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R. D. Shelton, Editor:  rds@itri2.org
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In This Issue of ITRInews
Internet Growth Slows
Chinese Internet Use Rises Sharply, But Has a Long Way to Go
Bush S&T Budget for FY2003
OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2001
Kathie L. Olsen to be Associate Director of OSTP for Science
R&D and Long-Term Competitiveness Report
WTEC MEMS Workshop Findings

Featured Organizations in International S&T:
SciDev.Net
Outlook on Science Policy

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Internet Growth Slows  The semi-annual results for the number of domain names in the Internet for July 2001 has recently been posted by the Internet Software Consortium. The number in July 2001 was 125.9 million, up from 109.6 million in January of 2001, apparently a very healthy growth.  However, in recent years this metric has been doubling about every 18 months.  For example  the January 2001 figure of 109.6 million was 95% higher than the July 1999 figure of 56.2 million.  The latest results are only 74% above the January 2000 figure.  Why?  Dot-com bubble burst? Internet in the U.S approaching saturation?   http://www.isc.org/ds/WWW-200107/index.html

Chinese Internet Use Up 50% in 2001.  If the U.S. is approaching Internet saturation, here is a country that will keep the exponential going for a long time.  Even with this rapid growth, the total number of Internet users in the PRC was only 3.4 million in January of 2002; that's only about 0.26% penetration. http://www.cnnic.net.cn/develst/rep200201-e.shtml

Bush S&T Budget for FY2003  The OSTP website has come alive with comprehensive coverage of the President's budget request.  The funding requested is a record $111.8 billion for the "Federal science and technology budget."  The increase is 9% over FY2002, the greatest boost in a decade. However, the lion's share (84%) of the increased funds go to just one agency, the National Institutes of Health. http://www.ostp.gov/html/02_2_4.html One of the posted items that may be of interest to ITRInews readers is the criteria that at Administration says it is using to guide S&T investment priorities:  http://www.ostp.gov/html/R&DPerformanceCriteria.pdf
 

Agency	FY2003 R&D Funds ($Million)	Requested Increase over FY2002 ($Million)	Percent Increase
NIH	27335	3902	17%
NASA	8774	661	8%
NSF	5036	241	5%
DOE	5027	-72	-1%
DOD	4952	-9	0%
Agriculture	1913	23	1%
Interior (USGS)	904	-46	-5%
Commerce (Mostly NIST)	861	-87	-9%
EPA	797	47	6%
Transportation	548	-103	-16%
Education	431	54	14%
Veterans Affairs	409	36	10%
Total	56987	4647	9%

The AAAS is also busy doing its usual analysis of the research budget.  They use a different categorization than just the basic and applied research figures in the table above.  By this measure NIH is getting still getting a $3.9 increase, but DOD is actually getting a $5.9 billion increase, counting advanced development of expensive weapons systems.  AAAS concludes that R&D at agencies other than NIH and DOD will actually get less money than in FY2002. Among interagency initiatives, the National Nanoscale Initiative would climb another $100 million in 2003, after also jumping $100 million in 2002. http://www.aaas.org/spp/dspp/rd/fy03.htm
 

OECD Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard 2001 With over 160 indicators, 60% of them new to this edition, the volume provides a comprehensive picture of the 30 OECD countries’ performance in the areas of science, technology and industry. New indicators address emerging policy issues: international mobility of human capital, relative innovative performance as measured by patent families, skills in the information economy, diffusion of the Internet and electronic commerce. For the first time, measures of the resources devoted to innovation in emerging areas such as biotechnology, environment, health and information and communication technologies are presented.  An on-line edition gives access to some of the data tables: http://www.oecd.org/sti/statistical-analysis/ October 2001, $44 for a hardcopy report.  Related OECD Reports: OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2001; OECD Information Technology Outlook 2000; OECD Communications Outlook 2001; A New Economy: Beyond the Hype, 2001 (OECD ); OECD Main Science and Technology Indicators 2001/1 and STI Working Papers series available at http://www.oecd.org/dsti/sti/stat-ana/index.htm.

Kathie L. Olsen to be Associate Director of OSTP for Science.   On December 5, 2001 President Bush announced his intention to nominate Dr. Olsen as one of the two associate directors at the Office of Science and Technology Policy.  She has been Chief Scientist at NASA since May, 1999, and Acting Associate Administrator for the Office of Biological and Physical Research since July, 2000.  Olsen worked at NSF from 1984 to 1996.   During her tenure at the NSF, she held various positions including director of the Neuroendocrinology program.   Olsen received an undergraduate degree from Chatham College and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Irvine. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/12/20011205-15.html

R&D and Long-Term Competitiveness Report  In February Gregory Tassey at NIST published another in his series of reports on the relation between R&D and U. S. competitiveness.  In this report on manufacturing's central role in a knowedge-based economy, he argues that the U.S. lead in information technologies will be most effective in improving U. S. economic performance if it can support an improved manufacturing capability.  http://www.nist.gov/director/prog-ofc/report02-2.pdf

