SSTI Digest

Calling it one of the most important economic development activities of his administration, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge recently announced the creation of the "Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse" -- a public/private partnership intended to provide support, infrastructure, and the expertise needed to accelerate the development and re-use of system-on-a-chip (SOC) technology. The Greenhouse — a partnership of three Pittsburgh universities, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, the Commonwealth, and three international corporations — is intended to make southwestern Pennsylvania a worldwide leader in the development of SOC technology. Sony Corporation, Oki Electric Industry, and Cadence Design Systems will work with the Pittsburgh Digital Greenhouse to help develop next-generation digital video and digital networking. IBM will help to design and operate an e-business network for Greenhouse. The Greenhouse will work to attract the involvement of other companies. Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Pennsylvania State University will provide undergraduate and…

Education Secretary Richard W. Riley has established the National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching for the 21st Century, which will recommend ways to improve the recruitment, preparation, retention, and support of math and science teachers. John Glenn will chair the 31-member commission. Governors Geringer (WY) and Hunt (NC) also will serve on the commission. Other members will include representatives of business, industry, academia, non-profit organizations, and government. The U.S. is expected to need an additional 2.2 million teachers over the next decade due to a record number of retirements and the increase in the number of school-aged children. Math and science teachers are anticipated to be in particularly short supply. The Commission will report its recommendations to Secretary Riley by the Fall of 2000.

The NASA Ames Research Center is developing a 200-acre research and development complex at Moffett Federal Airfield in Silicon Valley. NASA hopes to spawn partnerships between scientists at Ames Research Center and the private sector, fostering opportunities for technology transfer and contract R&D. The Complex will ultimately encompass the entire 2,000-acre federal property owned by NASA's Ames Research Center, Ames officials said. NASA has developed agreements with the cities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale to establish the California Air and Space Center (CASC), and with Stanford University and the University of California at Santa Cruz on research partnership planning. CASC will be a science and technology learning center and teacher institute supported by futuristic NASA technologies. It will showcase Silicon Valley cutting-edge technologies and NASA missions. The complex may include an expanded small business incubator program, possibly targeting biotechnology firms. NASA already has two incubators serving Silicon Valley firms. More information can be found at: http://www.arc.nasa.…

Ninety-five percent, or $102 million, of all royalties received by six technology related federal agencies during fiscal years 1996-1998 were for licenses issued by the National Institutes of Health, according to a recent General Accounting Office (GAO) study. Technology Transfer: Number and Characteristics of Inventions Licensed by Six Federal Agencies is a compilation of statistics collected from a survey of the National Institutes of Health, the departments of the Army, Navy and the Air Force, the Department of Energy, and NASA. The report provides information on: Government-owned inventions licensed by the six agencies during FY 1996 through 1998, including the royalties received during that period, and the total number of active licenses these agencies had as of October 1, 1998; The number of licenses that were exclusive or non-exclusive; The number of licensees that were small businesses, individuals, large businesses, or nonprofit organizations; and, The number of licensees that were foreign or domestic. The six agencies reported that they granted a total…

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) and the National Institutes of Standards (NIST) and Technology have awarded a $350,000 grant to the Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) for a technology-based economic development project to boost the growth of Michigan businesses. The pilot project is expected to serve as a model for possible state and nationwide efforts on behalf of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). ITI will assess the technology needs of the state's rural and inner-city SMEs. ITI also will study ways in which technical assistance can best be provided to these businesses. Deficiencies in resources related to manufacturing technology have contributed to the slow growth of many SMEs. Factors include a depleted number of skilled, reliable and available workers; little access to technology both regionally and among disadvantaged population segments; the lack of an R&D base linking technology development with the local business community; and, a lack of a cost-efficient and effective means of providing small manufacturers with technical…

Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership is seeking an Executive Director, who will oversee a staff of approximately 20 and a budget of more than $3 million. The successful candidate will be able to create a vision for the growing organization, the leadership skills to achieve that vision, and a strong interest in the growth and success of manufacturing. Applications are due August 9. The Maine Technology Institute (MTI) is seeking a Director to lead MTI and manage its programs, services, budget, and staff. MTI is a new state chartered non-profit corporation that works to encourage, promote, stimulate and support R&D activity leading to the commercialization of new products and services in Maine's seven technology-intensive industrial sectors; to enhance the competitive position of those sectors; to increase the likelihood that one or more of the sectors will support clusters of industrial activity; and, to create new jobs for Maine people. Applications are due August 15. Full descriptions of these openings can be found on the SSTI website at www.ssti.…

