NIST FY 2001 Request

“The economy of the 21st century is driven by technology and innovation. The magnificent technological achievements of American industry since the Second World War have accounted for over 50 percent of the nation’s economic growth - and made us the leader in the global marketplace. The President, with his budget for our Technology Administration, is committed to maintaining - and bettering - that success.” So declared Commerce Secretary William Daley in announcing the Administration’s FY 2001 request for technology programs.

The Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration has several programs: the Office of the Under Secretary for Technology (which includes the Office of Space Commercialization), the Office of Technology Policy, the National Technical Information Service, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). NIST, which would be 98.8% of the Technology Administration’s new budget, is the focus of FYI’s coverage.

The Clinton Administration requested an increase of $77,193,000, or 12.1%, in NIST’s FY 2001 budget. The new budget would total $712,991,000.

NIST’s FY 2001 budget has three major components:

Scientific and Technical Research and Services: The largest program within STRS is the Measurement and Standards Laboratories. The laboratories budget would increase $55,082,000, or 19.9%, to $332,317,000. The budget document states: “The FY 2001 appropriation for the Measurement and Standards Laboratories will support further development of critical measurement technologies, methods, and services needed by the United States to promote technological progress, improve products and services, and enhance international competitiveness.”

A much smaller program within STRS is the Baldrige National Quality Program. The Administration requests an increase of $288,000 or 5.9%, to $5,191,000. The budget document states: “The proposed FY 2001 appropriation of just over $5 million will be used to manage the annual award competition, conduct a conference at which Baldrige award winners will share their performance excellence strategies, maintain a comprehensive database on state and local quality awards, continually improve the performance excellence criteria that serve as the national standard, and facilitate information sharing among all sectors of the U.S. economy.”

The second major component of NIST’s budget is that for Industrial Technology Services. The Advanced Technology Program is the major program within ITS. The Advanced Technology Program budget for FY 2001 would increase $32,867,000, or 23.0%, to $175,467,000. The budget document states: “The proposed FY 2001 budget includes $31.8 million in new funding to enable the ATP to expand its efforts while continuing multiyear projects selected in previous years. The new funding, when combined with anticipated carryover and prior year recoveries, will provide $65 million for new awards, enough for roughly 65 new project. To select projects, the ATP will conduct at least one peer-review competition spanning all areas of technology during FY 2001. The funding increase addresses a principal goal of the Department of Commerce and the Administration: to accelerate the development of innovative technologies for broad national benefit through partnerships with the private sector.”

Also within Industrial Technology Services is the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which would receive an increase of $9,957,000 or 9.6% to $114,137,000. The budget document states: “With its FY 2001 base funding, MEP will work to increase the capabilities and effectiveness of MEP centers, collect and evaluate performance and impact data, and further develop the electronic networking and information capabilities of the MEP system to strengthen communications. The FY 2001 budget request includes a $6 million reduction in MEP base funding, reflecting a redirection of funds into new program areas supporting e-commerce outreach to small and medium-sized manufacturers. NIST will continue to maintain the appropriate level of matching funding for the MEP centers.”

A new initiative within Industrial Technology Services is the Institute for Information Infrastructure, for which $50,000,000 is requested. The budget document states that the Institute “will be established to support research and technology development to protect critical information and telecommunications infrastructures from attack or other failures. The IIIP will lead a partnership of industry, academia, and government to develop the requisite knowledge and common technology base.” “The IIIP will produce new technology, standards, methods, and tests. Of the requested funding, $45 million will be allocated for research grants to be awarded to universities, industry, and government agencies; $4 million for administration; and $1 million for the transfer of new technology to other federal agencies. The range of potential R&D is very broad.”

There is a separate NIST budget for Construction of Research Facilities. This would decline from $106,880,000 to $35,879,000 in FY 2001. Funding would be used to repair and renovate NIST’s laboratories in Boulder, Colorado and Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The administration is requesting no funding for the National Technical Information Service. The budget document states: “The Department of Commerce has proposed legislation to cease operations of NTIS by the end of FY 2000. This legislation would maintain the NTIS collection of scientific and technical information by transferring the collection to the Library of Congress, effective Oct. 1, 2000. In FY 2000, the Administration is requesting a supplemental transfer from NIST of $4.5 million for closure costs.”