The Department of Commerce has launched a new competitive grant program aimed at fostering innovation. The i6 Challenge is a new $12 million innovation competition administered by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) of the U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). EDA will award up to $1 million to each of six winning teams with the most innovative ideas to drive technology commercialization and entrepreneurship in their regions. NIH and NSF will award a total of up to $6 million in supplemental funding to their SBIR grantees that are associated or partnered with the winning teams. We encourage entrepreneurs, investors, universities, foundations, and non-profits to participate in the i6 Challenge. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2010. For more information, email i6@doc.gov or join the i6 Challenge conference call at 2pm EDT on May 17, 2010.
News and updates
This Week on Capitol Hill, May 3-7
FLOOR ACTION
Senate
The Senate will reconvene at 2 p.m., and resume consideration of the financial regulatory overhaul legislation (S 3217, Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010). There will be no roll call votes. It is expected that the Senate will spend most of the week debating amendments.
House
The House is not in session on Monday. The schedule for the week is mostly commemorative resolutions. It also includes a bill to provide trade benefits for earthquake recovery in Haiti and to provide benefits for home energy efficiency retrofits.
HEARINGS AND MARKUKPS
TUESDAY – MAY 4
Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Full Committee Hearing
Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization
2 p.m., 430 Dirksen Bldg.
WEDNESDAY – MAY 5
Fiscal 2011 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Hearings
• Defense 10:30 a.m. , SCV-217 Capitol Bldg.
• Labor, HHS, Education 9:30 a.m., 124 Dirksen
Fiscal 2011 House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing
Defense 10 a.m., H-140 Capitol Bldg.
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Full Committee Hearing
Treating Traumatic Brain Injury
9:30 a.m., 418 Russell Bldg.
THURSDAY – MAY 6
Fiscal 2011 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Hearings
• Commerce, Justice and Science 10 a.m.
• Transportation and HUD 9:30 a.m.
Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Full Committee Hearing
“America Wins When America Competes: Building a High-Tech Workforce”
10 a.m., 253 Russell Bldg
Senate Energy & Natural Resources Full Committee Markup
May 6, 9:30 a.m., 366 Dirksen Bldg.
Pending legislation includes S 1462, American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009
House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee Hearing
HR 4700, Transparency in All Health Care Pricing Act of 2010
HR 2249, Health Care Price Transparency Promotion Act of 2009
HR 4803, Patients’ Right to Know Act.
10 a.m., 2123 Rayburn Bldg
Immigration Reform Framework Released
Despite the absence of any support from the minority party, which will be necessary to advance a bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and two of his colleagues — Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) — have released a rough framework for comprehensive immigration reform. The outline serves as a starting point for public discussions and negotiations on a comprehensive package, and should not viewed as actual legislation. Political observers remain skeptical of the prospects for immigration reforming passing in the partisan atmosphere that exists in advance of a mid-term election.
In its current form, the outline contains a number of provisions and addresses issues of interest to the academic and higher education communities, such as reform of the H-1B visa process that has come under fire for obstructing efforts to retain and attract highly skilled labor (i.e. research scientitst) from abroad.
Congressional Staffers Briefed on School of Dentistry Programs
On April 27th, staffers from the Washington congressional delegation were provided a tour and briefing on two important School of Dentistry programs: the Dental Education in Care of Persons with Disabilities clinic and the Pediatric Dentistry clinic. Photos and coverage of the event can be found here.
America COMPETES Reauthorization Moving Forward
The University of Washington has joined dozens of institutions of higher education in calling on Congress to continue the investments in research and STEM education that were authorized in the America COMPETES Act of 2007. Both the House and Senate are on a path to reauthorize the legislation before the July 4th congressional recess. The House is slightly ahead of the Senate in its work on the legislation, as a draft bill was released late last week. The House bill (HR 515 – Amendment in the Nature of a Subsitute) continues the doubling path for three core science agencies (National Science Foundation, Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology). Additionally, the legislation proposes a 5-year authorization period in order to give more predictability of R&D/STEM education funding. A full committte markup on the House bill is scheduled for April 28th, with a vote on the floor of the House around May 12th.