May 2006
Volume 29, Number 4
May 2006
UMASS Sees Big Return in Nanotech R&D
Council Makes Push for Math/Science Education
The University of Massachusetts added to its growing list of accomplishments in science and technology when the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the Amherst campus a $16 million grant for a nanotech manufacturing center. UMASS President Jack Wilson and Amherst Chancellor John Lombardi announced the designation at an April 24 State House press conference that featured Senator Edward Kennedy, Governor Mitt Romney, Senate President Robert Travaglini and House Speaker Sal DiMasi.
State Poised for Big Gains in Nanotech
Nanotechnology is both an area of great promise and core competency for Massachusetts, with applications in information technology, communications, life sciences, defense and health care. Even before this grant, UMASS had already established itself as a national leader in nanotechnology research and development with the ongoing work at Amherst and UMASS Lowell's $12 million Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing. In addition, many of the state's leading private universities - including MIT, Harvard and Northeastern - are running significant nanotechnology R&D programs.
State Support Critical to Award
The grant was made possible with a $2 million matching grant through the Federal Research Matching Grant Fund at the John Adams Innovation Institute. This matching grant fund was created through the Economic Stimulus Bill of 2003 and was the Council's top priority in that legislation, which marked the first time the Commonwealth invested in science and technology initiatives. The fund has committed $16 million to grant proposals so far - an investment that is projected to deliver a return of more than $70 million in federal and private funding. The matching grant is a no-risk, high-return investment of state resources that will help grow the state's diverse technology economy.
Council: State Needs Economic Stimulus Bill
Because initial funding in 2003 was limited - and has been under significant demand for valuable research project proposals - it is now necessary for the Legislature to recapitalize the matching grant fund. The Massachusetts House has twice approved $10 million in funding for the matching grant fund, once in the Fiscal Year ‘07 budget and once through the Economic Stimulus II legislation, which has been languishing in a joint House-Senate conference committee since last fall. The Senate has not yet approved any matching grant funds. The Council has called on the Legislature to approve the Economic Stimulus package to show that the state is committed to the creation of a long-term economic development strategy.
MassTrack Gains Momentum
In March, the Council launched MassTrack, a new online tool created to measure the support of state and local leaders for the technology community's public policy priorities.
MassTrack initially introduced the ranking of each of the state's 351 cities and towns based on factors taken into account by technology employers when considering site location. The Council has received mostly positive feedback from a number of cities and towns on the rankings. Most of the inquiries from local officials have been designed to identify ways to help their community attract more technology employers.
Lawrence: A City on the Rise
On May 2, Council President Chris Anderson and Vice President Cort Boulanger met with Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan and his key staffers to discuss that city's ranking and how Lawrence can be more competitive. Lawrence is in the middle of a rebirth as the former industrial city looks to compete in the modern economy. Under the leadership of Mayor Sullivan, Lawrence is making remarkable strides in improving the local business climate, rebuilding the local infrastructure, boosting the housing stock and bringing new economic opportunities to the former textile center.
Also participating were Lawrence's state legislative delegation, including Senator Susan Tucker and Representatives Barry Finegold, William Lantigua and David Torrisi. The legislators discussed their efforts on the state level to help make Lawrence and the Commonwealth more competitive for technology, including efforts to create a fast-track permitting process for the state's cities and towns. The conversation showed the strong link between state and local policy, which is why MassTrack was created to measure both factors.
Legislative Rankings Due Out Summer ‘06
The related MassTrack legislative rankings - based on weighted assessment votes that are linked to the importance of the issues assigned to it by the state's technology employers via our annual CEO survey - will be released this summer, after the legislative session ends. A list of the Council's policy priorities is available on our website at www.mhtc.org.
MassTrack Technology Votes Identified
The following are issues that the Council notified the Legislature we expect to include in the MassTrack legislative scorecard this year, and are each considered a "MassTrack Technology Vote."
Economic Policy
House Bill 4429 - MHTC Position: Support - The House version of the Economic Stimulus II contains a $10 million appropriation for the matching grant fund at the John Adams Innovation Institute. Three significant federal grant awards for the University of Massachusetts were made possible in part due to state matching funds, including the $2 million grant from JAII that helped land the $16 million National Science Foundation grant for nanotechnology research at UMASS Amherst. While there are many important initiatives in the Economic Stimulus II legislation, this is the Council's priority.
Education Policy
House Bill 4000 (Amendment 1520) - MHTC Position: Oppose - This amendment would change the funding mechanism for charter schools and harm educational competitiveness in the Commonwealth.
Senate Bill 2320 - MHTC Position: Support - This critical Turnaround Schools legislation, sponsored by Senator Baddour, provides a plan to help students in districts with the greatest need for educational improvement.
House Bill 4375 - MHTC Position: Support Math/Science Education - Governor Romney's Education Reform bill has a strong focus on improving math and science instruction in our public schools in an effort for Massachusetts to compete in a global economy. We are currently in discussion with legislative leaders, administration officials, teaching unions and employers on how to strengthen the state's commitment to attracting, retaining and training the best teachers in math and science.
Health Care
House Bill 4850 - MHTC Position: Support Transparency Language - The most important result of the recently approved health care reform legislation was the creation of a better state system to promote greater transparency for health care cost and quality data.
House Bill 4857 - MHTC Position: Uphold the Governor's veto of health care assessment - The Council has argued that the health care assessment serves as a new tax on employers and will not make a contribution to reducing the high cost of health insurance in the Commonwealth. In fact, based on legislative history the fee will likely increase or be applied to more businesses in the future - despite promises to the contrary. In May, the Legislature roundly overrode the Governor's veto of the health care assessment.
Council Building Major Education Initiative
Council President Chris Anderson, through his position as a member of the state Board of Education, is working with the major stakeholders in public education - teachers, employers and policymakers - to create a more globally competitive system for math and science instruction in our state's public schools. Two of the Council's Directors, Ray Stata, Chairman of Analog Devices, and Henri Termeer, Chairman & CEO of Genzyme, are taking the private sector lead in developing and implementing a strategy for invigorating the pipeline of technology employers.
"Creating a more competitive education system that will supply us with the skilled workforce of the future is the top priority of technology CEOs, both in Massachusetts and across the nation," said Anderson. "The world is changing. Either our education system changes to meet the new challenges or we risk a further erosion of our technology leadership position."
Anderson noted that countries like China, India, Singapore and Denmark are becoming fiercer competitors with the United States in technology R&D and commercialization, due in large part to the success of their public school systems. The Council is a part of the Great Schools Campaign, coordinated by MassInsight, which is supplying the background research and policy analysis for the Council's initiative.
Teachers Key to Math/Science Excellence
The basis of the Council's efforts is around recruiting, training and supporting the best math and science teachers in the world, specifically:
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Preparing new teachers for world-class math and science expectations;
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Assessing the myriad of teacher professional development and focusing investment on best practices while increasing program accountability;
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Advocating for revised teacher licensure and certification standards to boost excellence in math and science teaching;
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Substantially increasing support for teachers in the classroom and enhancing the status of the teaching profession through better induction, mentoring and support practices; and
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Improving training of principals and other administrators to better work with teachers in the classroom.
For more information on the Council's efforts and to see the sense of urgency with which technology CEOs view the math and science education challenge, please visit the Council's webpage at www.mhtc.org.
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