|
Strategic Objective 2.1
Develop tools and capabilities that improve the productivity, quality, dissemination, and efficiency of research
The Department works with U.S. industry and other stakeholders to maximize technology’s contribution to U.S. economic growth. The Department fulfills its broad responsibilities and works to foster science and technological leadership by promoting new models of technology transfer and research and development (R&D) collaboration, identifying problems and barriers to innovation, enhancing technical standards, advancing measurement science, and making scientific and technical information available to other agencies and the public. Among its activities, TA accomplished the following in FY 2005:
Performance Goal: Promote innovation, facilitate trade, ensure public safety and security, and help create jobs by strengthening the nation’s measurements and standards infrastructure (TA/NIST)
|
Rating | Results |
---|---|
On Target | 5 |
Slightly Below Target | 0 |
Below Target | 0 |
See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. |
Progress on this goal is evaluated using an appropriate mix of specific output tracking, peer review, and economic impact analyses. Together, these evaluation tools, combined with continual feedback from customers provide a detailed and broad view of performance toward this long-term goal. Additional information on these evaluation methods is available at:
http://www.nist.gov/director/planning/strategicplanning.htm
Specific achievements of this performance goal are described below:
NIST researchers have developed an improved experimental X-ray detector that could pave the way to a new generation of wide-range, high-resolution trace chemical analysis instruments. As described in the June 2005 issue of Powder Diffraction, the researchers used improved temperature-sensing and control systems to detect X-rays across a very broad range of energies. The detector’s ability to distinguish between X-rays with very similar energies should be especially useful to the semiconductor industry for chemical analysis of microscopic circuit features or contaminants. Research physicist Terrence Jach prepares to analyze a sample with the NIST X-ray microcalorimeter. Improved temperature sensing and control systems allow the instrument within the gold chamber to the right to detect X-rays characteristic of specific elements over a broad range of energies with higher resolution. |
Accomplishments and applicable quantitative data used to evaluate progress on this long-term performance goal are reviewed quarterly. Quantitative data are collected and reported by NIST’s Technology Services Division.
The research and measurement standards work of the NIST Laboratory Programs is evaluated annually by the National Research Council (NRC). The external and independent evaluation combined with several quantitative evaluation metrics focused on dissemination of NIST’s measurements and standards work demonstrate the laboratories’ contribution to the nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure.
In FY 2005, the NRC Board on Assessment (BOA) conducted a series of laboratory reviews focused on:
The NRC BOA conducts on-site annual reviews and produces a biennial report that includes findings over the two-year evaluation period. The biennial reporting process allows additional focus on the technical exchange between NIST staff and the reviewers as well as increased interactions among external reviewers. The 2004-2005 assessment report will be available online at http://www7.nationalacademies.org/nist/ in the fall of 2005.
In addition to the peer-review process, the programmatic goals, strategic direction, and management policies of NIST as a whole, including each of its major programs, are reviewed regularly by the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT). The VCAT is a legislatively mandated panel of external advisors that meets quarterly to review NIST’s general policy, organization, budget, and programs. See http://www.nist.gov/director/vcat/index.htm for additional information on the VCAT, including its most recent annual report.
Rating | Results |
---|---|
On Target | 3 |
Slightly Below Target | 0 |
Below Target | 0 |
See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. |
From the beginning, evaluation has been a central part of ATP. The Program uses a variety of methods, including internal assessments, external program, and economic impact studies reviews to assess and evaluate the program. Additional information on ATP’s evaluation methods is available at: http://www.atp.nist.gov/eao/eao_main.htm.
Specific achievements of this performance goal are described below:
These data, along with other programmatic accomplishments, are used to evaluate progress on this long-term performance goal. Data are gathered from the portfolio of ATP project participants through ATP’s Business Reporting System (BRS). BRS reports are reviewed by ATP’s Economic Assessment Office and the individual project managers overseeing the ATP project.
The programmatic objectives and management of ATP are reviewed regularly by the VCAT and by the ATP Advisory Committee. The ATP Advisory Committee is charged with: (1) providing advice on ATP programs, plans, and policies; (2) reviewing ATP’s efforts to assess the economic impact of the program; (3) reporting on the general health of the program and its effectiveness in achieving its legislatively mandated mission; and (4) functioning solely as an advisory body, in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). Additional information on the ATP Advisory Committee, including recent annual reports, is available at http://www.atp.nist.gov/adv_com/ac_menu.htm.
