President Obama Calls On Congress To Pass A Small Business Jobs Package

(The White House, May 25, 2010) – Today, at an event honoring Small Business Owners of the Year from across the country, the President will urge Congress to pass a Small Business Jobs Package, including a proposal he put forth in early February to create a new Small Business Lending Fund to provide small businesses with the tools to access capital so they can grow and hire.   A fact sheet on the Small Business Jobs Package can be found HERE.  Earlier this month, the President sent legislation on the Small Business Lending Fund to Congress earlier this month, along with a new state small business credit initiative that will help expand lending for small businesses and manufacturers at a time when budget shortfalls are forcing states to cut back on lending programs.  Today, the President will urge the House and Senate to move quickly on these and other proposals that encourage investment in our nation’s small businesses, which are crucial to our efforts to create new jobs across the country.  Click here to read more…

Biofuel Industry Offers Guarded Welcome To “Synthetic Cell” Breakthrough

By Jessica Shankleman

(BusinessGreen, May 21, 2010) It has been hailed as one of the most significant and controversial scientific breakthroughs in decades, raising the prospect of a new era of synthetic biology that promises to tackle many of the world’s environmental problems. But renewable energy experts downplayed news that a team of scientists have created the world’s first artificial cell, warning it will take years before the breakthrough can be put to commercial use.  Scientists at the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), led by geneticist Craig Venter, today published a paper in the journal Science detailing how they have successfully created the first synthetic bacterial cell, effectively creating what some scientists have hailed as an entirely new species.  JCVI’s commercial backer Synthetic Genomics (SGI), which was co-founded by Venter, issued a statement applauding the discovery as a major breakthrough that will ultimately enable the development of man-made organic technologies capable of producing biofuels and tackling pollution.  Click here to read more…

Government Details $1b Stimulus For Small Life Science Companies

By Thomas Gryta

(Wall Street Journal, May 21, 2010) The U.S. government outlined plans for a $1 billion stimulus for small biotechnology, medical device and diagnostics developers that could hand up to $5 million to qualifying companies, both public and private.  The program, part of the health-care overhaul approved in March and detailed by the Treasury Department Friday, is aimed at producing new therapies and creating jobs in a sector that has been hard hit in the economic slowdown and credit crisis because of its high capital needs.  The funds will come in the form of tax credits or as a grant for unprofitable companies. It will cover 50% of development costs in 2009 and 2010, giving up to $5 million to companies with qualifying projects and fewer than 250 workers.  ”Funding for these stages is critical, but it is not always easy to find, especially in the current climate where venture capital is harder to come by,”  Click here to read more…

Special Operations Command Solicitations – May 2010

Biomedical Research Topics – The US Special Operations Command is soliciting pre-proposals focused on applied biomedical research topics that may be of interest to Special Operations Forces (SOF)-relevant aspects of medical care, particularly related to: combat casualty management; medical aspects of mission planning, biomedical training, environmental protection, vibration/shock injury, diving procedures, equipment and injuries, exercise and mission related physiology, field diagnostic and care equipment; and medical information management systems.  The following general aspects/topic areas of basic and applied biomedical research are of interest: 1) Casualty Management; 2) Medical Aspects of Mission Planning; 3) Medical Aspects of Environmental/Thermal Protection; 4) Exercise and Mission-Related Physiology and Psychology; and 5) Preventive Medicine. Read more

Navy Solicitations – May 2010

RFI: Foreign Comparative Test (FCT) software for processing ASTOR sensor products – The U.S. Navy is conducting a request for Information (RFI) to determine availability of software that processes a complex data stream provided by the Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR), a radar that is carried by the Sentinel aircraft and operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). The software must either be: 1) Portable to a Navy-owned, personal computer based imagery formation and processing systems; Or 2) Convertible via re-compilation and deliverable as source code.  It is assumed that the software will operate in a ground station (GS) and be used to convert the signal data received over a digital radio frequency (RF) link or data link, into pixel and support data for images in a STANAG (Standard NATO Agreement) or National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF) type file. The Navy’s objective is to utilize any prior development such as software that would facilitate conversion to, and implementation within a Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) that could be deployed globally, both afloat and ashore. Read more

NIH Solicitations – May 2010

The Role of Microbial Metabolites in Cancer Prevention and Etiology (U01) – This FOA issued by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, (NCCAM), at the NIH, encourages the submission of grant applications that characterize the effects of microbially generated metabolites of dietary components on host cell biology. Specifically, this FOA seeks to characterize microbially generated metabolites and better understand their molecular mechanisms of action that affect host cell proliferative/apoptotic responses, cytokine production, inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.  All applications must include multiple principle investigators with different areas of expertise such as microbiology, nutrition, cancer biology, analytical chemistry, or genetics. In addition, all investigators will be required to attend annual meetings with NIH personnel. Investigators may use either clinical or pre-clinical approaches. Read more

USAID Solicitations – May 2010

Capacity Building for Agricultural Education and Research Project (CBAER) – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is seeking applicants for an Assistance Agreement for funding the CBAER in Senegal.  The CBAER program is to develop the human and institutional capacity for continuous innovation in the Senegalese public and private sectors leading to farming system and value chain productivity improvements and production system sustainability.  The CBAER is focused on the development of productive agricultural education and training institutions that support the broader range of institutions fostering innovation needed for increased agricultural productivity, sustainable management of natural resources, rural income increases and enhanced food security.   USAID/Senegal is seeking applications from qualified U.S. and Non-U.S. organizations and institutions in the form of partnerships or teams that include Senegalese organizations  This is a full and open competition, under which any type of organization, large or small commercial (for profit) firms, faith-based, and non-profit organizations in partnerships or teams from geographical code 935, are eligible to compete. Read more

DOT Solicitations – May 2010

Research on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Applications to Improve Environmental Performance – This is an announcement for an upcoming solicitation. We anticipate releasing the full solicitation on or about June 8, 2010.   This is a Pre-Solicitation notice (synopsis) for a full and open competition. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) proposes to issue a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to identify contractors for: ongoing innovative research on ITS applications that improve environmental performance, and possible development of new applications; capturing and managing real-time data that are relevant to environmental applications development and performance measurement; and ongoing development and enhancement of evaluation techniques, performance measurement, and technologies to capture environmentally-relevant data. Read more

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