SSTI Digest

Two new grants, each greater than $1 million, have been awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study the societal implications of nanotechnology — the emerging discipline that seeks to control and manipulate matter on a molecular scale. The grants are the largest awards the foundation has ever devoted exclusively to research in societal implications.

Nanotech has been considered by many in the tech-based economic development community to be a "transformative" technology, one that could change the way we live and work as profoundly as did the microchip or the automobile. To speed the development along, NSF and 16 other federal agencies are supporting a nearly $1 billion-a-year National Nanotechnology Initiative.

Seven grants totaling nearly $4.76 million will help Southwest Virginia achieve greater high-speed bandwidth access by enabling deployment of fiber optic cable throughout much of the region. The Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission awarded the grants, including $2.03 million via five grants to Bristol Virginia Utilities (BVU). The balance of the funds was distributed between the Cumberland Plateau and Lenowisco planning district commissions.

The 31-member Virginia Tobacco Commission was created by the 1999 General Assembly to make payments to farmers to compensate for the decline of tobacco quotas and to promote economic growth and development in tobacco-dependent communities.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has published online the Science & Engineering State Profiles: 2000-2001, a set of 52 science and engineering (S&E) profiles summarizing state-specific data on personnel and finances. Rankings and totals are given for the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, and the report includes a data source page. (For Puerto Rico, the data sources for some variables differ from those used to obtain state data; comparable data do not exist on total and industry R&D performance for Puerto Rico.)

The NSF databases used include doctoral scientists and engineers; S&E doctorates awarded, including by major S&E fields; S&E graduate students and postdoctorates; federal R&D obligations by agency and performer; total and industrial R&D expenditures; and academic R&D expenditures, including by major S&E fields.

The Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security has named Hugh Montgomery, Jr. as the consortium's first director, effective July 1.

Meeting short-term budget demands are consuming more and more of state, local and academic tech-based economic development practitioners' time. However, keeping an eye on the long-range funding picture is critical for sustained success. One of the most important federal sources for supporting the research enterprise is the National Science Foundation (NSF). At NSF Director Rita Colwell's request, the public has the opportunity to participate in developing NSF's strategic vision and plan for the next six years.

"The views of the science and engineering community and the public are very important to us and will be reflected in the final draft of the updated plan," Dr. Colwell writes.

The new executive director of the Virginia Piedmont Technology Council is Gail Milligan.

The Board of Directors for Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) announced last week their selection of Peter Jobse as the new president of CIT. Jobse has been CIT’s executive vice president and chief operating officer since joining the organization in October 2002.

A strategic plan issued in 2002 by the Fifth Planning District Regional Alliance in Virginia may officially have completed the first phase when the Alliance recently awarded $273,342 in grants and earmarked funds.

The Alliance, a group of government, business and educational leaders, promotes economic competitiveness in a Virginia region comprised of Alleghany, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin and Roanoke counties and five other town cities and towns. Its plan, Regional Economic Strategy, was released last July as an economic development strategy focusing heavily on science and technology-based initiatives (see the August 9, 2002 issue of the Digest).

For the 2003 program year, the Alliance's 41-member board of directors distributed funding to four projects:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced it intends to award approximately $30 million in FY 2005 funding under the Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program. NSF is encouraging proposals for high quality innovative research projects that undertake investigations across or within disciplines.

The STC program invests federal funds in areas consistent with NSF's goals to enable the nation's future through discovery, learning and innovation. STCs conduct research in partnerships among academic institutions, national laboratories, industrial organizations, and other public-private entities. Their benefit to society is accomplished via a three-pronged approach:

Jeff Bond, former long-time manager of the BMDO SBIR program, has been named Acting DoD SBIR/STTR Administrator, replacing the retiring Ivory Fisher.

With nearly $1 billion in federal R&D funding proposed for the new Department of Homeland Security, many states, universities and companies are exploring ways to be actively involved as R&D partners. Already home to several military and intelligence research activities, with proximity to Washington, D.C. in its favor, Virginia recently announced an effort to further strengthen its competitive position in the funding race.

Last Friday, Governor Mark R. Warner announced the creation of the Virginia Institute for Defense and Homeland Security (IDHS), a university and industry research consortium dedicated to delivering solutions to support U.S. homeland security and defense objectives. More than 20 companies have already signed on as founding members to work with the 12 Virginia universities in the consortium.

Ellen Hemmerly has been named president of the nonprofit Association of University Research Parks.