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Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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It may be helpful to see this situation in context....the entire nonprofit
sector is re-inventing its business model during these years.
Triggered by the perfect storm of 2008 when endowments lost 28 - 42% of
their value and foundations and corporations funded both less, and on
different priorities....and then continuing in 2009 through our current
period when government tax revenues have been disrupted and government
support has waned, putting pressure on private contributors of all kinds;
every source of contributed income went into an atypical and negative or
flat year-to-year trend.  Earned income was, and continues to be perceived
as an income source with upside potential, although most parts of the
sector are finding it difficult to raise the capital needed to explore
where net gains can be realized.
Beyond the current disruption to the entire nonprofit business model, we
may also be next in line for an R&D megatrend that began more than 30 years
out as corporations downsized/eliminatedt heir R&D functions.  Even as we
are seeing pressure on our content/R&D budgets, it may be helpful to note
that they are far into the model of buying/taking over new
products/services developed by entrepreneurs (often, to this date, with the
help of government grants in basic research) Could this model work for a
few of us?  For instance, do any of us have research that could be
transferred to small business for commercial applications?  Those grants
still exist.  STTR's (Technology transfer grants) and SBIR's (Small
Business Investigative Research grants for basic research.

On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 11:56 AM, Martin Weiss <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Yes, it seems short sighted especially if you view your science staff as
> > your "family jewels" and for a natural history museum which has invested
> > heavily over the years in science staff as well as specimens as the Field
> > has.
> >
> > I am not certain how other natural history museums solve this problem of
> > supporting substantial science staff (AMNH, Carnegie, California Academy
> of
> > Sciences, NMNH-Smithsonian, umsw) Anyone?
> >
> > I think AMNH has most, if not all researchers on soft money, a university
> > model, with Curators probably getting some support from AMNH
> (unrestricted
> > funds). The Academy of Sciences has recently become part of Drexel so
> they
> > may have moved to a university model. Would it not be possible for the
> > Field to slip into this model over some period of time and not 'fire"
> > essential science staff?
> >
> > Martin
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 11:48 AM, Jonah Cohen <
> > [log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> >> Wait... a museum foolishly decides that firing people is the way to go
> >> to save money? I think I may die of a heart attack from such a surprise!
> >>
> >> -Jonah
> >>
> >> "Set your faces to stunned."
> >>       -Bart Simpson
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
> > Martin Weiss, PhD
> > Senior Scientist
> > New York Hall of Science
> > mweiss at nyscience.org
> > cell   347-460-1858
> > desk 718 595 9156
> >
>
>
>
> --
> –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
> Martin Weiss, PhD
> Senior Scientist
> New York Hall of Science
> mweiss at nyscience.org
> cell   347-460-1858
> desk 718 595 9156
>
> --
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-- 
Marilyn Hoyt
110 Sixth Avenue
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For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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