Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 24, 1993 TAG: 9302240179
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
TECH APPLAUDS CLINTON TAX, ROAD PLANS
Virginia Tech officials hope President Clinton's plan for tax breaks and increased spending to improve technology will mean more funding for two of Blacksburg's pet projects.University leaders hope the president's proposal to spend $17 billion on that plan will aid "smart-road" research and the Blacksburg Electronic Village.
"We don't have the details, but it clearly offers us greater opportunity," said Wayne Clough, Tech's dean of engineering.
Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abington, said it's too early to tell exactly which Tech projects would get more money, but he's certain the university will benefit from the increased research spending.
"In a budget of $17 billion, Tech's research projects will almost certainly be funded better than they are today," he said.
Boucher said he's encouraged by Clinton's plans to increase funding for smart-highway and intelligent-vehicle research from $660 million over the next three years to more than $900 million.
Clough pointed out, however, that those funds are going to be in high demand because many companies suffering from cutbacks in defense spending are trying to break into the smart-highway research.
"Our competition is going to be extremely tough," he said.
The real question is whether any of that money will be used to build and test smart roads, Clough said.
In the past the Federal Highway Administration has talked about funding two such roads - one in a rural community and the other in a metropolitan area - to be used as hands-on laboratories for intelligent-highway research.
Tech wants to help the Department of Transportation build a link between Blacksburg and Intersate 81 outside of Roanoke.
Less than a month ago, the Federal Highway Administration awarded Tech part of a $1.37 million grant for research on smart-road technologies. Clough said Tech will get about $350,000, with the remaining funds divided among Hughes Aircraft, Bell Atlantic Corp. and a consulting firm called JHK & Associates.
Boucher said that Clinton's initiatives are a step in the right direction, because compared to Japan and Germany the United States has historically underinvested in research efforts.
"This will help close the gap," he said.
Earving Blythe, interim vice president of information systems at Tech, said the funding might eventually aid the Blacksburg Electronic Village, a project that will attempt to link businesses, homes and schools by computer.
It's too soon to tell which agencies will get which dollars, Blythe said, but he hopes that either directly or indirectly the project will get a boost.
"One thing that's exciting is that Bell Atlantic or C&P might get special tax credits" for research and development, he said. Tech is looking at companies like that to help fund the project, either with dollars or equipment, while the university does research. Tech and the town of Blacksburg already are in a partnership with C&P.
Staff Writer Madelyn Rosenberg contributed information to this story.