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September 7, 2001

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CONTENTS

1) Upcoming Events

2) Current Releases

3) News from the Projects

Click on links for more detailed information

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UPCOMING EVENTS

The STEP Board will be holding a symposium on Productivity and Cyclicality in Semiconductors: Trends, Implications and Questionsat Harvard's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, MA on September 24, 2001. The agenda can be viewed at http://www4.nationalacademies.org/PD/step.nsf/files/Cyclicality.pdf/$file/Cyclicality.pdf

Contact: McAlister Clabaugh at mclabaug@nas.edu

On October 4, 2001, the STEP Board will be holding symposium to mark the Board's 10th Anniversary and is intended to frame the current and prospective policy agendas in areas of previous and ongoing STEP work. Session topics include Current Trends in R&D Funding and the Role of Governement-Industry Partnerships, Medical Innovation in the Changing Healthcare Market International Competition and Cooperation in Technology, and the New Economy. Confirmed speakers include Gordon Moore, Intel Chairman emeritus, George Fisher, retired CEO, Kodak; Ed Penhoet, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Orson Swindle, FTC Commissioner. Invited speakers include Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CO), chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, Congressman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), chairman of the House Science Committee. If confirmed by the Senate by the date of the meeting, John Marburger, Presidential science adviser-designate; and Arden Bement, NIST Director-designate, will also speak at the symposium.

Contact step@nas.edu to register. Please include full name and affiliation. There is no charge for this event.

The STEP Board will be holding a conference on New Research on the Operation and Effects of the Patent System on October 22, 2001. Research commissioned by the STEP Board following their February 2000 conference on "Intellectual Property Rights: How Far Should They Be Extended" will be presented. Descriptions of the commissioned research and online registration can be found at http://www.nationalacademies.org/ipr and a draft agenda should be available soon. Sessions will be on Patent Administration, Biotechnology Patenting & Licensing, Software and Business Methods, Conflict and Litigation.

Contact Craig Schultz at cschultz@nas.edu

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CURRENT RELEASES

"A Review of the New Initiatives at the NASA Ames Research Center" (2001). 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 Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy 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.

"Trends in Federal Support of Research and Graduate Education" (2001). Using public data, it details the significant shifts in the allocation of public research spending and graduate student support in the 90s and relates these shifts to state, foundation, and industry research funding patterns. The report describes how some fields' funding bases and some agencies' research portfolios have changed as well as how basic and university research funding have fared in 22 science and engineering fields. Links to the Executive Summary and full report, as well as additional data not included in the report can be found at http://www.nationalacademies.org/step

"The Advanced Technology Program: Assessing Outcomes" (2001). This report examines the operations of the ATP, reviews its extensive assessment program, and provides NRC Committee findings concerning the ATP's operations and recommendations for potential improvements to the program. The report includes a summary of a major conference held in April 2000 as well as seven papers, including surveys of the industry participants or users of the ATP program, a summary of the results of fifty awards, detailed assessments of major joint ventures, and a description of the current selection process. Links to the report can be found at http://www.nationalacademies.org/step

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NEWS FROM THE PROJECTS

Intellectual Property Rights in the Knowledge-Based Economy - IP Committee is meeting September 14 in Washington, DC. Also, papers for the October 22, 2001 conference on New Research on the Operation and Effects of the Patent System will be made available prior to the event at http://www.nationalacademies.org/ipr. An update will be made in the October newsletter. Additionally, the Academy website devoted to its extensive work in IP studies is back online at http://ip.nationalacademies.org

Measuring and Sustaining the New Economy - A report on the October 6, 2000 workshop on Measuring and Sustaining the New Economy will be available Fall 2001. The project will also be holding a symposium on Productivity and Cyclicality in Semiconductors: Trends, Implications and Questions in Cambridge, MA on September 24, 2001.

Government-Industry Partnerships - The report "Government-Industry Partnerships in Biotechnology and Computing: New Needs & New Opportunities

will be available Fall 2001.

Contact McAlister Clabaugh at mclabaug@nas.edu

Medical Innovation in the Changing Healthcare Marketplace - Transcripts and speaker presentations from the June 2001 conference on Medical Innovations can be found at http://www.nationalacademies.org/med_innovations and a report on the conference is forthcoming. Planning for a long-term study is currently underway.

Contact Philip Aspden at paspden@nas.edu