SSTI Digest

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) Office of Science and Technology Infrastructure (OSTI) has announced that funds will be available for additional Science and Technology Centers (STC). NSF is currently soliciting proposals from qualified candidates for the Science and Technology Centers: Integrative Partnerships Program. NSF established the STC Program in 1987, and charged it with pursuing university-based multidisciplinary research, encouraging knowledge transfer to non-academic sectors of society, and establishing innovative education activities. Two competitions led to the establishment of 25 STCs - 11 in FY 1989 and 14 in FY 1991. Currently 24 STCs remain: five in the biological sciences, three in computer and information science, one that spans both behavioral science and computer and information science, five in the geosciences, and ten in the mathematical and physical sciences. The average annual budget per center in 1995 was $2.6 million. U.S. academic institutions with significant research and education programs in any area of science and engineering normally…

Sixty young researchers have been selected for the second annual Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers beginning their careers. The awards recognize young scholars, their research contributions, their promise, and their commitment to broader societal goals. In all, 10 government agencies join together annually to nominate promising scientists and engineers for the awards. Those selected receive up to $500,000 over a five-year period to further their research and broadly advance science for important government missions. The supporting federal agencies are: the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation. Award recipients came from 25 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The researchers were from the following states (multiple award winners are in parentheses): Alabama (2), California (6…

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is having a significant impact in accelerating the pace of technology development, according to a new study of 28 early ATP award winners. Half of the companies surveyed (14 out of 28) estimated that participation in the ATP reduced their technology development cycle by 50 percent, typically reducing a six-year process to three years. The majority (27 out of 28, or 96 percent) estimated that ATP participation reduced the cycle time anywhere from 30 to 66 percent. Accelerated technology development translates to dollars and cents according to the companies studied, with estimates of the economic impact of reducing cycle time ranging from one million to several billions of dollars for a single year of time saved. In addition, 24 of the companies (86 percent) indicated that participation in ATP resulted in cycle-time improvements that carried over to other technology development projects outside of ATP. They spoke of adapting specific "ATP practices" to related programs. The results are…

A coalition of science, engineering, and mathematics organizations endorsed a statement calling for a doubling of research funding over the next ten years. In total, 106 organizations offered their support of a "Unified Statement on Research" at a Capitol Hill Press Conference on October 22. The announcement is in response to a downward trend in federal science and engineering research investments. According to congressional reports, 5.7 percent of the federal budget in 1965 was spent on non-defense research and development. By 1997 that figure has dropped to 1.9 percent. Dr. Winfred M. Phillips, President- nominee of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), stated "Investment in research provides the building blocks for our nation's competitive abilities. Federal support also provides the lifeblood for cutting-edge engineering research at colleges and universities, and is essential for educating the nation's future generations of engineers and scientists." Dr. Phillips was joined at the press conference by Dr. D. Allan Bromley, President of the American Physical Society, and…

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) has released a new study entitled Index of the Massachusetts Innovation Economy. This assessment of the Massachusetts economy provides data on 33 quantitative indicators. The Index includes indicators such as industry clusters, pay per worker, manufacturing exports, education levels, R&D expenditures, Internet connectivity, and the number of patents, SBIR awards, and IPOs. The report establishes a baseline which will enable MTC to monitor, over time and in comparison to other states, Massachusetts progress in leveraging the state's resources through innovation to create quality jobs, productivity and rising incomes. The report highlights major changes in the structure of the Massachusetts economy that have occurred in the 1990s. For example, of the nine key industry clusters that drive the economy, the software and communications services cluster is the biggest gainer, growing by more than 20,000 jobs since 1992. This industry cluster also has the highest wages, averaging $56,000 per employee. In contrast, Massachusetts has become…

Two manufacturers - one for a second time - and two service firms have received the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for their achievements in quality and business performance. The 1997 awards, announced by the Department of Commerce on October 15, went to 3M Dental Products Division, St. Paul, MN (manufacturing); Solectron Corp., Milpitas, CA (manufacturing); Merrill Lynch Credit Corp., Jacksonville, FL (service); and Xerox Business Services, Rochester, NY (service). Solectron Corp. also won the award in the manufacturing category in 1991. Further information on the 1997 award winners and the award itself is available on the World Wide Web at www.quality.nist.gov.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), in cooperation with members of the semiconductor industry and the U.S. Department of Defense, is launching a new initiative to expand certain long range applied microelectronics research at U.S. universities. This planned new initiative, the Focus Center Research Program, is being structured to utilize long range innovative applied research to meet industry needs. The envisioned Centers will: Concentrate attention and resources on those areas of microelectronics research that must be addressed to maintain the historic productivity growth curve of the industry; Strengthen the university research infrastructure and expand its capabilities in silicon related research; Achieve critical mass through relatively large blocks of funding together with the active participation of industrial visiting scientists; and, Provide the optimal balance of creative freedom and targeted objectives. It is contemplated that individual Focus Centers will be virtual (or distributed), in that they will typically consist of multiple universities. This will…

