SSTI Digest

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. While comprising only four percent of the total federal research and development budget, NSF funds one-fifth of all federal support for basic research and 40 percent of non-life-science basic research at U.S. academic institutions. In addition, Congress has committed to doubling the NSF budget within five years so the agency's role is likely to grow in importance for state and local tech-based economic…

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 New Century Technology Council (NCTC) was awarded $44,000 to create a targeted campaign to connect individuals who have moved away and college alumni from the region's colleges and universities to job opportunities in the region. NCTC will provide $59,000 in matching funds. The Roanoke Valley Convention &…

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: to undertake long-term scientific and technological research and education activities; to explore better and more effective ways to educate students; and, to develop mechanisms that ensure the timely transition of research and education advances. To date, four competitions to establish STCs have resulted in 36 centers. The first two competitions, one in the late 1980s and one in the…

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. The Virginia IDHS will conduct research, education and technology transfer at member institutions and firms with an emphasis in the fields of telecommunications, biodefense, sensor systems and risk management. Additionally, industry consortium members will commercialize…

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

Charles W. Steger, President of Virginia Tech. has been elected chairman of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology. Paula S. Gulak, Founding Partner of SyCom Technologies, is the new Vice Chairman.

Since reaching a high point of almost 27,300 in 1998, the number of science and engineering (S&E) doctorates has dropped by 7 percent to just over 25,500 in 2001, reports a 2001 nationwide survey conducted for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The decline since 1998 has led to a rollback of total Ph.D.s to pre-1994 levels, the report states. The data from NSF's Science and Engineering Doctorate Awards: 2001 are a compilation of detailed statistical tables derived from the nationwide Survey of Earned Doctorates, a report of data collected on doctorates conferred in all academic fields at 416 universities. NSF, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Education are the primary funding agencies for the survey, with support from NASA, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Department of Agriculture. The 2001 survey of doctorates reveals the number of total Ph.D.s awarded by U.S. universities dropped to below 41,000 for the first time in nine years. Since 1995, the numbers of non-S&E Ph.D.s awarded have remained nearly constant, staying at just over 15,…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) plans to fund $9 million in new FY 2003 awards under the Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) Program, according to the program solicitation's recent release. To promote PFI, NSF will sponsor 15-25 partnerships among academe, government and the private sector that explore new approaches to innovation. The purpose of the program, as defined in the PFI solicitation, is threefold: stimulate the transformation of knowledge created by the national research and education enterprise into innovations that create new wealth, build strong local, regional and national economies and improve the national well-being; broaden the participation of all types of academic institutions and all citizens in NSF activities to more fully meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and, catalyze or enhance enabling infrastructure necessary to foster and sustain innovation in the long-term. Applicants are asked to focus on one or a combination of three activities: (1) research, technology transfer, commercialization, (2)…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced it intends to have almost $200,000 in fiscal year 2003 funds for new awards under the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) Program. Nominations to honor individuals and institutions are invited for the 2003 competition of these annual awards. The PAESMEM Program, administered on behalf of the White House by NSF, seeks to identify outstanding mentoring efforts or programs designed to enhance the participation of groups underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The awardees serve as exemplars to their colleagues and are leaders in the national effort to more fully develop U.S. human resources in the above fields. Approximately 20 grant awards of $10,000 each are expected to be split evenly among individuals and institutions. Beyond the grant award, each awardee will be invited to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony, recognition events, and meetings with leaders in federal sector education and research, and focused workshops addressing effective…