Rating | Results |
---|---|
On Target | 4 |
Slightly Below Target | 0 |
Below Target | 0 |
See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. |
New Jersey MEP (NJMEP), a NIST MEP affiliate center, worked with Trek Connect, Inc. of Moorestown, NJ to implement lean manufacturing principles. The operational improvements resulting from the lean program included accelerated throughput, improved on-time delivery, maintenance of product performance levels, and an overall more competitive and profitable market position. “The lean implementation in our operations has improved visibility, throughput, accountability, and lead times. We are pleased with our progress so far, and we are ready to tackle the difficult issues related to design, quoting and maintaining continuous improvement.... Management has been able to rely on NJMEP to facilitate our commitment to Lean Enterprise, helping us to improve while still running our business day-to-day.” - Harold M. Heft, General Manager Founded in 1999, Trek Connect, Inc., a small, woman-owned, wire harness and cable assembly manufacturer has 28 employees and annual sales of $3,500 million. |
MEP clients receive training, technical, and business assistance through interactions ranging from informational seminars and training classes to in-depth technical assistance in areas such as lean implementation, ISO 9000, quality improvement practices, human resources and organizational development, and industrial marketing.
Specific achievements of this performance goal are described below:
MEP’s data collection process is designed to obtain actual client impacts and, as a result, client survey data lag by approximately one year. The survey process, coupled with the time line for producing the Performance and Accountability Report (PAR), precludes the reporting of actual FY 2004 data. The data reported in the PAR represent a combination of three-quarters of actual client reported impacts and one-quarter of estimated client impacts. The estimate is based on the final quarter of FY 2003 survey data and has been adjusted to reflect the number of clients anticipated in the final FY 2004 survey quarter. Final FY 2004 data will be available in December 2005.
These data, along with other programmatic accomplishments, are used to evaluate progress on this long-term performance goal. MEP’s Client Impact Survey is administered by a private firm. Each quarter, data are reviewed by NIST MEP staff and Center staff. Based on defined criteria, impacts are selected by NIST MEP for confirmation and verification by Center staff.
As with other NIST programs, the programmatic objectives and management of MEP are reviewed regularly by the VCAT and MEP’s National Advisory Board, which was established by the Secretary of Commerce in October 1996. The Board meets three times a year to: (1) provide advice on MEP programs, plans, and policies; (2) assess the soundness of MEP plans and strategies; (3) assess current performance against MEP program plans; and (4) function solely in an advisory capacity, and in accordance with the provisions of FACA. Additional information on MEP’s National Advisory Board, including its most recent annual report, is available at http://www.mep.nist.gov/about-mep/advisory-board.html#annualreport.
Rating | Results |
---|---|
On Target | 3 |
Slightly Below Target | 0 |
Below Target | 0 |
See Appendix A: Performance and Resource Tables for individual reported results. |
NTIS, a component of TA, seeks to promote innovation and economic growth for U.S. business by: (1) collecting, classifying, coordinating, integrating, recording, and cataloging scientific and technical information from whatever sources, foreign and domestic; (2) disseminating this information to the public; and (3) providing information management services to other federal agencies that help them interact with and better serve the information needs of their own constituents, and to accomplish this without appropriated funds.
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) contracted with KPMG LLP to audit NTIS’s FY 2004 Financial Statements, to release a report (FSD-16698-5-0001) on November 8, 2004 indicating that NTIS established an internal control structure that facilitated the preparation of reliable financial and performance information. OIG issued an unqualified opinion.
NIST uses a variety of methods, including hosting conferences and workshops, participating on standards committees, and ongoing interactions with trade organizations to interact with and assess the needs of its diverse customers. NIST hosted a number of conferences and workshops in FY 2005 ranging from telecommunications to biometrics to quantum communications. Through these types of engagements, NIST, working with its customers, assesses next-generation infrastructural needs. In addition, NIST is leading a comprehensive assessment of the U.S. measurement system. Through this private-public partnership, priority measurement needs from across industry and the economy will be identified, along with potential solutions and viable solutions providers.
Broader stakeholder input is critical to the development of a strategic plan for the next generation MEP that clearly integrates the impact of globalization and the roles that both innovation and technology deployment play in the competitiveness of the nation’s small manufacturers. MEP’s planning process is increasingly based on input from a stakeholder list that includes small manufacturers; state representatives; economic development partners; manufacturing related associations; interested universities, community colleges, center managers and professional staff; as well as national stakeholders in the Departments of Commerce, Labor, and Defense, legislators and members of the Administration. This broader input will provide a more complete understanding of manufacturing needs, the manufacturing infrastructure in which the MEP centers operate, and the priorities of the broader community.
In FY 2005, there was no funding appropriated for a new competition for ATP awards. The President’s FY 2006 budget proposal includes no funding for ATP due to higher priority needs. However, ATP will continue to assess and respond to the needs of its existing award recipients through surveys, outreach efforts, and workshops throughout the life of ATP-funded projects.
Based on current results, NTIS is developing a new strategic plan in an effort to meet most efficiently the challenge of permanent preservation of and ready access to the taxpayers’ investment in R&D through the acquisition, organization, and preservation of the titles added annually to the permanent collection. Initiatives to use technologically advanced global e-commerce channels for dissemination have been a major success, thus providing the U.S. public with increased access to government information. Because NTIS offers the NTIS bibliographic database (from 1990 to the present) via the Internet free of charge, users can now download any item in the NTIS collection that is in electronic format for a low fee. This is one accomplishment supporting this initiative.
