Technology Administration
FY 2003 Budget Overview
President Bush's
fiscal year (FY) 2003 budget request for the Commerce Department's
Technology Administration (TA) is $585.7 million. The proposed budget
reflects the President's efforts to marshal the nation's technology
resources to help the United States win the war on terrorism, strengthen
homeland protections, revitalize the economy and create new jobs.
Led by the Under
Secretary for Technology, the Technology Administration includes
the Office of the Under Secretary (US) for Technology (including
the Office of Space Commercialization), the Office of Technology
Policy (OTP), the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST), and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS).
The requested
funding levels are as follows:
Office
of the Under Secretary for Technology/Office of Technology Policy
Total funding requested: $8.1 million for:
Promoting
Innovation through leadership in identifying and advocating
policies that encourage research, development, and commercialization
of new technologies such as nanotechnology and biotechnology, and
that promote the adoption of enabling technologies such as broadband.
Supporting
Entrepreneurship by representing the interests of U.S. innovators
and entrepreneurs in multinational forums and international partnerships,
and through work with states, localities, and federal labs to institute
policies that promote technology-led economic development.
Improving Innovation Infrastructure by contributing to development
of national workforce policies that improve the education and training
of future scientists and engineers, and by recognizing excellence
through the National Medal of Technology program.
Empowering
Citizens by working with industry and the Administration to
institute policies and procedures to increase consumer confidence
in employing technologies in new ways for greater productivity and
higher standards of living, such as in telemedicine and e-government
applications.
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Total funding request of $577.5 million, which is divided into three
appropriations:
- $402.2 million
for efforts under the Scientific and Technical Research and Services
(STRS) appropriation that includes funding for (1) the NIST Laboratories
and (2) the Baldrige National Quality Program.
This request
includes:
- $396.4
million for the NIST Laboratories to provide U.S. industry and
the science/technology community with the measurement capabilities,
standards, evaluated reference data and test methods needed
to support innovation, improve quality and lower transaction
costs in virtually all technology-intensive sectors.
- $5.8
million for the Baldrige National Quality Program to manage
the annual award competition (for the manufacturing, service,
small business, health care and education sectors), conduct
the annual Quest for Excellence conference where Baldrige award
winners share their performance excellence strategies, maintain
a comprehensive database on state and local quality awards,
continually improve the performance excellence criteria, and
facilitate information sharing among all sectors of the U.S.
economy.
The FY 2003
request for the NIST Laboratories proposes $52.7 million in increases
to fund new initiatives supporting the nation's economic security,
including:
- $35 million
to equip the currently under-construction Advanced Measurement
Laboratory (AML) at NIST's Gaithersburg, Md., headquarters for
success. When completed in 2003, the AML will be the world's
premier measurement laboratory, capable of providing measurement
and standards support for key industries of the new century
such as nanotechnology, biotechnology and homeland security.
- $6 million
to upgrade the NIST Center for Neutron Research, a unique national
user facility supporting the use of neutrons for research and
development in biology, chemistry, new materials, physics and
other fields.
- $4.7
million to expand the successful Building Competence for Advanced
Measurements Program, a highly competitive internal funding
system to seed the development of cutting-edge measurement capabilities.
- $4 million
to strengthen successful NIST programs in nanotechnology measurements
and standards to support the development of new devices and
materials on the atomic level.
- $3 million
to improve health care measurements and standards to reduce
costs, and improve diagnosis and treatment.
The President's
FY 2003 proposed budget also requests an additional $5 million to
expand NIST's homeland security efforts, including:
- $2 million
as part of a broader public/private homeland security partnership
to develop the standards, technology and practices to improve
the safety of buildings, occupants and emergency first responders.
- $2 million
to increase the security of critical infrastructures, including
computer systems controlling utilities and building supervisory
control systems.
- $1 million
for the Computer Security Expert Assist Team (CSEAT) to help
federal agencies identify and fix vulnerabilities in their information
systems.
- $120.8 million
for technology development and industrial outreach under the Industrial
Technology Services (ITS) appropriation that includes (1) cost-shared
funding to industry for high-risk research and development through
the Advanced Technology Program (ATP); and (2) widely distributed
services and hands-on technical assistance to small manufacturing
establishments through a nationwide network of centers serving
all 50 states and Puerto Rico under the Manufacturing Extension
Partnership (MEP).
This request
provides:
- $107.9
million for the ATP. Commerce Secretary Don Evans has evaluated
the ATP and has recommended to Congress a series of modifications
that will stabilize the program.
-
$12.9 million for the MEP. The request would return the MEP
to its original funding plan, which called for the phase-out
of federal monies to MEP centers after six years of funding.
MEP central coordination activities and the federal share of
the two centers less than six years old would be funded.
- $54.5 million
under the Construction of Research Facilities (CRF) appropriation,
including:
- $17.3
million to begin highest priority construction at NIST's Boulder,
Colo., laboratories. The two projects requested are the first
phase of construction of a Central Utility Plant and a new Primary
Electrical Service.
- $15 million
to cover the final lab-by-lab design of, the installation/extension
of mechanical and electrical services for, and the relocation
into the Advanced Measurement Laboratory. This is the last construction
funding needed to complete the AML.
- a $545,000
increase to address the highest priority safety, capacity, maintenance
and major repair projects required to operate NIST's facilities
in Maryland and Colorado.
National
Technical Information Service
No funds requested; NTIS is a self-supporting agency.
The National
Technical Information Service (NTIS) maintains, sells and distributes
a collection of scientific and technical information from federal
agencies. NTIS covers its operating costs through fees for its products
and services; there is no FY 2003 appropriation request for the
agency.
For additional
information, please contact:
Home page: www.ta.doc.gov
February 5,
2002
|
