An index of small-business indicators fell in June as business owners became less optimistic about the economy and their own sales prospects.

The National Federation of Independent Business' monthly index dropped 3.2 points to 89 in June, a reading typical of a weak economy. The index is based on a survey of 805 NFIB members.

"Owners do not trust the economic policies in place or proposed, and they are distressed by global and national developments that make the future more uncertain," said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg.

"Confidence is lacking, and the news out of Washington is discouraging," he said. "Until this changes, don't expect small businesses to start hiring."

Information technology companies, however, are more optimistic about their prospects. A new survey by trade association CompTIA found that most IT firms expect revenues to increase in the second half of the year. Nearly 40 percent plan to hire more workers over the next six months.

But like small-business owners in general, tech executives are concerned about the economy's overall health.

"In some ways, the results point to a ‘two steps forward, one step back' mentality, where positive news and momentum are followed by unexpected bad news and a renewed sense of negativity about economic conditions," said Tim Herbert, CompTIA's vice president of research.

Clean-energy research projects get $92 million

The Department of Energy awarded $92 million in economic stimulus funds to 43 research projects on clean-energy technologies.

This marked the third and final round of $349 million in stimulus projects awarded through the the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. Winning projects ranged from developing affordable, large-scale energy storage technologies to revolutionizing air conditioning by using water as a refrigerant and salt as the heat absorber.

Universities and small businesses were each awarded one-third of the projects. The remainder went to large businesses, national laboratories and nonprofit organizations.

"These innovative ideas will play a critical role in our energy security and economic growth," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu.

Airport security projects awarded $56 million

The Department of Homeland Security awarded another $56 million in economic stimulus funds for airport security projects.

More than $45 million of this round will go toward a new inline baggage-screening system in the main terminal of Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Another $3.1 million will go to St. Louis International Airport for the design of an upgraded inline baggage-screening system. These systems screen-checked bags for explosives more quickly.

Orlando International Airport will receive $7.5 million to buy several hundred additional cameras for its closed-circuit television surveillance system.

The economic stimulus included a total of $1 billion for aviation security projects.

Kent Hoover: khoover@bizjournals.com