1999 EPSCoT Winners Named

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced selections for the second — and perhaps final — round of funding for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT). Nearly two million dollars will be distributed among eleven projects selected from 29 proposals submitted last spring. The program is designed to assist state and local efforts to initiate technology-based economic development efforts in areas historically lacking federal research funding. These 11 projects join the seven original EPSCoT projects announced last January.

The future of the program is up in the air; the Clinton Administration did not request any EPSCoT funding for FY 2000. The Department of Commerce has explained it will evaluate the success of the 18 projects during the next fiscal year in lieu of making any new awards.

The new EPSCoT awards are listed below. A detailed description of each project, including contact information, can be found at:the EPSCoT website: http://www.ta.doc.gov/epscot/

• TEAM DELTA: Technology-Based Economic Development in the Mississippi River Delta (Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi)
  
  Lead Applicant: Institute for Technology Development, Inc.
  
  This project will benefit the Delta region by bringing together all stakeholders in a comprehensive effort to raise community awareness about the role of technology in the economy. Project participants will hold Technology-based Economic Development Workshops, conduct Community Technology Assessments, develop Asynchronous-learning Modules, and hold an Accessing Technology Conference for the Delta Region. The $290,000 agreement is being matched by $139,800 in additional funding.
• Development of an Entertainment Technologies Industry in Southern Nevada
  
  Lead Applicant: Henderson Chamber of Commerce
  
  A consortium of educational, municipal, state, and industry partners will undertake activities to grow and expand the technology industry in southern Nevada.  Project participants will conduct an in-depth needs analysis, hold industry roundtables, identify barriers to technology growth, and develop and implement training programs. The $279,175 grant will be matched by over
  
  $413,225 in local funds.
• Oregon Emerging Business Initiative
  
  Lead Applicant: Oregon University System
  
  This proposal seeks to re-orient Oregon’s economic development strategy and reduce barriers between higher education and emerging technology businesses. It is focused on three areas: research and new technology development, knowledge transfer, and industry cluster identification and assistance. The $250,000 grant will be matched by $350,000 in state funds.
• 1999 South Carolina Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology
  
  Lead Applicant: University of South Carolina, Byrnes International Center
  
  This project establishes a university-based incubator network. Two incubator facilities will be linked to economic development entities, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, and each other through a Virtual
  
  Entrepreneurial Development Center. The $250,000 grant will be matched by $531,563 in additional funding.
• Center for Enterprise Development and Commercialization Support (Maine and New Hampshire)
  
  Lead Applicant: The Center for Environmental Enterprise
  
  This private/public partnership will conduct a collaborative training and support program for emerging technology firms. The project will improve small businesses’ access to university resources, provide on-site training, and improve small firms’ access to capital. The $200,000 grant will be matched by more than $243,000
  
  in local funds.
• RF Wireless Testing and Training Cluster in Eastern Nebraska
  
  Lead Applicant: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  
  The project involves provision of a test facility, delivery of short courses and workshops to foster ongoing training, and development of hands-on experimental training modules for engineers and technicians on the use of high-technology test equipment and computer-aided design software. The $162,000 grant will be matched by $187,776 in local funds.
• North Dakota EPSCoT: Enhancing Technology North Dakota
  
  Lead Applicant: University of North Dakota
  
  Enhancing Technology North Dakota (ETND) will provide the framework and infrastructure necessary to enable more technology-based companies to compete successfully in federal research and development programs and support successful technology commercialization. The $160,000 grant is being matched by $191,000 in additional funding.
• West Virginia Entrepreneurial Network
  
  Lead Applicant: West Virginia Governor’s Office of Technology
  
  The West Virginia Technology Entrepreneurial Knowledge (WVTEK) network will initiate a "Technology Entrepreneurs Academy and Network." The project will assist technology-based entrepreneurs in developing ideas into marketable products and services, developing comprehensive business plans, securing financing and physical facilities, and in bringing together public and private resources to support technology-based entrepreneurial activities. The $150,000 cooperative agreement will be matched by $150,000 in state funds.
• Nevada EPSCoT Program
  
  Lead Applicant: TechAlliance@New Nevada
  
  The TechAlliance@NewNevada, a private sector organization, will develop a resource directory for high-tech businesses and educational material on the needs of the high-tech industry for commercial developers, bankers, educators, and economic development officials. The $100,000 grant is being matched by $501,276 in local funds.
• Enhancement of Science and Technology-Based Economic Development in Vermont
  
  Lead Applicant: University of Vermont and State Agricultural College
  
  This project will support a Technical Liaison program to improve small businesses’ access to the resources of the University of Vermont. The project also includes a statewide outreach effort to inform entrepreneurs about Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) opportunities. The $86,042 grant will be matched by $87,311 in local funds.
• Cameron University EPSCoT Planning Grant Request (Oklahoma)
  
  Lead Applicant: Cameron University
  
  Over the course of the next year, this effort will analyze the existing workforce of the region and develop an economic development plan and an implementation strategy toward diversifying the local economy. The $70,000 grant will be matched by over $323,719 in local funds.