A Review of the New Initiatives at the NASA Ames Research Center

A Review of the New Initiatives at the NASA Ames Research Center
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2001-06-23
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0309074096

NASA Ames Research Center, in the heart of Silicon Valley, is embarking on a program to develop a science and technology park bringing together leading companies and universities to capitalize on Ames' exceptional mission and location. Other initiatives under consideration include the integration of SBIR grants with a planned on-site incubator, virtual collaboration, and possibly a new public venture capital program. The STEP Board was asked by the NASA Administrator to hold a one-day symposium to review these initiatives. This report includes commissioned research papers and a summary of the proceedings of the symposium organized in response to the NASA request.

Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks

Understanding Research, Science and Technology Parks
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2009-09-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309145465

Many nations are currently adopting a variety of directed strategies to launch and support research parks, often with significant financial commitments and policy support. By better understanding how research parks of other nations operate, we can seek to improve the scale and contributions of parks in the U.S. To that end, the National Academies convened an international conference on global best practices in research parks. This volume, a report of the conference, includes discussion of the diverse roles that research parks in both universities and laboratories play in national innovation systems. The presentations identify common challenges and demonstrate substantial differences in research park programs around the world.

An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program

An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2004-09-16
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309165660

In response to a Congressional mandate, the National Research Council conducted a review of the SBIR program at the five federal agencies with SBIR programs with budgets in excess of $100 million (DOD, NIH, NASA, DOE, and NSF). The project was designed to answer questions of program operation and effectiveness, including the quality of the research projects being conducted under the SBIR program, the commercialization of the research, and the program's contribution to accomplishing agency missions. This report describes the proposed methodology for the project, identifying how the following tasks will be carried out: 1) collecting and analyzing agency databases and studies; 2) surveying firms and agencies; 3) conducting case studies organized around a common template; and 4) reviewing and analyzing survey and case study results and program accomplishments. Given the heterogeneity of goals and procedures across the five agencies involved, a broad spectrum of evaluative approaches is recommended.

Measuring and Sustaining the New Economy

Measuring and Sustaining the New Economy
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2002-03-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309082986

Sustaining the New Economy will require public policies that remain relevant to the rapid technological changes that characterize it. While data and its timely analysis are key to effective policy-making, we do not yet have adequate statistical images capturing changes in productivity and growth brought about by the information technology revolution. This report on a STEP workshop highlights the need for more information and the challenges faced in measuring the New Economy and sustaining its growth.

Growing Innovation Clusters for American Prosperity

Growing Innovation Clusters for American Prosperity
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2011-11-12
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 030915622X

Responding to the challenges of fostering regional growth and employment in an increasingly competitive global economy, many U.S. states and regions have developed programs to attract and grow companies as well as attract the talent and resources necessary to develop innovation clusters. These state and regionally based initiatives have a broad range of goals and increasingly include significant resources, often with a sectoral focus and often in partnership with foundations and universities. These are being joined by recent initiatives to coordinate and concentrate investments from a variety of federal agencies that provide significant resources to develop regional centers of innovation, business incubators, and other strategies to encourage entrepreneurship and high-tech development. This has led to renewed interest in understanding the nature of innovation clusters and public policies associated with successful cluster development. The Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy (STEP), conducted a symposium which brought together state and federal government officials, leading analysts, congressional staff, and other stakeholders to explore the role of clusters in promoting economic growth, the government's role in stimulating clusters, and the role of universities and foundations in their development. Growing Innovation Clusters for American Prosperity captures the presentations and discussions of the 2009 STEP symposium on innovation clusters. It includes an overview highlighting key issues raised at the meeting and a summary of the meeting's presentations. This report has been prepared by the workshop rapporteur as a factual summary of what occurred at the workshop.