WTEC MEMS Workshop Findings The viewgraphs from the January 18 workshop on micro-electro-mechanical systems in Japan are now posted.  The delegation, headed by Prof. Roger Howe, found many interesting research projects underway in Japan, although the MITI Micro Machines Initiative was generally rated as a flop.   http://www.wtec.org/mems1/views/

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FEATURED ORGANIZATIONS THIS MONTH

SciDev.Net originated in a website that the journal Nature established in 1999, with financial assistance from the UK's Wellcome Trust.  SciDev.Net is aimed at those interested in the role of S&T in meeting the needs of developing countries.  The operational website was officially launched on 3 December 2001.  Its coverage includes the People's Republic of China, which is actually emerging as an S&T power.  One articles posted at the site quotes ISI as counting Chinese publications in the world's leading journals increasing 15-fold in the last 20 years.  Another shows that Chinese investment in S&T increased 18% last year, and is expected to increase at this rate in each of the next four years.  http://www.scidev.net/

Outlook on Science Policy  I've mentioned this excellent international monthly newsletter before.  I got a couple of tips for articles from this month's issue, so here's another plug.  Its sent on paper, but there is a new on-line service.  It is $68 for a personal subscription; not bad for what you get. http://scipol.demon.co.uk

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Copyright © 2002 ITRI, Inc. Comments to rds@itri2.org please.
 

DATE	FEATURE ARTICLE	URL
Aug 98	Left Hand/Right Hand: NSF and NAS Both Assess US Math Research	http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews1.htm
Sep 98	The Y1.998K Problem: Y2K Arrives 0.002K Early. Markets Crash, PMs Fired, Orioles 31 Games Behind	http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews2.htm
Oct 98	Is S&T to Blame for the Asian Financial Crisis?	http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews3.htm
Nov 98	NRC to State:  Ignoring S&T is Ignorant	http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews4.htm
Dec 98 / Jan 99	The Bottom Line:  US Trade Deficit Skyrockets	http://itri.loyola.edu/NEWS/ITRInews5.htm
Feb 99	Who's the Bear, and Who's the Bull? Japan Doubles R&D; The US Cuts It	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews6.html
Mar 99	Who's On First?  (US, But Not for Long)	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews7.html
Apr 99	GPRA Metastasizes Abroad	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews8.html
May /  Jun 99	Teraflops Computers Meet Gates' Law	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews9.html
July 99	More Good News / Bad News  from the Academy	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews10.html
Aug 99	Rep. George Brown Adjourns	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews11.html
Sep 99	200GB Disk: 40 Films on One CD	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews12.html
Oct 99	Is International S&T Assessment Needed?	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews13.html
Nov 99	Output in Papers: We're Number One?	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews14.html
Dec 99 / Jan 00	New Technology Czar(ina)	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews15.html
Feb 00	S&T: Ready for Prime Time?	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews16.html
Mar 00	Bottom Line II: Trade Deficit Skyrocket Explodes	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews17.html
Apr 00	Who's Getting U.S. Patents?	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews18.html
May 00	Think That Government is Investing More in Research? Think Again.	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews19.html
Jun 00	American Leadership of S&T: Reality or Myth?	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews20.html
Jul 00	Science and Engineering Indicators 2000 Released by NSF	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews21.html
Aug 00	Pale Green Manufacturing:  US is 3rd out of 3	http://justice.loyola.edu/~rds/ITRInews22.html
Aug 00 (Extra)	Americans Like Being No. 1  and Want to Keep It That Way	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews23.html
Sept 00	Industry Leads U.S. R&D	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews24.html
Oct 00	Gingrich Praises Clinton	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews25.html
Nov 00	Research Feasts: FY2001 Budgets	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews26.html
Dec 00	S&T Policy of the Bush Administration	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews27.html
Jan 01	Andreessen's Law for the Internet	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews28.html
Feb 01	Sherwood Boehlert:  New Science Committee Chair	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews29.html
Mar 01	Research Famines: FY2002 Budgets	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/ITRInews30.html
Apr 01	As DotComs Wilt, Internet Sprouts	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N31.html
May 01	R&D Budget Crash	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N32.html
Jun 01	Nano is Huge, and Getting Bigger	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N33.html
Jul 01	Marburger to be OSTP Director	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N34.html
Aug 01	Doctors of Economic Warfare	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N35.html
Sep 01	US Technologies Lead;  US Technologists Lag	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N36.html
Oct 01	Impact of Terrorism on R&D	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N37.html
Nov 01	Marburger Shakes Up OSTP	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N38.html
Dec 01 / Jan 02	Japan Ups S&T Paper Quality and Quantity as U. S. Declines	http://itri2.org/ITRInews/N39.html
Feb 02	Internet Growth Slows	http:://itri2.org/ITRInews/N40.html