Indicators, visit: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind06/toc.htm

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Mega Money Headed toward BioFuel R&D
The potential opportunity for bio-based fuels to supplement or supplant some of the nations fossil fuel addiction has enticed two entities with deep pockets - one public, one private - to separately offer $750 million to support research in the growing field. Working independently, both entities are planning to concentrate their investments in only 1-2 research institutions, creating instant anchors for growing localized clusters for the new industry.

On Aug. 2, the U.S. Department of Energy launched a competition for proposals to select two new bioenergy research centers as part of the Office of Science Genomics program. The winning centers will receive up to $125 million over a period of five years $25 million in the first year for start-up costs and up to $25 million per year for operations during the subsequent four years.

While a major emphasis will be on developing cost-effective means to produce ethanol from inedible plant fiber such as cellulose, to replace gasoline, DOE also is interested in supporting well directed research on other biofuels from biomass, including biodiesel, biofuels for aviation, and biologically-based hydrogen and other fuels from sunlight.

Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit agencies, private firms and consortia comprised of partnerships of two or more such institutions will be eligible for funding to establish and operate a bioenergy research center.

Meanwhile, one of the worlds largest oil companies, BP, announced in June it is working to identify a single U.S. or U.K. research university to locate an Energy Biosciences Institute. The selected institution will receive $500 million from BP over 10 years to support new biofuel component development and new technologies to enhance conversion of organic matter into biofuel molecules.

The institute also will conduct research to develop plant species that can produce a higher yield of energy molecules and be grown on land not suitable for food production. The need for more efficient and environmentally benign plant sources for biofuels is of increasing importance, with studies showing corn-derived ethanol - the most politically popular source of the alternative fuel - is only 35 percent more efficient than gasoline and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by only 15 percent.

BP is already in discussions with several institutions, with the aim of launching its program by the end of 2007. DOE will announce its center selections before the end of the 2007 fiscal year.

More information on the Energy solicitation is available at: http://www.doe.gov/news/3872.htm. The BP announcement is available at: http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7018719

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NBIA, NYSTAR Release Incubator Resources
There are a number of reasons why developing a business incubation program may be appropriate for your organization or community. Whether it is creating new jobs or developing and commercializing new technologies, business incubators can provide a variety of resources to help ensure that companies succeed. Two new handbooks document some of the best practices and successful business incubation models across the country.

Developing a Business Incubation Program
In Developing a Business Incubation Program: Insights and Advice for Communities, the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) sheds light on ways to strengthen or expand business incubation programs. Because each incubator development project is different, a how-to book on the topic is not possible, NBIA states in a press release. Instead, author Kathleen Boyd spent more than a year interviewing experts and practitioners about the underlying assumptions, challenges and activities that are essential to the process.

Topics covered by the NBIA publication include understanding the incubation concept, conducting feasibility studies, business planning for the incubator, fund-raising, and implementation and start-up. Numerous sidebars, case studies and appendices, including a glossary of federal funding sources for incubator development, also are included.

The National Business Incubation Association is a private, nonprofit membership organization based in Athens, Ohio. Developing a Business Incubation Program can be purchased from NBIA Publications at http://www.nbia.org/store.

Handbook for New York State Incubators
NYSTAR argues that "a well-run incubator has an operating structure that outlines guiding principles for its management." In its handbook, the state's lead tech-based economic development agency indicates such principles should be comprised of a comprehensive understanding of an incubator's target market and other requisites such as admittance and exit rules.

The NYSTAR report includes profiles prepared by SSTI of five nationally recognized incubators to assess best practices used. The programs include the Advanced Technology Development Center in Atlanta, the Austin Technology Incubator, the Center for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis, the University of Central Florida Technology Incubator in Orlando, and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Incubator Program in Troy, N.Y. In each profile, such metrics as jobs, revenues and leverage - the amount of financial impact generated compared to the amount of money expended on the incubator and its programs - are highlighted.

