SSTI Digest

Before Congress left for its August break, the House voted 217-210 to pass the Commerce-State-Justice Appropriation Bill. Among other items, the Bill (H.R. 2670) eliminates all funding for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). With this zeroing-out of funding for ATP, NIST’s total appropriation would be $436.7 million, $300.3 million below the request of $735.0 million, and $210.5 million below FY1999 funding of $647.2 million.

The House Appropriations Committee report submitted with the bill says that after many years in existence, ATP has not produced a body of evidence to overcome fundamental questions about whether the program should exist in the first place. Given the tremendous financial constraints under which the Committee is operating, the Committee concludes that funding would be better spent on other higher priority programs and recommends that the ATP program be terminated.

This year’s second attempt to pass legislation establishing a state-funded seed capital program in Missouri was successful during the waning hours of the 1999 session of the Missouri General Assembly. SB 518, the Missouri New Enterprise Creation Act, authorizes the creation of up to four seed capital funds at the state’s innovation centers to support new technology-based companies in the state. Funding for the program will be generated through $20 million in tax credits, with a maximum limit of $5 million in credits each year.

The legislation calls for a state seed capital and commercialization strategy to be developed and approved by a yet-to-be-established Missouri Seed Capital Investment Board prior to the creation of the seed capital funds. One fund is exempted from this provision and will be started immediately to assist any of the up to 7,000 Missourians to be laid off by the Boeing Corporation over the next two years.

NASA has named 20 companies from 13 states as recipients of the agency’s 1999 Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program Phase I solicitation. NASA received 82 proposals from 59 companies in this year’s competition.



Each selected project will receive a fixed-price, one-year contract with NASA for up to $100,000. Successful Phase I recipients may compete for two-year Phase II contracts of up to $500,000 next year.



All STTR awards involve partnerships between the selected companies and research institutions. While the small business is the recipient of the award, a minimum of 30 percent of the research must be completed at the research institution, and the small business must perform at least 40 percent.

Vice President Gore has announced the creation of an interagency task force to recommend ways to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing sector for the 21st century. Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, will lead the group, charged with presenting specific recommendations on how government policies and programs can preserve and enhance American manufacturing.

The work of the Manufacturing Task Force is to be completed by early next year, providing time to incorporate any recommendations for changes into the Administration’s FY 2001 budget request. Other federal agencies serving on the task force were not identified in the Vice President’s announcement.

The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Committee on Technology has called for issue papers to identify top priorities and outline ideas for reforming federal support of science and technology. The agency is seeking papers as a contribution to the development of a long-term action plan for improving federal policies, regulations, and programs to foster science and technology innovation.

While numerous reviews and articles have been written recently about the innovation process, the NSTC Committee on Technology believes this call for papers is the first attempt to develop a specific plan for  reforming federal support of innovation and establishing national priorities for action.



Papers are to be no more than five pages and may address four specific interest areas identified in the request. NSTC would like to see papers concerning federal policy and/or regulations that:

With a $50 million appropriation in FY 2000, the State of Michigan has made the first installment toward spending $1 billion over the next 20 years for life sciences research, development, and commercialization. The funding is derived from Michigan's tobacco settlement. Other public and private sources are expected to match much of the state's investment over the two decades.

In late July, Governor John Engler signed a bill funding a "life sciences corridor," an effort to make four Michigan research institutions -- the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Wayne State University, and the Van Andel Institute -- among the nation's most important for biotechnology applications.

The annual allotment will be portioned out to three program areas:

President Clinton has issued an Executive Order to develop and promote biobased products and bioenergy as economically viable alternatives to fossil fuel-based production and energy generation. The order calls for the development of a national strategy that includes research, development, and private sector incentives to stimulate the creation and early adoption of technologies needed to make biobased products and bioenergy cost competitive.



The Executive Order specifically outlined the following three action items for the departments of Agriculture, Energy, and Treasury, and the EPA:

The Markle Foundation has announced plans to give away $100 million -- more than half of the Foundation's current endowment -- over the next five years for projects and programs to improve public benefit from the Internet. Recipients will include non-profit organizations as well as for-profit companies.



Awards are concentrated in four areas:



Public Engagement through Interactive Technology -- "supports research, applications, and experimentation that encourage the use of communications technology for active engagement in the pursuit of knowledge and for effective participation in democratic society."

Policy for a Networked Society -- "works to enhance the public voice in the consideration and resolution of domestic and international policies that are surfacing in this new communications environment."

The following people in the S&T field have announced or made career changes over the past few months:



Phil Singerman, the head of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Adminstration, has been named president of the new Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation.



Catherine Renault, managing director of Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology, has accepted a position with Advantage Consulting.



Cary Nourie has been named Vice President of Policy and Planning for the Illinois Coalition; he previously was with the North Carolina Governor's Washington Office.



Brent Gregory has announced his resignation as Vice President for Technology Development with Enterprise Florida to accept a position in the private sector.



Douglas Goodall has been appointed CEO of Innovation Works, the successor to the Ben Franklin Technology Center of Western Pennsylvania.

Phil Singerman, the head of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Adminstration, was named president of the new Maryland Technology Economic Development Corporation.