Venture Funding and the NIH SBIR Program

Venture Funding and the NIH SBIR Program
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2009-07-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309129974

The Small Business Administration issued a policy directive in 2002, the effect of which has been to exclude innovative small firms in which venture capital firms have a controlling interest from the SBIR program. This book seeks to illuminate the consequences of the SBA ruling excluding majority-owned venture capital firms from participation in SBIR projects. This book is part of the National Research Council's study to evaluate the SBIR program's quality of research and value to the missions of five government agencies. The other books in the series include: An Assessment of the SBIR Program (2008) An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the National Science Foundation (2007) An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program at the National Institutes of Health (2009) An Assessment of Small Business Innovation Research Program at the Department of Energy (2008) An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (2009) An Assessment of the Small Business Innovation Research Program at the Department of Defense (2009)

Building the Illinois Innovation Economy

Building the Illinois Innovation Economy
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2013-05-06
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0309278724

Responding to the challenges of fostering regional growth and employment in an increasingly competitive global economy, many U.S. states and regions have developed programs to attract and grow companies as well as attract the talent and resources necessary to develop innovation clusters. These state and regionally based initiatives have a broad range of goals and increasingly include significant resources, often with a sector focus and often in partnership with foundations and universities. These are being joined by recent initiatives to coordinate and concentrate investments from a variety of federal agencies that provide significant resources to develop regional centers of innovation, business incubators, and other strategies to encourage entrepreneurship and high-tech development. Building the Illinois Innovation Economy is a study of selected state and regional programs to identify best practices with regard to their goals, structures, instruments, modes of operation, synergies across private and public programs, funding mechanisms and levels, and evaluation efforts. This report reviews selected state and regional efforts to capitalize on federal and state investments in areas of critical national needs. This review includes both efforts to strengthen existing industries as well as specific new technology focus areas such as nanotechnology, stem cells, and energy in order to improve our understanding of program goals, challenges, and accomplishments. As a part of this review, The Committee on Competing in the 21st Century: Best Practice in State and Regional Innovation Initiatives is convening a series of public workshops and symposia involving responsible local, state, and federal officials and other stakeholders. These meetings and symposia will enable an exchange of views, information, experience, and analysis to identify best practice in the range of programs and incentives adopted. Building the Illinois Innovation Economy summarizes discussions at these symposia, fact-finding meetings, and commissioned analyses of existing state and regional programs and technology focus areas, the committee will subsequently produce a final report with findings and recommendations focused on lessons, issues, and opportunities for complementary U.S. policies created by these state and regional initiatives.

An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the Department of Defense

An Assessment of the SBIR Program at the Department of Defense
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 468
Release: 2009-10-28
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309109477

The SBIR program allocates 2.5 percent of 11 federal agencies' extramural R&D budgets to fund R&D projects by small businesses, providing approximately $2 billion annually in competitive awards. At the request of Congress, the National Academies conducted a comprehensive study of how the SBIR program has stimulated technological innovation and used small businesses to meet federal research and development needs. Drawing substantially on new data collection, this book examines the SBIR program at the Department of Defense and makes recommendations for improvements. Separate reports will assess the SBIR program at NSF, NIH, DOE, and NASA, respectively, along with a comprehensive report on the entire program.

STTR: An Assessment of the Small Business Technology Transfer Program

STTR: An Assessment of the Small Business Technology Transfer Program
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 339
Release: 2016-01-11
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0309379644

Today's knowledge economy is driven in large part by the nation's capacity to innovate. One of the defining features of the U.S. economy is a high level of entrepreneurial activity. Entrepreneurs in the United States see opportunities and are willing and able to assume risk to bring new welfare-enhancing, wealth-generating technologies to the market. Yet, although discoveries in areas such as genomics, bioinformatics, and nanotechnology present new opportunities, converting these discoveries into innovations for the market involves substantial challenges. The American capacity for innovation can be strengthened by addressing the challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Public-private partnerships are one means to help entrepreneurs bring new ideas to market. The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) and the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program form one of the largest examples of U.S. public-private partnerships. In the SBIR Reauthorization Act of 2000, Congress tasked the National Research Council with undertaking a comprehensive study of how the SBIR program has stimulated technological innovation and used small businesses to meet federal research and development needs and with recommending further improvements to the program. When reauthorizing the SBIR and STTR programs in 2011, Congress expanded the study mandate to include a review of the STTR program. This report builds on the methodology and outcomes from the previous review of SBIR and assesses the STTR program.