During the last eight weeks, communities across the U.S. have witnessed the rise or fall of small business incubators. Here are some of the developments:

The Maryland Technology Development Corp. (TEDCO) and the Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED) recently presented the first part of a two-phase study by the Johns Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies entitled The Genealogy of Maryland Entrepreneurs.

Five Shoes Waiting to Drop on Arizona's Future, a 50-page report released by the Morrison Institute of Public Policy, details five key trends that could harm the state's future if they are not well managed.

Several papers and report have been released recently on the Advanced Technology Program (ATP); five were published on line last week alone. Below are descriptions of selected papers and links to download full copies. Additional titles are available on the ATP web site: http://www.atp.nist.gov/atp/pubs.htm

Rosalie Ruegg has retired from her position as the Director of the Economic Assessment Office for the Advanced Technology Program in the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Our thanks to SSTI Weekly Digest subscriber Chris Brantley of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers, Inc. <www.ieee.org&gt; for the heads up on this story.

All States

The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) is seeking proposals to evaluate Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT). EPSCoT was established by Congress in 1998 to improve the technological competitiveness of the states that have historically received less federal R&D funding than a majority of states.

Alan P. Balutis, a 21-year veteran with the U.S. Department of Commerce, to be director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Advanced Technology Program. Balutis has been serving as the deputy chief information officer for the Department of Commerce since 1994.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has the following four solicitations open for research and development projects.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) has issued a request for public comment on several changes to ATP rules.

The Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and its nationwide network of centers are stepping up efforts to help smaller manufacturers avoid being bitten by the "millennium bug." The Stamford, Conn.-based GartnerGroup, a leading authority on information technology issues, has reported that as of 1997, 88 percent of all companies with fewer than 2,000 employees had not yet started Year 2000 remediation projects.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Advanced Technology Program (ATP) has launched a new Internet website entitled the ATP Alliance Network. The website is designed to aid organizations interested in applying for an ATP Joint Venture award.

Dr. Rita R. Colwell, the current President of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a former member of the National Science Board, has been nominated by President Clinton to serve as the next deputy director of the National Science Foundation.

The Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development appointed Christine Plater as its new director of small business programs.

The expected economic benefits from the Advanced Technology Program far outweigh program costs, according to a new report issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The November 20 SSTI Weekly Digest article on the current Advanced Technology Program (ATP) competition should have stated the following information on ATP's indirect cost policy:

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) bridges the gap between the research lab and the marketplace, stimulating prosperity through innovation. Through partnerships with the private sector, ATP's early stage investment is accelerating the development of innovative technologies that promise significant commercial payoffs. ATP exhibits four primary strengths:

George Atkinson is taking a year-long leave of absence from his position as a professor in chemistry and optical sciences at the University of Arizona to serve as the first American Institute of Physics science fellow at the U.S. State Department.&nbsp