In last week's issue of the SSTI Weekly Digest, several of the state rankings for the number of awards received under the DOD SBIR 99.1 selections were incorrect. Following is a list of the states and their correct ranks: Florida was tied for 7th with New Jersey; New Hampshire was tied for 17th with Washington; Hawaii, North Carolina, District of Columbia and Utah were all tied for 23rd.

The Department of Energy has posted its selections for Phase II awards under the 1999 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The 85 Phase II grants were made to companies in the 23 states listed in the accompanying table. More detailed information for each award can be found on the DOE website: http://sbir.er.doe.gov/sbir State # of Awards State # of Awards Alabama 1 New Mexico 1 Arizona 3 New York 3 California 18 North Carolina 2 Colorado 8 Ohio 4 Connecticut …

In a move to increase Hawaii's technology standing, Governor Ben Cayetano signed legislation last week that will create several new initiatives. Most significant for S&T policy is the planned consolidation of the state's technology-related programs under a new special advisor for technology development. The specific state agencies affected by the legislation were not identified in the Technology Omnibus bill. The technology advisor is to be appointed by the Governor and has nine responsibilities outlined in the legislation which include: developing a plan to reorganize and consolidate "all state high technology agencies;" providing technical assistance and advice to private high technology businesses; coordinating the state's promotion and marketing of high technology industry; and, encouraging the development of educational, training and career programs in high tech industries. A Governor's special advisory council for technology development was also established to assist the new advisor. The council will consist of 11-25 members appointed by the…

While there is no uniform federal policy for conducting peer reviews and no written government-wide definition of peer review, there is general agreement among the agencies and the While House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as to what the term means, according to a new General Accounting Office (GAO) report, Peer Review Practices at Federal Science Agencies Vary. OSTP and the Office of Management and Budget encourage funding of research projects that are peer reviewed over those that are not reviewed through the process. Additionally, GAO found some common criticisms of the peer review process from officials in several agencies. Issues raised included peer review being occasionally elitist (discounting economic considerations over science) and its potential for discouraging the funding of innovative research as peer review practices tend to be conservative. To address these concerns, OSTP is initiating an interagency effort to examine which agencies' peer review practices might better facilitate innovation. OSTP officials participating in the GAO…

The House Committee on Small Business approved a bill to extend the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program until September 30, 2007. H.R. 2392, introduced by Representatives Taalent, Bartlett, Kelly and Velazquez, also was referred to the House Committee on Science for consideration. The ASME International Capitol Update reports a House floor vote on the bill is expected in Mid-July. H.R. 2392 also clarified that companies retain proprietary rights to data developed under the SBIR program for four years following the last federal funding received, which then could include Phase III awards. Other provisions in the bill addressed minor housekeeping issues related to SBA reporting requirements. No other topics of current debate were addressed in the bill, such as whether or not to increase the set-aside percentage from 2.5 percent or to allow agencies to use some portion of the set aside to cover administrative costs. A copy of the bill can be downloaded from http://thomas.loc.gov

Ohio's investment in technology-based economic development will top $50 million in FY 2000 as a result of the biennial budget passed by the Ohio General Assembly this week. Spending for the programs will grow nearly 35 percent from $40.4 million in FY 1999 to $54.4 million in FY 2000. Most of the increase is as a result of the Ohio Technology Actions Grants (TAGs) Program, growing from $1.9 million in FY 1999 to $14.75 million each year for FY 2000 and 2001. The Technology Action Grants (TAGs ) provide funding to companies, universities and collaborative partnerships for projects which: leverage federal and industrial support; provide a potential return on investment to the state's economy; are able to become independent of state funds within a short time period; and, focus on regional or statewide clusters of technology strengths or needs. The TAGs will be administered by the Governor's Office for Science & Technology with staff support from the Department of Development and the Board of Regents. New this year for the TAGs will be a Technology Action…