Consistent with its statutory mandate to develop new methods for disseminating information and to focus on electronic means, NTIS will continue to look for opportunities to develop electronic subscription products and harness the Internet as a means of providing information dissemination services to other agencies, such as providing a platform to meet e-learning needs.
The U.S. technology sector operates in a dynamic global environment that has changed radically since the end of the Cold War. The emergence and the strength of new economies in countries such as China and India, as well as the dramatic increase in the pace of innovation around the world, have resulted in a transformation of the technological and competitive landscape for the U.S. technology sector. The results are newer, larger global market opportunities, and more and stronger global competitors. Because the United States cannot generally compete in the area of low-cost manufacturing and labor, technological innovation will remain a key differentiator for the United States. OTP will continue to work to identify barriers to and foster the U.S. technological innovation process for rapid development, deployment, and commercialization of new and emerging technologies with broad economic and social potential.
To address these priorities and fulfill its mission, OTP engages and works with industry, Commerce bureaus and federal agencies, and other stakeholders in the innovation community to help maximize the contribution of technological innovation to the growth of the U.S. economy. Through its analytical policy focus, OTP helps frame and explore key issues related to emerging technologies, the innovation infrastructure, technology transfer, general business climate, economic security, and market opportunities that affect our nation’s innovative capacity, competitiveness, and economic growth. OTP identifies problems and barriers to technological innovation, promotes new models of technology transfer and research and development collaborations, offers policy recommendations to address challenges posed by technological change, and examines other concerns related to technological innovation. By engaging key stakeholders in dialogue and through rigorous analysis of collected data and information, OTP provides new knowledge and intelligence about the innovative capacity of U.S. firms and workers that inform the actions of the Secretary of Commerce, policymakers, and stakeholders.
Analytical findings are delivered and disseminated through a variety of media and products, including congressional testimony, briefings, reports, and the OTP Web site; advocacy in the federal interagency policy process and appropriate international fora; workshops and conferences; and other channels. Through the dissemination of OTP’s analysis, U.S. policymakers, leaders, and decisionmakers are provided with increased knowledge and a deeper understanding of trends and policy implications brought about by rapid advancement of new and emerging technologies and the globalization of technological innovation. OTP’s portfolio of policy work adapts and evolves in alignment with the dynamic, fast-paced, and increasingly more technology-driven, knowledge-based global economy.
The role of technological change in generating economic growth, wealth, and jobs has taken center stage in the 21st century global and increasingly knowledge-based economy. Globalization and the integration of the world’s national economies have accelerated through advancements in communications and transportation and the liberalization of commercial policy and free trade agreements. Rising competitors including China, India, Russia, and Central and Eastern European countries have large and rapidly growing pools of skilled and educated workers. These and other countries have come to recognize the strong relationship between technology, knowledge, and economic growth, and they are pursuing policies and strategies to exploit this relationship by increasing R&D investments; establishing the necessary infrastructure to support technological innovation and modern business enterprise; training millions of workers in science, engineering, and technical skills; fostering a climate that promotes and rewards talent and creativity; and attracting global investment in technology-related industries. In addition to establishing a science and technology base, many of these nations will develop the management capabilities to exploit new technologies for their own benefit. This growing globalization and increasingly competitive playing field have significant implications for U.S. technological leadership and the economic growth and jobs it generates; the location of R&D and high-tech manufacturing; competition for high-skilled workers; and the climate for attracting global investment.
Added to this complexity is the appearance of new and emerging technologies (e.g., biotechnology, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, nanoscale technologies, advanced computing and telecommunication technologies, alternative energy and power generation technologies, and advanced electronics and control systems) and the convergence of these technologies, which promise to radically alter products and services, manufacturing processes, business models, productivity, and our daily lives. These technologies have implications for a range of government policies and action. Countries that are prepared to quickly capitalize on the advances that flow from these emerging, inter-connected technologies can be expected to enjoy substantial opportunities for growth, formation of new industries, job creation, and increased wealth. The United States must adapt to this new environment and effectively harness the economic potential of new and emerging technologies for the nation’s benefit.
Given these two major unfolding forces of change, and technology’s fundamental role in economic growth and job creation of knowledge-based economies, federal policies must reflect and respond to this dynamic landscape, and create a supportive environment for entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and technology investment in the United States. OTP can help the Department and other federal agencies to respond to and capitalize on the changes that are taking place in the competitive international landscape by adding value to the national debate and discussion on how best to promote innovation, entrepreneurship, competitiveness, and stewardship of our science, technology, and innovation assets in order to sustain U.S. leadership in the global marketplace and raise the standard of living and quality of life for all Americans.
U.S Department of Commerce Home Page | Office of Budget Home | Privacy Policy |