Changes to ATP Schedule Due to FY 1995 Recission

On April 10, President Clinton signed into law Public Law 104-6 (previously known as H.R. 889) including a provision that rescinds $90 million from the 1995 appropriation for the Commerce Department's Advanced Technology Program, reducing the FY 1995 budget for the ATP from $430.7 million to $340.7 million.

To accommodate this change in budget, the ATP will delay the start of new focused programs, originally scheduled to be announced later this Spring, until FY 1996, and will reduce the number of awards made in the 12 competitions scheduled for FY 1995. No previously announced competitions will be cancelled.

The majority of ATP funds are committed to focused program areas, established in concert with industry, that concentrate support on major research and business goals in key technologies over a period of several years. ATP focused programs generally require a number of independent R&D projects that complement and reinforce each other. Each program area sponsors a series of competitions specific to that area. The ATP already has announced 11 focused programs in:

• Tools for DNA Diagnostics
• Catalysis and BioCatalysis Technologies
• Materials Processing for Heavy Manufacturing
• Motor-Vehicle Manufacturing
• Advanced Vapor-Compression Refrigeration
• Component-Based Software
• Digital Video in Information Networks
• Digital Data Storage
• Information Infrastructure for Healthcare
• Manufacturing Composite Structures, and
• Computer-Integrated Manufacturing for Electronics

Focused programs are developed based on suggestions from industry submitted in "white papers", workshops, conferences and other mechanisms to select those areas with the greatest potential for economic benefit to the U.S., and to reach a consensus on the specific R&D and business goals to be set for each program. The ATP had budgeted approximately $60 million to establish two or more new focused programs and hold competitions for each in FY 1995. While the focused program process will go forward as planned, with additional areas identified, competitions for the new program areas will be postponed until FY 1996.

An additional $30 million will be saved by funding fewer projects out of the 1995 General Competition and the 11 focused competitions. The ATP is highly competitive, and each solicitation brings in more qualified proposals than can be funded. Specific reductions have not been set for any of the 1995 competitions; decisions will be made on the strength of the proposals received in each competition.

Date created: April 11, 1995
Last updated: April 12, 2005