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has selected three centers to conduct and coordinate earthquake engineering research for the nation. The contracts call for NSF to invest $2 million a year for five years in each of the three centers for a total of $30 million. NSF selected the three centers for their individual and complementary strengths. The University of California at Berkeley's Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center will develop technologies to reduce urban earthquake losses. The second center, the University of Illinois Mid-America Earthquake Center at the Urbana-Champaign campus, will emphasize reducing potential earthquake losses in the central and eastern U.S. by concentrating on problems associated with low-frequency seismic events. Finally, the State University of New York at Buffalo's Center for Advanced Technologies in Earthquake Loss-Reduction will focus on the application of advanced and emerging technologies to reduce earthquake losses. Improved performance loss assessment of buildings and civil infrastructure will be explored, as well as rehabilitation of critical…

October 29, 1997 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers will sponsor Accessing Technology in Rhode Island.  The briefing will provide information on state and federal technology resources available to assist businesses. For more information contact Reese Meisinger at 202/785-3756 or meisingerr@asme.org October 29 - 30, 1997 The National Technology Transfer Center is hosting a training course entitled Technology Assessment in Ridgecrest, CA. For more information call 800-678-6882, or visit http://www.nttc.edu November 10-11, 1997 The Red Herring magazine is presenting a venture capital conference entitled Venture Market East in Cambridge, MA. For more information, contact Tom Geck at 415/659-2871 or visit www.herring.com/events November 11-12, 1997 The Mid-Atlantic Venture Association and the Greater Philadelphia Venture Group is hosting the 1997 Mid-Atlantic Venture Fair in Vienna, VA. For more information call 410/560-5855 or visit www.mava.org. November 12-15, 1997 The National Business Incubation Association is sponsoring its annual Fall…

Job growth in information technology (IT) now exceeds the production of talent, according to a U.S. Department of Commerce's Office of Technology Policy (OTP) study, America's New Deficit: The Shortage of Information Technology Workers. A recent survey of mid- and large-size U.S. companies by the Information Technology Association of American (ITAA) concluded that there are about 190,000 unfilled IT jobs in the U.S. today due to a shortage of qualified workers. Because information technology is an enabling technology that affects the entire economy, the failure to meet the growing demand for information technology professionals could have severe consequences for the United States' competitiveness, economic growth, and job creation. Evidence suggests that job growth in IT fields now exceeds the production of talent. Between 1994 and 2005, more than a million new computer scientists and engineers, systems analysts, and computer programmers will be required in the U.S., an average of 95,000 per year. In 1994, only 24,533 students earned a bachelor's degree in computer and information…

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced this year's Tibbetts Award winners. The 68 winners represent individuals and organizations that were judged to be models of excellence in technology through participation in or support for the SBIR program. The companies and individuals were selected based on the economic impact of their technological innovation and their overall business achievements. All 50 states and the District of Columbia had at least one award winner. The awards, named for Roland Tibbetts who was instrumental in the creation of the SBIR program, were established last year when 67 individuals and companies were recognized. This year's awards will be presented at an October 16 ceremony in Washington, D.C. A complete list of the award winners can be found on the web at http://www.sbaonline. sba.gov/gopher/SBA-Press-Releases/Current/ pres10.txt or by contacting SSTI at 614/421-SSTI (7784).

The proceedings of the Technology Transfer Metrics Summit is now available from the Technology Transfer Society. The book is based on the first working conference on measurement and evaluation for the technology transfer community, co-sponsored by the Engineering Foundation and the Technology Transfer Society. Topics include measurement of federal laboratory/university/industry partnering, state programs, intermediaries and economic development, manufacturing extension, and commercialization programs. The 370-page proceedings brings together industry case studies, international approaches, a conference executive summary, workshop summaries, and benchmarking examples. It also includes two items which evolved from the conference itself: 1) a matrix of standard metrics by organizational sector, and 2) a metrics standardization proposal. The cost for the publication is $75. Contact the Society at 312/644-0828 or by e-mail at 102234.166@compuserve.com to order.