The Handbook for New York State Incubators further provides discussion on operating models and lists what it considers to be 10 steps critical to incubator success, regardless of mission or focus. It is available for download at: http://www.nystar.state.ny.us/Assets/pdfs/incubators.pdf

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Department of Commerce Addresses Need for New Ideas in Measuring Innovation
Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez recently announced the creation of a 15-member advisory committee to examine methods used around the country to measure innovation. The panel, dubbed the Measuring Innovation in the 21st Century Economic Advisory Committee, will be composed of academia and private industry representatives and will convene this fall to identify new ways to assess regional innovation activity and the impact of innovation policies. An interim report is due in early 2007, with a final draft to follow by the end of next year.

In his announcement, Gutierrez singled out the need to expand the commonly understood definition of innovation to include not only new products and services, but also process improvements that boost business productivity.

New approaches to assessing innovation realities and practices have been attracting greater attention in recent months. In June 2006, the National Science Foundation (NSF) held a two-day workshop of academics and government officials to share the latest methods in innovation data collection and analysis. The results will be shared in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Technology Transfer. Similar discussions will take place next month in Ottawa at the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation's Blue Sky II Forum, which will address the global need for updated innovation taxonomies and metrics.

Read the Department of Commerce announcement at: http://www.commerce.gov/opa/press/Secretary_Gutierrez/2006_Releases/August/04_InnovationRelease.htm

To view many of the presentations from the NSF workshop, Advancing Measures of Innovation: Knowledge Flows, Business Metrics, and Measurement Strategies, go to: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/workshop/innovation06/

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Useful Stats
Academic R&D Expenditures by State, 2000-2004
In 2004, U.S. academic R&D expenditures totaled $42.9 billion up 7.21 percent from 2003, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, FY 2004. The NSF report details R&D expenditures at public colleges and universities by geographic location, institution, science and engineering fields, and source of funding.
 
Using NSF data, SSTI has prepared a table presenting state rankings and figures for academic R&D from 2000 to 2004. Over the five-year period, North Dakota and South Dakota more than doubled their academic R&D expenditures, with an increase of 125.07 percent and 107.27 percent, respectively. In addition to the Dakotas, six other states increased academic R&D by more than 60 percent: New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee and Mississippi.
 
When ranked by academic R&D spending, the top 10 states showed little change from 2000 to 2004. California, New York and Texas maintained first, second and third places, while Maryland and Pennsylvania switched ranks to 4th and 5th places, respectively. In addition, Ohio moved up to 10th place replacing Georgia, which dropped down to 12.

On the other hand, movement amongst the lower 10 rankings was noticeably more dramatic. For example, Montana (42nd), North Dakota (43rd), West Virginia (45th) and Vermont (47th) moved up in ranks over the five years.

Overall, Tennessee made the largest increase in rank moving from 26th in 2000 to 20th in 2004. Mississippi and North Dakota tied for second, moving up four spots to 31 and 43, respectively. Conversely, Delaware and Oklahoma showed the largest decrease in rank falling four spots to 48 and 36, respectively.
 
SSTI's table is available at: http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/081406t.htm

Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges, FY 2004 is available at: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/nsf06323/start.cfm

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Job Corner
Griffin Analytical Technologies Seeks Proposal Coordinator
Griffin Analytical Technologies, a producer of premium chemical detection systems, is seeking a proposal coordinator to generate research proposals in response to federal and state funding solicitations. Griffin serves U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security applications, environmental health and safety monitoring, and research and teaching laboratories. The proposal coordinator will work with Griffin's R&D and management teams and will report directly to the company's vice president of research and development. Applicants should have a Master of Science or Ph.D. degree in a scientific discipline, or a bachelor's degree with five or more years of applicable proposal writing experience. More information on this opportunity is available through the SSTI Job Corner at http://www.ssti.org/posting.htm.

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