[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 86 (Monday, May 5, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 24422-24423] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-11617] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Technology Administration Notice of Public Meeting on the Proposed Experimental Program To Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) AGENCY: Technology Administration, Department of Commerce. ACTION: Notice of public meeting on the proposed experimental program to stimulate competitive technology (EPSCoT). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Technology Administration will hold an open meeting on May 29, 1997 to solicit input on the proposed Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) from representatives of state and local government, universities, and the private- and non-profit sectors, who are involved with technology development, diffusion, commercialization, and using technology to promote economic growth. The purpose of the meeting is to determine what activities are currently being conducted in the states to foster technology-based economic growth and how a new competitive, cost-shared federal grant program with the mission of fostering the development of indigenous technology assets in states that are traditionally under represented in Federal R&D funding could be structured. The following states would currently be eligible to participate in the EPSCoT: [[Page 24423]] Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming, as well as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. DATES: The meeting will be held on May 29, 1997 from 9 am until 12 pm. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the National Research Center for Coal and Energy at the West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. Individuals wishing to attend the meeting should contact Maureen Wood, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Technology, at (202) 482-1091 by close of business May 27, 1997. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marc Cummings, Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce at (202) 482-8323. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Technology Administration (TA) is proposing a new, competitive, matching grant program called the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT) to foster the development of indigenous technology assets in states that traditionally have been under represented in the distribution of Federal R&D expenditures. Technology is the engine of economic growth and, as such, its development, deployment, and diffusion are critical to U.S. competitiveness. Although it is often said that nations do not compete, companies do, it is apparent that sub-national units--regions within states and clusters of states--do compete, not simply with one another, but also internationally. This is because in a global economy, capital, labor, and technology are increasingly mobile and they are attracted to regions with the most promising opportunities. To this end, regional policies and infrastructures play a large role in determining both where companies locate and their ability to be competitive in a global marketplace. Commerce Department research shows that firms that adopt advanced technologies create more jobs at higher wages than those that do not. Furthermore, regions that boast concentrations of high-tech industries enjoy high growth rates and standards of living. Regions thus compete to attract federal research facilities, private investment, and skilled labor. Recent research suggests that a region's technological infrastructure is among the most important factors that businesses consider when making location decisions. Accordingly, regions are searching for strategies to attract and retain high-tech firms and the jobs that they bring. These strategies may involve building on existing strengths at research universities, providing extension services to local businesses, or integrating existing business assistance resources, but ultimately their success is contingent upon an institutional capacity to support technology-based economic development. In the Federal government's efforts to foster competitiveness, it must ensure that all regions of the nation develop the necessary infrastructure to support indigenous technology development. Most less populated states, whose manufacturers tend to be small- and medium- sized, are at a competitive disadvantage because there is generally no research base on which local businesses can build. The EPSCoT seeks to remedy this disadvantage. The EPSCoT seeks to build on the NSF's successful Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) which was established in 1979 to stimulate sustainable improvements in the quality of the academic science and technology infrastructure of states that traditionally have been under represented in receiving federal R&D funds. Within these states, the EPSCoR's primary emphasis is on improving the competitive performance of major research universities. By focusing on building the science base of these regions, primarily in universities, the EPSCoR has successfully strengthened the research capacity of universities in these states; yet, there remains a technology ``gap.'' Improving the competitive performance of universities, which is an essential component of a successful technology-based economy, is often not sufficient to establish new companies, develop new job opportunities or raise the standard of living. That is why the Department of Commerce proposes to create an EPSCoT--the technology counterpart to the EPSCoR. EPSCoT would help to bridge the gap between university research and the local economy. It would develop essential economic development tools to foster regional technology-based economic growth. The program would stimulate the development of indigenous technological infrastructure and institutional capabilities of states through a variety of means, including outreach activities, technology development and deployment, technology transfer, education and training, and better linking universities, firms, and state and local governments. Dated: April 28, 1997. Mary Good, Under Secretary for Technology. [FR Doc. 97-11617 Filed 5-2-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-18-M