US R&D is funded 62% by industry and only 34% by the federal government, according to the new "Science and Technology Policy Yearbook 1998" from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. . [FEDIX OA, 07May98.]

The Kauffman Foundation Venture Capital Fellows Program is a two-year educational program for future venture capitalists and future leaders of high-growth companies. . [BASES, 26May98.]

Venture capitalists are wary of funding any software or Internet content project that would compete with Microsoft head-on. Getting a year or two lead on Microsoft isn't enough, if Microsoft announces that it will produce a similar product -- or even offer it free. Four or five years may be sufficient, though. If non-Windows operating systems such as Linux gain 20% market share, it will open up more possibilities for small developers. . [Kimberly Weisul, Interactive Week, 12May98. Lily Laws.]

The Financing News Online Edition offers "how-to" advice for seekers of venture capital, small business loans, private placement funding, etc. . [Spencer Kluesner , 13May98.]

About 400 investors in 10 countries have lost $60M in a venture capital scam. Only borrow from established firms and don't pay advance fees for loans. Investors paid fees of $40K to $2M, for loans that were too risky for banks to approve. This was in response to VC ads in the WSJ, NYT, and Barron's. [SJM, 08May98, 4C.]

Netscape's Netcenter has added a Small Business Source feature with news and services for small, growing business. Services like Online Backup by Atrieva, for those worried that every 15 seconds there's a hard drive crash somewhere. Or Netscape Virtual Office by Netopia, to get a "Web office" up and running in minutes. . [Netcenter News, 07May98.]