North Carolina's $1.2 billion dollar investment in bioscience over the past decade has helped to build a $45 billion dollar a year industry in the state, according to a new study released by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The report finds that North Carolina's bioscience employment numbers have grown 18.5 percent since 2001, the fastest in the nation.

Incubators may take on magnified importance in regional innovation strategies for the coming years given the continued decline in seed and venture capital available to early-stage companies, the need for startups to reduce costs, and the increased opportunities presented for innovation through collaboration and sharing of knowledge.

So it isn't too surprising to see the wave of incubator launches increase during this financial slowdown.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is seeking candidates to fill the position of Associate Director for Regional Programs. Responsibilities will include the creation, planning, evaluation and maintenance of a national network of state and local technology assistance providers to develop and enhance their capabilities to meet the needs of small and medium sized manufacturers.

The House-passed National Institutes of Health (NIH) appropriations for FY 97 included a problematic provision that would have changed the formula for awarding Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) projects at the Institutes. The provision would allow NIH to fund SBIR research only if the average score of the pool of small business proposals met or exceeded the score of basic research proposals submitted by universities and other research centers.

President Clinton announced his intention to nominate five members to the National Science Board (NSB), an advisory body to the National Science Foundation. The five are:

John A. Armstrong of Amherst, Massachusetts, the former Vice President of Science and Technology and member of the Corporate Management Board at IBM.

The California Manufacturing Technology Center has begun a search process for qualified applicants to fill a number of economic development-oriented engineering positions. The CMTC seeks applicants with over eight years of hands-on manufacturing experience to: define and develop proposals, present to potential clients, perform and manage projects, and build a network of consultants.

Increased company support of R&D offset reduced Federal funding in 1994 and contributed to an overall increase in U.S. industrial R&D, to $119.6 billion, according to the National Science Foundation's Survey of Industrial Research and Development for 1994.

The U.S. House of Representatives on a vote of 246-179 on Wednesday approved an appropriations bill that includes funding for the U.S. Department of Commerce. Programs affected by the bill include the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and Advanced Technology Program (ATP), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's (NTIA) Information Infrastructure Grants (IIG).

The General Accounting Office (GAO) has collected and provided information on fiscal year 1993 costs for professional staff, managers and executives at the Department of Defense's (DOD) Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC). FFRDCs were established during World War II to meet the special research needs that the federal and private sector could not provide. Over the years the number of FFRDCs have varied, but in fiscal year 1993 there were 39, with 10 sponsored by DOD.

Science and Engineering Indicators - 1996 is available from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) National Science Board. The report is both a reference document and a policy document that provides an extensive array of data. The 1996 report has expanded to include output as well as input indicators as well as some indicators of the impact and outcome of science and engineering in the U.S.

Director, NASA Far West Regional Technology Transfer Center (FWRTTC), School of Engineering, University of Southern California

The mission of FWRTTC is to play a leading role in the commercialization of NASA technology, with the primary focus on technology developed in the three NASA field centers in its region; Ames Research Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Dryden Flight Research Center.

The Advanced Technology Program (ATP) of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) has announced a public meeting to bring together all ATP awardees of the ATP Tools for DNA Diagnostics program "to present an overview of the non-proprietary aspects of their research and development activities." The goals of the meeting are to: "inform the DNA diagnostics community about activities at this stage of the focused program, promote cross-fertilization of concepts and efforts, promote strategic partnering across companies a

We welcome our first SSTI-Kauffman Interns: Cathleen McComas and Nakisha Fouch. Cathleen is a graduate student in public policy and management. Nakisha is pursuing her bachelor's degree in economics. Funding for the SSTI-Kauffman Intern Program has been provided by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation's Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.

We are sorry to say goodbye to Ellen Moore, SSTI's Services Coordinator.

Last week, the House and the Senate approved the concurrent (final) budget resolution for FY 1997. The $1.63 trillion spending blueprint establishes broad spending targets for the coming fiscal year. Nondefense R&D is budgeted at $32.2 billion in FY 1997, down from the FY 1996 total of $32.7 billion.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) has released a report, "Tax Policy and Administration: Review of Studies of the Effectiveness of the Research Tax Credit," that concludes that much uncertainty remains about the responsiveness of research spending to tax incentives. There was mixed evidence that the amount of research and development spending stimulated by the federal credit equals or exceeds the cost of the lost revenue.

The International Institute for Management Development has released its annual World Competitiveness Yearbook, and the United States has reclaimed its spot atop the list. The U.S. was followed by Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and Denmark.

Milwaukee, St. Louis, and San Diego were named to receive a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for developing system-wide reforms in K-12 science, mathematics, and technology education. The awards are part of NSF's Urban Systemic Initiative. The initiative supports science, math, and technology education reform in cities with the largest number of school-aged children living in poverty.

Thirteen individuals have been named recipients of the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology--America's version of the Nobel Prize. Among those honored was a director of one of New Jersey's Advanced Technology Centers.

A Missouri businesswoman was named National Small Business Person of the Year by the Small Business Administration. Phyllis Hannan, president of Laser Light Technologies, received the award last week as part of the SBA's Small Business Week (June 2-8) celebration. Small Business Week is designated each year to honor the nation's small businesses and to highlight their contributions to the national economy and their local communities.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) have created the NSF/SRC Engineering Research Center for Environmentally Benign Semiconductor Manufacturing. The new center will study the environmental, health, and safety aspects of the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership (FMEP) is seeking a Director who possesses the skills that are needed for the corporation to excel. The applicant should be an innovator and entrepreneur as well as a leader and a team builder with excellent communication skills.

The State Science and Technology Institute has launched its home page on the World Wide Web. The site serves as a one-stop resource for cooperative technology program managers. The site provides information on SSTI activities including information services and research.

Small and medium-sized manufacturers looking for assistance in solving technical and business problems now have improved access to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). MEP is a nationwide network of locally managed centers in 42 states and Puerto Rico offering technical assistance to smaller manufacturers.

Seed Capital Venture Fund Manager