Most Important Results
Strategic Goal 2

Foster science and technological leadership by protecting intellectual property (IP), enhancing technical standards, and advancing measurement science

Most Important Results

In FY 2007, the Department met or exceeded 95 percent of the targets it had set for the year. Some of the significant accomplishments and impacts that the Department had on the U.S. public include the following:

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRM) are among the most widely distributed and used products from NIST. The Agency prepares, analyzes and distributes well over a thousand different materials that are used throughout the world to check the accuracy of instruments and test procedures used in manufacturing, clinical chemistry, environmental monitoring, electronics, criminal forensics, and dozens of other fields.

Each year the National Research Council (NRC) evaluates approximately half of the NIST laboratory programs, including making recommendations for improvements while citing excellent performance. Typically, NIST laboratory programs have consistently done well in these reports. The NRC issued their FY 2007 assessment reports of the Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory, the Chemical Sciences and Technology Laboratory, the Information Technology Laboratory and the NIST Center for Neutron Research. Their assessments attest to NIST’s high quality programs, relevance of work to national priorities and impressive technical merit.

The NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) provide resources to further technological advances within the private sector.

In FY 2007, the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) partnered with the Government Printing Office (GPO) to provide the Federal Depository Libraries with access to many of its electronically-stored documents. NTIS and GPO began conducting a beta test pilot project with 29 Federal Depository Libraries using a new interface NTIS developed to support the program implementation. The project included access to approximately 240,000 full text publications dating from 1964 to 2000 that were available for downloading, at no charge. The results of the beta test were very positive and program participation is now offered to all 1,262 Depository Libraries. There are currently over 340 Depository Libraries participating in the program, and that number is expected to continue to grow making invaluable research results more readily available to the U.S. public.

NTIS has successfully contributed to the White House initiative prompting improved early childhood development programs for U.S. children, through the storage and distribution of the materials developed by the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Agriculture (USDA). The “Healthy Start, Grow Smart” program provides easily understood information booklets to parents and caregivers about best practices in early childhood development. The information is published in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Chinese providing valuable age-appropriate information about health, safety, nutritional needs, and early cognitive development. NTIS manages the storage and distribution of over 10 million booklets annually, and anticipates increased dissemination in the future.

People worldwide benefit from innovations, both directly on a personal level, and indirectly through economic growth fueled by innovation. Continual development of a vigorous, flexible, and efficient IP system protects individual rights, encourages investment in innovation, and fosters entrepreneurial spirit. The Department promotes the IP system through the protection of inventions or creations via patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright laws. Under this system of protection, industry in the United States has flourished, creating employment opportunities for millions of Americans.

Through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Department provides the examination of patent and trademark applications and dissemination of patent and trademark information. By issuing patents the Department provides incentives to invent and invest in new technology by allowing innovators the opportunity to benefit from their discoveries. Registration of trademarks assists businesses in protecting their investments and safeguards consumers against confusion and deception in the marketplace by providing notice of marks in use. Through dissemination of patent and trademark information, the Department promotes a global understanding of IP protection and facilitates the development and sharing of new technologies worldwide.

Telecommunications plays a key role in U.S. society as the economy expands into the digital age. The Department, through NTIA is at the forefront of this expansion. In FY 2007, NTIA examined an array of spectrum management policy issues dealing with innovative approaches to spectrum management and the effectiveness of current processes. NTIA coordinated with federal agencies the Spectrum Reform Initiative implementation plan with 54 milestones to be completed by FY 2010. This initiative will fundamentally change the business of spectrum management over the next five years. The purpose of the initiative is to promote the development and implementation of a U.S. spectrum policy that will foster economic growth; ensure U.S. national and homeland security; maintain U.S. global leadership in communications technology development and services; and satisfy other vital U.S. needs in areas, such as public safety, scientific research, federal transportation infrastructure, and law enforcement.

In FY 2007, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and NTIA continued to assist coordination in the 1710-1755 MHz band, to facilitate the transition of this band from federal government use to non-federal use. Specifically, guidance was provided to assist Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) licensees in this band to begin implementing service during the transition of federal operations from the band while providing interference protection to incumbent federal government operations until they have been relocated to other frequency bands or technologies.

On July 18, 2007, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Michael Chertoff announced the availability of $968 million in Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grants to help state and local first responders improve public safety communications during a natural or man-made disaster for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories. Grants were awarded by September 30, 2007, and grant projects will be completed in FY 2010.

Summary of Performance Results

For Strategic Goal 2, the Department met nearly all of its targets while providing essential services to the U.S. public. As in previous years, NIST did well in the NRC review, performing up to the past standards it has set. SRMs, publications, datasets, and calibrations are a few of the knowledge transfer mechanisms that provide the technical infrastructure in support of the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI). NIST met all of their targets for the measures reflecting these mechanisms.

NIST also did well in the MEP investment outcome, exceeding the targets for all four measures. NIST’s ATP, which supported development of high-risk technologies, was repealed by the America COMPETES Act in August 2007. The program met its targets for commercialization and publications, though it slightly missed its target for patents (1,507 for actual, 1,510 for target).

One other area of technological innovation involves the distribution of scientific and technical information. NTIS serves as a clearinghouse for this information to the public, private, and non-profit sectors. NTIS exceeded all of their 2007 targets, making more than 600,000 new items available, and disseminating more than 27 million information products.

One way that the Department advances technology and business is through the issuance of patents and trademarks thereby protecting IP that serves as a motive to innovate. In this regard, compliance rates (quality) and pendency (timeliness) play a key role in evaluating performance. USPTO met nearly all their targets for their three outcomes. USPTO had the highest production, highest hiring, highest usage of electronic filing and electronic processing, and highest number of examiners working from home in its history. Patents and trademarks continued to maintain its high quality compliance rates. Trademark first action pendency times have decreased since FY 2004, and final action trademark pendency times since FY 2002. Despite these significant efforts and successes, reducing the length of time for action on patent applications continued to be a key challenge. While the rate of increase for total pendency time slowed in FY 2007, the rate of increase for first action pendency did not. USPTO missed the target for “Patent average first action pendency,” a key measure of timeliness. The number of patent applications filed increased by 73 percent between 1995 and 2005, and this trend is expected to continue, reflecting the Nation’s strong participation in global business growth and innovation.

Enhancing telecommunications services is a key to advancing technology in the Nation. The radio frequency spectrum is used in a variety of ways, including transportation control and law enforcement. NTIA satisfies the frequency assignment needs of the 63 federal agencies allowing them to operate radio communications that provide the public with national and homeland security, law enforcement, transportation control, natural resource management, and other public safety services during peacetime and emergencies. A key to this is making the assignments available as soon as possible after an agency requests a frequency. In FY 2005, NTIA sought to reduce this time to 12 business days or less. By 2007, NTIA reduced this time to nine business days. NTIA’s long-term goal is to improve spectrum management processes throughout the federal government so that time for spectrum assignments can be reduced from more than 15 days to three days or fewer, and ultimately to near instantaneously, supporting long-term goals for efficiency and effectiveness of spectrum use.

NTIA has also promoted new sources of advanced telecommunications services. In FY 2007, NTIA met the targets for this goal and began extensive preparations for the administration of other programs established by the Digital Television Transition and Public Safety Fund, created by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. This fund receives offsetting receipts from the auction of electromagnetic spectrum recovered from discontinued analog television signals, and provides funding for several programs from these receipts. These other programs include the New York City 9/11 Digital Transition, Assistance to Low-Power Television Stations, National Alert and Tsunami Warning Program, and Enhanced 9-1-1 Service Support.

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